The events in Paris last week not only brought a previously unheard of magazine to the forefront, it also made people question the power of humour and ask; what is funny and what is just offensive? Can you really be killed just for making jokes? Should we now all demand that whatever offends us should be banned in case we take to arms?
The BBC seemingly banned all depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and many newspapers and media outlets refused to show copies of the, by now infamous, Charlie Hebdo cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad – but it couldn’t last and soon the BBC were issuing warnings before news bulletins in case some viewers found the images offensive. The cartoon was all over the internet and of course, the newspapers found themselves unable to report on the story without showing at least part of the cartoon which had sparked such a violent outcry.
But what I found most interesting is that whilst many Muslims were quick to condemn the killings in Paris, most did say that they found depictions of their prophet to be extremely offensive and in due course Muslim leaders worldwide were urging their followers to show restraint and calm.
This is what I don’t understand and perhaps someone could enlighten me. The Prophet Muhammad is not God. God is lampooned all the time in cartoons and has provided some ripe material for many comedians – yet no-one to my knowledge has issued a death threat to a comedian or cartoonist for poking fun at God. Jesus is also routinely ridiculed by magazines such as Charlie Hebdo – his crucifixion is made fun of, his sexuality called into question and his character assassinated. For Christians, Jesus is the Son of God, yet when The Life of Brian was shown at the cinema or The Last Temptation, there were protests but no-one got killed.
So is there now to be one rule for one set of people and a different rule for another? Have the limits of humour been set to the point where violence is threatened?
Don’t get me wrong; I am no supporter of Charlie Hebdo. I find many of the cartoons offensive. They are vulgar and sexist with the whole magazine reminding me of a French version of Viz.
In fact there are many things which offend me and many other women. Rape jokes are offensive. Pornography is offensive. Misogyny is offensive. Not only are these things offensive but they are threatening to us. They demean women, they objectify women and they make us feel unsafe and intimidated. Women bloggers are trolled and threatened with sexual violence. Women in parts of India can no longer travel by public transport without experiencing some form of sexual abuse. Our children are being influenced by free-for-all pornography. All of this affects me personally as I feel that my gender is being targeted and oppressed – all over the world. Yet I do not call for capital punishment for those who produce or watch pornography. I do not demand that rape jokes be punishable by death.
What happened in Paris has made many of us voice our support for freedom of speech – even those who deny it to others (yes YOU Benjamin Netanyahu). Yet it has also made others re-examine what is funny and what is offensive. Whilst there have been calls for newspapers to publish all the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, others have called for more respect and tolerance.
I can only speak from experience, but it seems to me that the more you try to silence those who seek to oppress you, the more ammunition you give them to carry on. Humour can be uplifting, healing and uniting but it can also seek to silence, to ridicule and to disrespect. So the key is not to focus on humour but to work on respect. And if comedians (I won’t use the word satirists are many of the jokes in Charlie Hebdo are far removed from intelligent satire) are shot every time they crack a joke at your expense, then you lose a little bit more respect and pave the way for yet more jokes – worse jokes – to be landed on you.
And do you know what is worse than offensive, vulgar jokes? Taking someone’s life.
What happened in Paris has made many of us voice our support for freedom of speech – even those who deny it to others (yes YOU Benjamin Netanyahu). Yet it has also made others re-examine what is funny and what is offensive. Whilst there have been calls for newspapers to publish all the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, others have called for more respect and tolerance.
I can only speak from experience, but it seems to me that the more you try to silence those who seek to oppress you, the more ammunition you give them to carry on. Humour can be uplifting, healing and uniting but it can also seek to silence, to ridicule and to disrespect. So the key is not to focus on humour but to work on respect. And if comedians (I won’t use the word satirists are many of the jokes in Charlie Hebdo are far removed from intelligent satire) are shot every time they crack a joke at your expense, then you lose a little bit more respect and pave the way for yet more jokes – worse jokes – to be landed on you.
And do you know what is worse than offensive, vulgar jokes? Taking someone’s life.