This is the website/blog of Philosopher Stephen Law. Stephen is Reader in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London, and editor of the Royal Institute of Philosophy journal THINK. He has published several books (see sidebar). For school talks and media email: think-AT-royalinstitutephilosophy.org
Sunday, February 8, 2015
The 'No Punching Down' Case Against Satirising Islam
I'll add one more thing, and that satirising Islam IS punching up. The 'up' is the direction of undue privilege, and there is no greater undue privilege than a belief that your personal thoughts and ideas should be coddled or they have a right to kill you and people around you.
2 comments:
I guess the cartoonists were punching down against those people armed with AK-47's.
Those gunmen didn't stand a chance, punching up against people armed with pencils.
Drawing an image of Muhammad is not satire, no more than Catholic images of Jesus are satire.
I'll add one more thing, and that satirising Islam IS punching up. The 'up' is the direction of undue privilege, and there is no greater undue privilege than a belief that your personal thoughts and ideas should be coddled or they have a right to kill you and people around you.
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