Posted on 12/28/2003 5:22:32 PM PST by aculeus
Comedians and dramatists delight in "pouring scorn" on Christianity but are "timid" about mocking Muslims, a broadcasting watchdog chief said yesterday.
Islam was accorded far more respect on television and radio than other religions because satirists were "cautious" and "self-censoring" when faced with the prospect of causing offence to Muslims, said Lord Dubs, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
"In portraying Muslims they have held back, they have censored themselves, they are timid," the Labour peer said. "I have seen them pour scorn on Christianity more than on other religions. Christianity is an easier and more acceptable target followed, to a lesser extent, by Jews and Hindus."
His remarks come on the eve of an announcement by the BSC that it is to impose one of the stiffest penalties it can draw on after Channel 4 re-broadcast a remark by Jamie Oliver about "Jesus —ing Christ".
The BSC had already upheld a complaint that the comment, made by the celebrity chef in an episode of the fly-on-the-wall series Jamie's Kitchen, was offensive to Christians. The regulator was angry when the offending remark was aired again in an unedited repeat of the programme.
A spokesman for Channel 4 said the repeat went out later than the original programme, at 10pm rather than 9pm, and it had been thought that the audience at the later time would not be offended.
In a rare intervention of this kind by the BSC, Channel 4 will be forced to broadcast the commission's new adjudication on air and have it published in a newspaper.
The commission is subsumed from today into the new super-regulator Ofcom. Lord Dubs admitted that the BSC had also shown bias in favour of Muslims. "We have tried to treat the religions equally. I doubt we have succeeded. I think we have shaded a bit on the side of Islam," he said.
The Right Rev Richard Holloway, the former Bishop of Edinburgh and a member of the BSC board, said Oliver's remark would never have been aired had it been about the Prophet Mohammed.
"There is much more sensitivity to disturbing Islam," he said. "It is partly because the Muslim community does not have a tradition of humour about religion, although Christian leaders will stand up for things that are fundamentally important."
If there is anything distinctively Christian about being accused of hypocrisy, it is the fact that Christians are taught that we should be careful about falling into it. It's in the Bible, in the words of Christ.
Leftists think that accusing a Republican of being "like Hitler" automatically defeats any arguement the Republican may have made. And atheists likewise tend to think that accusing a Christian of hypocrissy automatically shuts him up. Some places it might--but not on this forum.
Maybe if more Christians knocked off the 'turn the other cheek' behavior and loosened a few teeth, they'll start to practice all that 'tolerance and diversity' horsesh!t that they like to preach to the rest of us.
The best response to these people is a great big horselaugh. They really reeeaaally hate that! Believe me...they really hate that and leaves them deflated.
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True, but another very good tactic that doesn't anger them as it unnerves them is to say (and do) nothing.
1) They say "Blah..blah...blah..." Let them finish. Don't interrupt no matter how tempted.
2) Don't get angry, don't laugh at them; don't try for a smart retort. Just look at them. Do it in a vague cavalry-to-infantry attitude, keeping your expression as bland as possible. You know, eye lids somewhat closed, as if to say "Oh. I see." But don't say a word!
3) After a few seconds of watching them sweat you can either turn and walk away; or, if they start mouthing off again (and many do as a form of defense) I, myself, just wait till they come to the end of their spiel, go "hummm.." and then walk away.
It shakes them to the core every time.
Politicians? Cops? Preachers?
For one thing, to be successful as a satire, it is necessary that the audience have a fairly good grasp of the "original" which is being satirized. American and European audiences know Christianity well, but might be baffled at what the joke is in a satire of something Islamic.
And another reason is that, frankly, there's reason to be afraid that just one Islamist will take sufficient umbrage at any unflattering depiction to do somebody harm (a la Salman Rushdie).
Seriously, Christians are the biggest target for religious satire because wel... most people like to joke about themselves. Since most Americans are Christian, most satire is Christian-- just like most non-satire symbolism is Christian too (note how many movies have Christ-figures).
You probably didn't know about the 60 days of double secret probation for newbies did you?
I finish mine in three more days, then I am going to start posting some threads!
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