As a continuation of their expression of free speech, Matt Stone and Trey Parker should incorporate into future episodes the mockery of other religions as well. Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. Why stop at just Scientology and Islam? I'm sure Viacom owner Sumner Rothstein will be delighted to approve these additional satires.
I do not regularly watch South Park, but I am pretty sure they have had some Jesus mocking in there before.
I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but Jesus, Moses, and Satan are widely-used (and hilarious).
So why are people killing in the name of Islam then? Did all these people read the Quran "out of context"? Doesn't add up. The plain letter is there. Violence is encouraged.
The first ever South Park (before it was even known as South Park and was just a 'christmas card' passed around among friends) made fun of Christianity and Judiasm, in the form of a monster battle between Jesus and Santa over Christmas. Making fun of Christianity is what got the South Park people a TV show dea (NSFW language)l: <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CtCnJAVQnXE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CtCnJAVQnXE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> They also did a "Super Best Friends" espisode making fun of all world religions: <embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:southparkstudios.com:152638" width="480" height="400" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" flashVars="autoPlay=false&dist=www.southparkstudios.com&orig=" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000"></embed> And have done a whole episode making fun of Mormons. Their unrelated feature film, Orgazmo, also made fun quite a bit of Mormons. Watch the Xeni Jardin/Boing Boing interview if you think they are just "playing it for a cheap laugh" and aren't really satirists making valid political statements. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WSVU-8X8T7U&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WSVU-8X8T7U&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Careful with the word choice. If it was "encouraged", then why aren't the majority of Muslims engaging in violence?
These people have a name for them. They're called extremists/radicals. They try to justify their means by the Quran to get the moderate/normal Muslims on their side. I wouldn't say they read the Quran out of context, they blow it out of proportion. It's that adrenaline, they use it the wrong way. When I hear about Palestinian kids being killed by the IDF or Iraqi's being caught in crossfire, it does get to me. But I don't over react, I stay within the true limits of Islam. That's what my religion ACTUALLY teaches. Most of those verses that you speak of are really about being in an actual war/battlefield, anyway. I hope you clicked on my link and did a little cross reference?
Because other stuff is encouraged more? Or maybe because our species is awesome at cherry picking what we want to believe?
It sounds to me like you're making Islam into what you want it to be. And by all means, that's your right to do so. But quite frankly, if the window is left open for literal interpretation to support/encourage violence/oppression/whatever... then that's a fail that will keep rearing its ugly head until that religion goes the way of all the thousands of other extinct belief systems.
Damn why didn't you guys tell me to watch some South Park episodes before? This is some funny stuff :grin:
I have no right to make Islam what I want it to be. lol. It is what it is. These people that are giving Islam a bad name by causing violence in the name of it are just a very few minority. How come no one looks at the 98% of Muslims who are doctors, lawyers, CEO's, regular 9 to 5er's etc and see how they live their life in peace and serenity? Why do these extremists get the spot light? Why does the media not show the good people who are against all this? Because of what certain groups of Muslims do, the whole religion gets a bad rapport. Why is everyones opinion on Islam based off of crazy terrorists and not the other 98% of Muslims who are peaceful? Anyway, the truth shall prevail.
I don't think there's anyone arguing that South Park don't make fun of other religions. But why can't they mock Muslims without having to bring in the whole terrorists topic? It seems that the problem Muslims have against it(and other shows) is that there's never separation of muslims and violence/terrorism. I would think that the Muslim/terrorist angle reinforce a more negative stereotype than most mockeries. It's simply more of a touchy subject for Americans simply due to the nature of 9/11 and the emotions it gets out of people.
You seem to think I'm inferring that all Muslims are violent, I have done nothing of the sort. But the blatant encouraging of violence in religious texts is unacceptable, no matter how much peace and love it preaches otherwise. 98% isn't good enough, be it Christian, Muslim, Jew, Mormon, Scientologist, or Pastafarian. Because that 2% can cause a hell of a lot of trouble, and usually do... and as history has shown, they don't stay 2% forever. It comes and goes. Needless violence and death
To be fair, you make fun of religions in the context in which they're perceived. The scientology episode was just a mockery of all the more famous things about scientology. Hell on the Simpsons, hindus regularly got mocked and it was always the same stuff. The topics were always, hindu gods (and how many of them, or what they looked like), arranged marriage or just the standard quik-e-mart jokes. So like it or not, its good ratings to pick the hot-button topics of a religion and they chose it.
If free speech only protected unoffensive speech then it wouldn't be needed. I won't get too deep into this, as I loathe discussing politics, but that guy absolutely made a veiled threat, whether he admits it or not. Christ, it's a cartoon showing a man in a bear suit and people are willing to commit murder over it. PS: free speech yesterday, free speech today, free speech tomorrow, and free speech forever.
Some have argued that already. Terrorists were not the subject of the show. But what is wrong with it? Not the issue at all. Maybe in this thread, but nobody has even suggested that Muslims are represented by terrorists anymore than Christians, etc, are. It doesn't look like you've seen the episode/subject of the thread, nor have you read much of the posts in the thread, or at least read them closely. I might go revisit them and see if you feel the same way, or can add any other thoughts.
It should be noted that nobody has actually threatened them yet. Thankfully. Although people have pointed to the other head on a pike and made the connection... as if Parker and Stone didn't already know that.
I agree, I dont see you can defend violent threats against anyone for a cartoon like this. Speaking as a hindu, the Simpsons regularly mocked things to be as sacred as something like this. You'll see things like Homer offering a peanut to a statue of Ganesha, dressing up as Ganesha to break up a wedding etc.. All of that is as offensive in my mind as what was on South Park, and thankfully there weren't any violent responses or threats of violence.
