Many of you are probably aware of the recent controversy over the last two South Park episodes. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone celebrated their 200th episode last week with a plot that involved celebrities demanding that the town of South Park produce the prophet Mohammad so that they could rob him of his power not to be mocked. As the prophet cannot be seen or depicted according to Muslim religion, the creators chose to disguise him in a giant mascot outfit.
This raised the ire of some Muslim radicals, who announced via their website that “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”
As the article I linked explains, Theo van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered by an Islamic extremist in 2004 after making a short documentary on violence against women in some Islamic societies. The posting on the site features a graphic photograph of Van Gogh with his throat cut and a dagger in his chest.
Now, these radicals weren't saying they would kill the violence or - mercy me! - even endorsing it. They were just "cautioning" that if South Park didn't stop exorcising their right to free speech, "someone" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) would probably kill them.
But it's not a threat. No... of course not.
Well, Matt and Trey weren't cowed. They continued the story in Part II, which revealed that it was actually Santa in the mascot outfit. However Comedy Central not only bleeped every mention of Mohammad, but two entire speeches at the end that spoke out against giving into fear.
Standing up for free speech, Jon Stewart spent the first 10 minutes of the show attacking these Muslim radicals. This is a long clip, I know... but watch it. It's well worth it.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| South Park Death Threats | ||||
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So the one and only source of this so-called controversy are some idiots talking drivel on a forum. If that's the case then 90% of the Internet must be full of "radicals."
ReplyDeleteIf there were riots over this episode and masses of groups criticising the episode then fair enough but it's truly just making a mountain out of a molehill.
And let's not forget the South Park guys have already shown Muhammad in full in the "Super Best Friends" episode and no one batted an eyelid.
Comments on a web forum, is that how low people have to go to manufacture fear?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/23/muhammad-south-park-censorship
ReplyDeleteI have searched all over the internet but this clip is blocked in the UK. I cannot view it. Is there anywhere I can read the transcript? Could you post a transcript for those of us who are censored? They never even aired the second episode (201) over here!
ReplyDeleteI don't have much to contribute here, but I find it amusing that the advertisement under this entry is for a muslim dating website.
ReplyDeleteI love google ads.
Carla - The things I do for you people... I'm gonna link to Newsbusters since they're the first place I found the transcript... but I feel damn dirty about it.
ReplyDeletehttp://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2010/04/23/jon-stewart-notes-blatant-double-standard-south-park-muhammed-censor
Don't read the comments at that link, by the way. A lot of morons out there. I'd sooner sit through another diatribe about how George Lucas molested someone's youth.