Gun attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo kills 11

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

I don't care what your agenda is but to use a 2 year boy who drowned to make your point shows their character.

Lots of other people used the death of that same boy to make a very different political point. I find the politicization of personal tragedy pretty distasteful full-stop. But I'm presumably in the minority.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Charlie Hebdo are self-avowed far-leftists. They've always taken glee in mocking the far-right National Front in France, as well as all other traditional bastions of the right, including the Catholic Church.

They're absolutely a product of the French intellectual leftist tradition. Attacking all traditional beliefs, all sources of authority, all institutions, figuratively (and sometimes literally) taking a crap on all bourgeois social norms. It's a far cry from the progressive left in North America, but there's more to the left in Western society than cultural sensitivity, identity politics, and environmentalism. The European leftist tradition is far more radical.

I've always thought they were more populist iconoclasts than anything.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by rubecube

I've always thought they were more populist iconoclasts than anything.

They don't strike mas populists at all.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

They don't strike mas populists at all.

I don't know. Fanning the anti-immigrant flames in Europe right now has been the go-to for the populist parties.

[CliffFletcher]

They're basically a French political version of the shock comedians who do the celebrity roasts on Comedy Central. Anyone and everything is fair game - the more outrageous the better.

To mark the legalization of gay marriage, it published an image of a threesome between the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. On the issue of pedophile bishops, it portrayed the Pope advising a bishop to go into filmmaking, “like Roman Polanski.” More recently it depicted a spread-legged Mary for its special issue on the life of Christ.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/ch...nd-provocation

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

They're basically a French political version of the shock comedians who do the celebrity roasts on Comedy Central. Anyone and everything is fair game - the more outrageous the better.

The trouble is most of the time (and particularly in this case) they aren't very funny.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

The trouble is most of the time (and particularly in this case) they aren't very funny.

Does anyone find Lisa Lampanelli funny?

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

The death of real people is a far greater tragedy than someone being offended because of a tasteless cartoon.

Tasteless cartoon? This is a cartoon of a 2 year old kid who died, he was also trying to escape the same monsters.

How would you feel is you're kid died and someone makes a cartoon of him being a future criminal?

Instead of trying to put a cap on the situation, all these cartoons do is add fuel to the fire for idiots looking a reason to attack them. Is there a need for this? Absolutely NOT!

[nik-]

There isn't a need for a lot of entertainment. I'm not even sure why people are up in arms. Everyone knew that this is what they do. I find women having to run a gauntlet of creepers a lot more offensive than drawing a dead kid.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Tasteless cartoon? This is a cartoon of a 2 year old kid who died, he was also trying to escape the same monsters.

Are you actually now defending the point of view that a cartoon, no matter how offensive, is in any way "just like" twelve people being murdered? Because my initial assumption was that it was just poor wording, but now...

[FlamesAddiction]

I look at Charlie Hebdo the same way I do the Westboro Baptist family. I don't condone violence against either, but neither deserve defending for the things they do even if it falls under free speech.

I condemn the attack on them, but also their publication. I don't see why some people think it has to be one or the other. Neither is worthy of defending IMO.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I condemn the attack on them, but also their publication. I don't see why some people think it has to be one or the other. Neither is worthy of defending IMO.

You can defend the right of someone to say or publish something without defending the content. Though sadly, that seems to be a distinction that fewer and fewer people recognize.

[peter12]

Oh the outrage.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by peter12

Oh the outrage.

Oh the faux outrage.

People loooove to be offended.

[corporatejay]

SO many monocles hitting the floor.

[icecube]

I'm sure the boys surviving family are pretty outraged.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

SO many monocles hitting the floor.

Fun fact: "Let the monocles hit the floor" was the first draft of the song that would become the hit "Bodies" by Drowning Pool.

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Tasteless cartoon? This is a cartoon of a 2 year old kid who died, he was also trying to escape the same monsters.

But it was still JUST A CARTOON.

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

How would you feel is you're kid died and someone makes a cartoon of him being a future criminal?

It would be heart breaking. I would hate them and everything they were doing with every ounce of my being. But how I feel, or how you feel or how anyone feels about it is irrelevant. They are allowed to print it and should not have to fear for their physical being for doing so. Should they fear the courts or a lawsuit? Yes, absolutely but not for their life. It just isn't on the same level.

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Instead of trying to put a cap on the situation, all these cartoons do is add fuel to the fire for idiots looking a reason to attack them. Is there a need for this? Absolutely NOT!

These idiots don't need more "fuel". Their stated goal is their fuel, they just pick targets. Some times a target presents its self and gives a "justification" for the attack (this one). Sometimes it doesn't (the concert attack). It doesn't stop the attack from coming. If you think they need a "reason" to do these awful acts then you are beyond naive.

[FlamesAddiction]

I am sure a lot of monocles hit the floor when things like "blackface" were deemed inappropriate, but few would argue that our culture isn't better for making it unacceptable entertainment.