I refuse to repost, so here is another pic of Charlie that you may find relevant.
Someone please tell me you got the reference...
And the social media manipulation monster rolls ever more gloriously forward, gaining momentum until one day we really will be running for our lives, dodging lasers, Skynet and the awful acting of Arnie.
I resolved to remain schtumm on the subject of the horrific killing of Charlie Hebdo staff in Paris, but can no longer hold my tongue. First impressions and the entire world raises its arms in a roar of indignation, flatly condemning this heinous crime - and rightly so. One or 2 more astute commentators hold up a cautionary finger. Twitter becomes french. More cartoons containing a clever play on "the pen is mightier than the sword" are manufactured in one day since - well - never. Journalists the world over, especially the ones content with regurgitating the slop found at the bottom of any barrel cry "freedom of speech!!!" and the world blindly concurs.
I thought there may be a bit more to it, so I googled "unnecessary Muslim attack" and was sent directly to Mia Khalifa's pornhub page. I am of course, at the risk of having my own head blown off, kidding. Perhaps a little tastelessly, given the gravity and the brutality of the attack, but then I have never pretended to be too serious a journalist. A real search did lead me to some very well written, thought provoking pieces... There are a ton more, particularly this one, you can go look for yourself.
Charlie Hedbo is an exceptionally racist rag, by all accounts. As much as I believe in the freedom of speech, surely the depraved level of blatant blasphemy should be regarded as over the line and perpetuating a stereotype which I know first hand to be untrue. I will never condone the use of violence as a means to sort out differences, but if the world is being led to believe that the belittling of your deeply held faith is something to laugh over, one blind eye at a time, then it's understandable that someone somewhere is going to reach a tipping point. The images and message depicted on these hallowed pages was not satire. It was the lowest form of self serving shit. I know I'm going to be cast as the liberal in this, but ask yourself how you'd feel if someone was that insensitive about something you held dear, continually taunting and provoking you in the basest fashion?
Conspiracy theorists would have you believe that it is another "false flag" operation orchestrated to garner sympathy for the West to raise their game of fucking with Islam. That approach also seems a little too politicised for me to deal with, but perhaps they too have a point.
The problem is as old as the hills. People do not get on. They hate each other and clever people insidiously use that to keep the fire burning under the status quo because there's money in it. "The pen in mightier than the sword"? Have you seen 'Casino'? Keep your fucking pens. They have been responsible for more deaths than any other weapon in history, so yes, they most certainly are mightier.
People so quickly beat their chests in anguish. Tears flow for those lost to tragedy. How hard did you cry for the thousands of African babies who starved over December while you stuffed your face? After you logged off from Faeceboobs, having shared a few animal welfare pictures, how much time did you spend at your local shelter doing something worthwhile? Humans are, after all, animals in every sense of the word.
We should know better though.
But let's quickly look at our track record:
We breed indiscriminately, creating a demand for food and shelter which cannot be met.
We treat other humans like animals simply because we are from different areas or backgrounds.
We exploit every possible resource we can until it's too late.
We ruin that which we are meant to nurture.
We submit to greed and violence in order to elevate ourselves above the so called average.
We believe that a life superior to everyone else is our birthright.
We refuse to accept accountability for anything - it's never our burden.
Well, I have news for you humanity, YOU are what's wrong with this picture, not just the guy who pulled this particular trigger.
Do we need satire? I believe so. Where do we draw the line? That I cannot tell you. Who arbitrates such a fine balance? Zapiro is a great example of satire. His depiction of Jacob Zuma is that of a bumbling buffoon - referencing what actually happened in order to discredit him for his disgraceful actions and his treasonous incompetence. He does not blame the fact that he is a black man. Yet even our distinguished Mr Zapiro finds himself in hot water from time to time. Luckily, as we know, showers absolve...
I don't believe anyone should be killed for taking the piss. Heaven knows I'd be knee deep in virgins were that the case. I'm saying the problem runs deeper than some fundamentalist going postal. And anyone who is naive enough to believe what main stream media is spoon feeding you like Purity, is a fucking clueless idiot. Why don't you go hashtag some shit you barely understand. It'll make you feel better.
But enough of that. Reverse the curse. When next you reach out a hand, make sure it's to help lift someone up, not to push them down.
Spread The Love. We Have To Start Somewhere.
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