"The gods change, the blasphemer remains" Charlie Hebdo

[Pooka Fey]

Discuss...

[Pooka Fey]

1. OK GD, I'm a teacher so I'll start the discussion

Last edited Sat Jan 10, 2015, 04:47 PM - Edit history (2)

Is this comic a) anti-Muslim, b) anti-Jewish, c) anti-Christian, d) anti-Pagan, e) anti-ancient Polytheistic Egyptian religion people f) anti-Neolithic Goddess Deity religion people g) all of the above h) none of the above

What is the point that the cartoonist is trying to communicate?

Is it humorous? Did you chuckle? Do you feel you have the right to chuckle at this? Why?

Does the cartoonist have the right to express his idea that all religions can be equally ridiculous? If so, why do you believe so?

Is the cartoonist maybe saying that, no matter how serious and sacred your religion is, there will always be somebody throwing it the middle finger?

Thanks for playing guys!

[edhopper]

2. political cartoons

are not sunday comics, they are there to make you think not laugh.

This one seemed to make you think, so it worked.

[Pooka Fey]

8. Exactly.

[edhopper]

10. BTW

I think he is taking about the changing beliefs in religions, and that the disbelievers are always considered blasphemous, no matter the gods or God.

[Pooka Fey]

11. Brilliant point. I hadn't even considered that interpretation

Last edited Sun Jan 11, 2015, 08:56 AM - Edit history (2)

of how religions change over the centuries, so that the ancient Neolithic Goddess deity people might also have been killing blasphemers with all the passion of ONE of today's major religions. Of course. Now that you've said it, I totally see your point. Bravo.

That's why I love cartoons, because there is SO MUCH you can say with images.

[edhopper]

12. are you

taking the piss?

[Pooka Fey]

13. I don't know what you mean

"Taking the piss"

Please translate

[edhopper]

14. It's British

for "having fun with"

Without tone your replies could be read as sarcastic. So I ask.

Poe's Law.

[Pooka Fey]

15. Sorry for my very American over-enthusiam, I was being sincere

and astonished that someone would take the time to reflect and answer intelligently.

I don't know "Poe's Law". What is it?

[edhopper]

16. Thanks

you never know.


Poe's Law:

Poe's law, named after its author Nathan Poe,[1] is an Internet adage reflecting the idea that, without a clear indication of the author's intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between an expression of sincere extremism and a parody of extremism

But I use it to include sarcasm as well.

I just realized. the observant person I am, that you are the OP, I responded to your Reply #2, hence my confusion.

Good post.

[Pooka Fey]

17. Poe's Law

Thanks for the info. Being the brilliant internet forum superstar that I am, I had presumed that there was some famous law by Edgar Allen Poe that had somehow escaped my notice.

(taking the piss there)

Glad you liked the post, it wasn't an easy one.

[MisterP]

3. it's also anti-Asterix (and that's the wrong salute)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quenelle_%28gesture%29

[Pooka Fey]

9. Dude. WTF?

[muriel_volestrangler]

24. Can you explain what on earth you mean?

The 'quenelle' is the 'wrong salute' (as in, it's mired in bigotry). That in the OP is a standard 'screw you'. And why is it 'anti-Asterix'?

FWIW:


http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/charlie-hebdo-asterix-creator-albert-uderzo-comes-out-of-retirement-to-draw-je-suis-charlie-cartoon-9968835.html

[Pooka Fey]

26. Better not to feed the you know whats

Mods voted to leave it alone. I know perfectly well what that salute represents and so does the poster. In the choice between calling attention to it and ignoring it, I chose to ignore it and I prefer that the poster's thoughts and justifications remain unheard.



But great idea to post the cartoon of Asterix knocking the crap out someone who I imagine is very familiar with the "quenelle". Made me smile! Go Asterix!

