Constructive Criticism

I still find the idea of constructive criticism for Islamo-Fascist radicals amusing, as if we were in an introduction to filmmaking class. Ummmm...Mr. Zarqawi, I was just thinking maybe you'd get your point across better if you didn't cut off the guys head, and maybe instead only a finger or something. Just a thought. On the other hand, you are doing a rather good job at hiding, GOOD JOB.

Sheez.

Anyhow, the reason I find it so hypocritical is the left has zero tolerance towards, say the Ku-Klux-Klan, homophobic hate crimes, race discrimination, etc (all of which I agree with), but then it comes to Islamo-radicalism and all of sudden, it's like "Let's listen to their point of view. Who can blame them? It's no wonder why they become suicide bombers," especially because so many upper middle class Saudi young men are affected by the Palestinian sitution. Riiiight.

Now we have this cartoon situation. There's a lot of different POVs here. Powerline has a good summary.

US Military is pissed off about the re-printing of the cartoons because they are alienating the moderate Muslims who don't like the radicals, but don't like being mocked either...thus, making the soldiers jobs tougher.

European Newspapers are outraged that Islamic radicals are threatening kidnapping and using general thuggary to protest freedom of speech and are responding by not "bowing" to the threats, but rather, re-printing the cartoons over and over.

American Newspapers, thus far, have opted not to reprint the cartoons. It is unclear whether it is out of respect for Muslims who would be offended, or because they lack any backbone and afraid of criticisms and fatwas. Or both.

Hugh Hewitt, a conservative Christian blogger and talk show host, thinks the Islamic thugs should obviously be condemned, but that the cartoonists shouldn't be celebrated - that in fact, they are idiots themselves, making unsympathetic, even racist cartoons, the likes of which would be heavily criticised in the West if they were about Jews or Christians.

Interesting perspectives, all. I myself, am a jerk, and even more of a jerk on my blog, according to my friends, and so I say, cartoon and reprint away! If people are offended - SO FUCKING WHAT!!! Cartoons, to me, fall into the humor category. And what I love about humor is that there is only one criteria for judgement: IS IT FUNNY?

The only appropriate criticism of the Islamic cartoons or ANY cartoon is whether it is funny or not. I don't think I'd find racist cartoons funny, unless of course, they were. But the fact remains, that some racist and offensive things are funny - mighty funny. And I want to live in a world where we can say idiodic things that might be funny. I don't see why we should privilege humorless souls, who out of respect or whatever, don't think we should offend.

So on this one anyway, I'm with the Eurotrash (see - not funny.)

UPDATE: CNN actually has a really good article on the cartoons.

Of all the players, I actually like Ayatollah's Sistani's comments the best:

Al-Sistani, who wields enormous influence over Iraq's majority Shiites, suggested militant Muslims were partly to blame. He referred to "misguided and oppressive" segments of the Muslim community and said their actions "projected a distorted and dark image of the faith of justice, love and brotherhood."

-These segments worry me, "Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up," protesters in Ramallah chanted." AND "If they want a war of religions, we are ready," Hassan Sharaf, an imam in Nablus, said in his sermon.

FYI, these are places in Palestine.