Joey Scarbury - Great American Hero (Believe It or Not) (from 7" vinyl)
Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
At its core, the United States of America is a country built on liberal ideals. An artist in the US can put a crucifix in a bottle of piss, photograph it, title it “Piss Christ” and win a federally funded art competition. For a sequel, that same artist can submerge a statue of the Madonna and Child, similarly, in piss, cleverly title it “Madonna and Child II”, and have it’s merits celebrated by curators at the National Gallery of Art. Wow. Check out the links, it’s brilliant and inspired art, am I right? Well, at least we can agree that it’s art, regardless of how great it probably isn’t. (I’m sorry, but if this is your idea of great art, you’re trying too hard. There are fewer things less “edgy” than being consciously “edgy”.) It might not be great art, but that’s not the point, it does have a right to exist. Likewise, many American and European liberals are hostile towards religion, with their contempt simmering just below the surface, and they have every right to act that way and express it any way they wish. And, Christians have every right to react, protest, and voice our opinion about their anti-religious works of art. In turn, liberals have every right to call Christians close-minded, reactionary, and conservative. It’s a fun game that everyone can enjoy. As far as I know, nobody killed the artist whose career high point was submerging religious icons in “a luminous amber liquid that diffuses light and softens details”. It’s not worth it to physically harm someone over crappy art. If it was, Rusted Root and anyone else associated with producing the song “Send Me On My Way” would be rotting in their graves right now (same with anyone associated with the “Grease” soundtrack). Christians and music lovers may not have been happy about these works of art, but nothing was burned and nobody was killed (although I might come close if I ever hear a “Send Me On My Way”/“Summertime” medley.)
For some reason, this Muslim cartoon thing has really ruffled my feathers. I can’t stand the fact that my government isn’t actively and explicitly defending the Dane’s freedom of speech and the freedom to criticize religion. Why isn’t America’s cultural elite standing up for the Danish cartoons? Are we too consumed by Cheneygate? During the Piss Christ controversy, hundreds of artists held a public rally in support of the work and for the right to create and display it. Why isn’t the New York Times willing to print the very cartoons that have been at the center of this debate? The real issue isn’t even the cartoons themselves, it’s about Europeans promoting negative stereotypes about Muslims and criticizing them, as this article by a Muslim in Slate points out. Another truly brilliant article by Christopher Hitchens addresses this entire issue better than I ever could, and this article comparing Piss Christ controversy and the Danish cartoon controversy is much better than anything I could’ve written. America, get ready to start hearing the term “Islamophobia”, it’s the next way to shame people into respecting the violent and extreme actions of fundamentalist Muslims.
Don't sleep.
Bonus!: Excerpt from DJ Shadow's "Diminishing Returns" Mix - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That (feat. Japanese vocals, high school marching bands, and John Peel)
PJ Pooterhoots - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That
Hall & Oates - [Islamofascism,] I Can't Go For That
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2 comments:
D,
Thanks for sharing your perspective on this stuff, I greatly appreciated it. I'm very interested by your points about different styles of governments. I think Jordan seems to be a good example of a functioning dictatorship (yet still denying basic human rights to women). But, democracies still seem to be the best form of government to respect and uphold individual, human rights. For me, individual rights and protection should be the foundation of any government.
So, it's your belief that this controversy is going to cause positive changes in the relationship between Europeans (specifically Danes) and Muslims? I'd be curious to hear you explain this stuff a little more. To me, the extremist Muslim reaction is going to confirm many European (and American) prejudices about Muslims. With the murder of the Dutch artist Theo Van Gogh, the riots in Paris, and the cartoon controversy, I don't see where a more integrated culture is on the immediate horizon. I see things getting worse before they get better. Aren't the Muslims sending the message that they are rejecting Western values? Where are they going to find common ground when Europeans are even more anti-religion that Americans? The revolution that I see coming is one where extremist Muslims use threats of worldwide violence like this to impose their own values on Western society. They will use those threats to make sure their religion isn't criticized anymore, because that's what this is all about. They want to be able to control what people say about Islam, and they are winning this battle if you ask me. I think you would agree with me that the pendulum is swinging back after decades of Western influence in Muslim countries. Generally, I don't see that as a positive.
Dude, I can't believe you're comparing all this to the civil rights movement in the US.
So if we “Westerners” feel free to speak on anything at anytime, we should be ready for the fallout. - Seriously? Even violence and death? Over words and thoughts that Muslims don't agree with? Can't we keep the sticks and stones out of this equation? Are they the only religious group that has this right to respond with violence? Did Christians have the right to respond this way to Piss Christ? Can Jews defend the memory of the Holocaust with violence?
Sometimes, you gotta stand and scream/fight/burn to be heard. - The sad irony is that Muslims are screaming/fighting/burning to protest stereotypes of themselves as screamers/fighters/burners.
At least we can agree that Bush doesn't really care about anybody but his cronies. But, he believes his caring for the few will trickle down to a few more, so that helps him sleep at night. Man, my opinion of Kanye West changed when I watched that live Katrina relief concert. I was proud of the guy. Nobody in the mainstream media was talking about the real racial issues he brought up and he changed the nature of the discussion from that point on. Nobody except for King Koopa, that is... (toot-toot, goes my horn)
I trust you already have Legendary KO's "George Bush Doesn't Care", the remix of Kanye's Gold Digger. How about our man Mos, the Universal Magnetic, doing "Dollar Day for New Orleans...Katrina Klap"?
Hey bro, I've really enjoyed our conversation about this stuff. I don't have anything to do at work either. For some reason, I thrive on ideological discussions like this, it helps keeps me thinking and keeps me sharp. Feel free to retort and get the last word, I don't think I have anything else to say on the matter. Agree to disagree?
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