To say what happened at Charlie Hebdo's headquarters in Paris, France is unfortunate is an understatement. And while the loss of life in such a manner is always troubling, what tends to happen is the immediate feeling that the murdered is indeed the victim; and I believe there's a little more color in this situation.
Charlie Hebdo is no life-saving organization. They aren't some band of ultra-ethical journalists looking to crack the tyrannical hold of the elite. They're not digging wells in Brazil or sending millions of pounds of food to Somalia or housing Ukrainian refugees. They're satirists. They poke fun at serious issues. They make light of peoples' lifestyles....under the cover of freedom of speech.
Recently, millions marched in a show of unity and support for Charlie Hebdo and free speech. All of this comes from Islamic terrorists killing more than a dozen employees of Hebdo. But the view of all of this is skewed by assuming that violence cannot come without cause and that free speech is indeed free. Both statements are false; and the truth is is that the writers at Charlie Hebdo created the atmosphere to die.
Common sense would say that you don't make fun of the object that terror organizations hold dear; particularly those organizations who are known to kill in grisly fashion. But what Charlie Hebdo endorsed is the comical and disrespectful view of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Western promoted ignorance has persuaded many to connect Mohammed with car bombs. However millions of people around the globe don't see Mohammed or Islam that way. In fact, they view it with the same peaceful connotation that Christians view Jesus Christ....although radical Christian terrorism far outweighs Islam in global and American impact from a historical and current perspective. Did Charlie Hebdo consider those peaceful Muslims when the made fun of Mohammed so loosely? Or was their vision so small that they felt their ridiculous drawings only affected people who have an incorrect view in spreading their religion? Whatever the reason, it wasn't that these writers were being courageous in joking on people in the safety of their cubicles. They were being unintelligent...first by not considering all factors, and second by assuming they were safe in their cubicles after throwing virtual shots at real killers.
I think we need to consider the serious impact of media...because we are all apart of it. We take pictures or make posts without considering who the images or words will offend and how they will offend them. We create a forcefield of security behind our screens or phones and don't realize the object(s) of our jokes may have the resources, methods, and misguided drive for retaliation. It's dumb to be humorously condescending about the passionate and violent. And I don't say this to imply being afraid, but many of us are smart enough to bring proper perspective to a subject without being disrespectful...like we can't be touched. But it goes further than that. We have to develop the ability to love through evil. We have to learn to be direct and real, but considerate...even and especially towards those who aren't considerate towards us. Evil, whether written or shot, does not destroy evil; it makes evil stronger. And we must be more insightful to correct wrongs, otherwise we're no better than the people we deem as terror agents.
Peace
Charlie Hebdo is no life-saving organization. They aren't some band of ultra-ethical journalists looking to crack the tyrannical hold of the elite. They're not digging wells in Brazil or sending millions of pounds of food to Somalia or housing Ukrainian refugees. They're satirists. They poke fun at serious issues. They make light of peoples' lifestyles....under the cover of freedom of speech.
Recently, millions marched in a show of unity and support for Charlie Hebdo and free speech. All of this comes from Islamic terrorists killing more than a dozen employees of Hebdo. But the view of all of this is skewed by assuming that violence cannot come without cause and that free speech is indeed free. Both statements are false; and the truth is is that the writers at Charlie Hebdo created the atmosphere to die.
Common sense would say that you don't make fun of the object that terror organizations hold dear; particularly those organizations who are known to kill in grisly fashion. But what Charlie Hebdo endorsed is the comical and disrespectful view of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Western promoted ignorance has persuaded many to connect Mohammed with car bombs. However millions of people around the globe don't see Mohammed or Islam that way. In fact, they view it with the same peaceful connotation that Christians view Jesus Christ....although radical Christian terrorism far outweighs Islam in global and American impact from a historical and current perspective. Did Charlie Hebdo consider those peaceful Muslims when the made fun of Mohammed so loosely? Or was their vision so small that they felt their ridiculous drawings only affected people who have an incorrect view in spreading their religion? Whatever the reason, it wasn't that these writers were being courageous in joking on people in the safety of their cubicles. They were being unintelligent...first by not considering all factors, and second by assuming they were safe in their cubicles after throwing virtual shots at real killers.
I think we need to consider the serious impact of media...because we are all apart of it. We take pictures or make posts without considering who the images or words will offend and how they will offend them. We create a forcefield of security behind our screens or phones and don't realize the object(s) of our jokes may have the resources, methods, and misguided drive for retaliation. It's dumb to be humorously condescending about the passionate and violent. And I don't say this to imply being afraid, but many of us are smart enough to bring proper perspective to a subject without being disrespectful...like we can't be touched. But it goes further than that. We have to develop the ability to love through evil. We have to learn to be direct and real, but considerate...even and especially towards those who aren't considerate towards us. Evil, whether written or shot, does not destroy evil; it makes evil stronger. And we must be more insightful to correct wrongs, otherwise we're no better than the people we deem as terror agents.
Peace
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