Thursday, January 06, 2005
Stand up to the bullies
Where the Sikh protesters blazed a trail, other religious bullies have followed. In my postings on the Sikh theatre protest (December 19 and December 22), I warned that we should not allow feelings of 'offence' to justify censorship. I also quoted the 1968 Paris graffiti, "The church complains of persecution when it is not allowed to persecute."
Salman Rushdie (who knows a thing or two about religious bullies) warns of the extent of the problem in a letter in today's Guardian.
Thanks to Ryan Cullen's blog, I now learn that some Christians are jumping on this oppressive bandwagon, with an orchestrated campaign to bully the BBC into dropping its screening next Saturday of the musical Jerry Springer - The Opera.
Here is a message all Liberals should state to such protesters loudly and clearly:
We live in a democracy. You have the right to hold and practice your beliefs.Here is a message all TV engineers should state to such protesters loudly and clearly:
You do not have the right to deny others the right to criticise or lampoon your
beliefs. I have the right to see this musical if I wish. You do not have the
right to stop me. You are under no obligation to watch it.
What's wrong with your telly? Does it not have an 'off' switch?