[uppityperson]

5. Ah, so you're the one that writes those annoying last pages in middle school english books

[Pooka Fey]

6. Bingo!

[Bluenorthwest]

18. The cartoonist has the right under the law, that's not belief, that's reality. Now a question for

one who claims to be 'teacher'. Your first question uses the same word form to describe bigotries toward each group but one. Why is it 'anti-Christian' and 'anti-Semitic' and 'anti-Egyptian' each of which refer to people but instead of saying 'anti-Muslim' you use the term 'Islamaphobic' which refers to the faith, not to those who believe it, and instead of being 'anti' or against it uses 'phobic' or 'fearful of'.
Why don't you treat all the faiths the same in your verbiage? What is the message in that, one who claims to be teacher?

[Pooka Fey]

19. Remind me the name of the religion of the Ancient Egyptians?

Osirustians?

[Bluenorthwest]

20. That's very much not the point.

Criticism of a person is not the same as criticism of a philosophy, and being against a person is not the same as being afraid of a philosophy either.
Maybe it is language barrier.

[Pooka Fey]

21. My point is that I used humor to lighten up a conversation which was becoming too heavy

And I did return to #2 to change the questions to make them all equivalent. Anti-Muslim = Anti Neolithic Goddess Deity Religion People

Point taken and thanks for pointing out the error.

[Pooka Fey]

27. I don't treat all the faiths the same because I have observed that they are NOT all the same

Though you were correct to point out to me that I was inconsistent in my language usage in Post #2, and thus I corrected the post to reflect that.

The inescapable fact, though, is that the unconscious inconsistency escaped into my writing because of a disturbing REALITY. A reality that the post-modern existentialist needs desperately to obscure, in order to remain consistent within her reductionist world-view. In reality, in the real world in which we live, everything is NOT the same. Bill Maher, though I'm a fan, is dead wrong when he says all religions are equally stupid and crazy. It's funny, but it's wrong.

While we have a vocabulary term for "fear of the Muslim religion", i.e. "Islamophobia", we don't have an equivalent term for the other major religions. Why not, you ask? Well, "Christianophobia" doesn't exist in modern language usage, simply because nobody in the previous 5 centuries has had anything to fear from the mainstream Christian sects (we must exclude from "mainstream Christianity" those offshoot Mormon sects that hole up in the 4 corners region and commit atrocities). And yes, I will stridently object to those who say that 500+ years of Christian self-reform doesn't mean anything. Yes, it does mean something.

It means that I will not allow anyone to say that the 14th century Inquisition can be considered of equal argumentative value, in a debate taking place in January, 2015, about the problem of Radical Islamic Fundamentalists, such as those who, 5 days ago, assassinated cartoonists, journalists, police officers, French Jews doing their Friday night shopping for Shabbat, and any other innocent victims of whom I haven't yet heard.

To conclude, to answer those who say that it is "those particular sociopaths who committed that atrocity" and NOT average Muslims, this is true. We agree on that point.

However, that does not and MUST NOT be allowed to obscure the fact that the sacred religious text of Islam, the Coran, calls upon its faithful to murder 'apostates' i.e. anyone who isn't their particular flavor of Muslim, among other exhortations that are simply incompatible with Western style democracies. This is a FACT. And this is a problem in a world where we need to live together in societies.

Trying to obscure or ignore this problem is not working out very well, especially for those of us who believe that justice and peace have value in our world and on our planet.

[MineralMan]

4. C'est Vrai.

How's that for a response?

[Pooka Fey]

7. Ta réponse est super!

[LAGC]

22. How hateful! How disrespectful! How bigoted!

How can we celebrate such gross intolerance, such BROADBRUSHING against people of faith?!

This is a time for SENSITIVITY and BIDING OUR TONGUES. Watching what we say lest we offend someone and they get angry again.

Think about the consequences! If this cartoon causes more people to turn away from God... well... think of all the immorality and conflict that could ensue??

[Pooka Fey]

23. Sarcasm tag? Eye-roll smily?

On a day like today, I can't be too sure...

[LAGC]

25. I didn't think it was necessary.