Slog - Comments on Orientalism http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism That liberty-loving Danish paper apparently rejected an offensive cartoon of Jesus Christ. That doesn't surprise me in the least. Nor do the images of deeply offended Arabs going nuts, burning flags, jumping out of windows. The Arabs are not upset about the cartoon but about white people making fun of them. White people are making them go crazy. If that cartoon had been published in a black African newspaper and drawn by a black African, Arabs would have yawned about it, if even that. What does a black person mean to them? Nothing. But white people mean everything. And so... Copyright 2007 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:09:44 -0800 Thu, 20 Apr 2006 01:39:34 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by SNCC Kid ...or—like the radical Islamist movement in Algeria—they slaughter and rape black Africans in Darfur because they think they are dirty.

]]> SNCC Kid http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015557 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015557 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:16:17 -0800 Comment by june Well seeing the swastika over the Star of David makes me apeshit to. But since I'm so used to it I am able to blow it off. Perhaps it Muslims had a constant stream of cartoons making fun of the prophet, people burning the Koran, burning flags from their countries they would be more thick skinned. Their reaction only shows they believe they shouldn't be given a little of what they dish out. I'll care about their rage when they begin showing compassion and solidarity with those of us who are constantly demeaned by their media, regious and political leaders. Until then, tell it to the hand.

]]> june http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015573 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015573 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:38:31 -0800 Comment by WF Thank you! Finally a Stranger writer expresses some feelings of ill-ease with the nativism behind a lot of the American-European reactions to the cartoon debate. Now Charles: can you calm Dan Savage down a little bit and get him to read something other than Andrew Sullivan and Michelle Malkin?

]]> WF http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015575 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015575 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:41:24 -0800 Comment by Aexia Jens Kaiser, the former editor of Jyllands-Posten's Sunday edition who turned down the cartoons three years ago, said he had done so because they were no good.

"Having seen the cartoons, I found that they were not very good. I failed to see the purportedly provocative nature," he said in a statement.

]]> Aexia http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015601 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015601 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 13:40:30 -0800 Comment by xutech Charles, thanks for dropping some truth. I agree with you. (Some) white people still just don't get it.

]]> xutech http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015615 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015615 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 14:18:12 -0800 Comment by june Yes Xutech
"we don't get it" or to put in less euphamisticly- we don't share collective guilt because we know the history of African and Arab culture is shared with as many injustices as European. Lucky for you, you
are a person of color which gives you that silly entitlement to feel indignation every time a white person doesn't submit to your point of view.

]]> june http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015676 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015676 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:45:05 -0800 Comment by Joel Yes, you're right June, it is more about "who said what" rather than "what was said". In the end this has little to do with the depiction of the prophet and more as to someone (especially in Western-white-media) going against their religious mandates.

But I'm curious as to how you interpret being "a person of color" allows me to have "silly entitlement to feel indignation every time a white person doesn't submit to your point of view"?


As far as this person of color is concerned, everyone is entitled to have their own beliefs and to be able to express them in a civilized way. I may not agree with them, but I at least respect when a person has concern and rationale behind their beliefs.


It is just when those beliefs stem into practice that threatens and works against the better-treatment and respect of others is where I draw the line. I will always have my disagreements with the opinions of others, but respect for that person and their own judgement always comes first.

]]> Joel http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015724 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015724 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 16:42:05 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi Correct me if I'm wrong, but my interpretation of Charles's comment is related to how Arabs view Africans and Europeans. Arabs don't care about what Africans think of them because Arabs consider Africans to be inferior. The Sudan is an excellent example of this. The Sudanese government, made up of Africans with Arab ancestry, are waging a genocidal campaign against the non-Arab Africans in the south.

Arab Muslims are pissed off about the cartoons because they either view Westerners as superior or they think that we consider ourselves superior. They're correct that many Westerners consider themselves superior. What I find interesting is the idea that Arab Muslims may unwittingly agree.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015819 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c015819 Wed, 08 Feb 2006 21:33:29 -0800 Comment by charles mudede keshmeshi does not need to be corrected. this is precisely what i meant.

]]> charles mudede http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c016081 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c016081 Thu, 09 Feb 2006 10:59:12 -0800 Comment by John Well, golly, doesn't every newpaper now need to publish these censored Jesus cartoons, or be exposed as soft on Free Speech? Paging Mister Savage.....

]]> John http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c016278 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c016278 Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:22:27 -0800 Comment by prudence Your pictures are great.

]]> prudence http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c092428 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c092428 Wed, 12 Apr 2006 11:50:05 -0800 Comment by miguel Very interesting and professional site! Good luck!

]]> miguel http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c094146 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c094146 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 10:53:20 -0800 Comment by dianne Hi there! Your site is cool!

]]> dianne http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c100994 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c100994 Sun, 16 Apr 2006 06:41:17 -0800 Comment by tommy I like this site!

]]> tommy http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c103585 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c103585 Mon, 17 Apr 2006 07:40:28 -0800 Comment by tommy I like this site!

]]> tommy http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c108248 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c108248 Wed, 19 Apr 2006 03:19:38 -0800 Comment by jay Thanks for the special work and information!

]]> jay http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c110565 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/02/orientalism#c110565 Thu, 20 Apr 2006 01:39:34 -0800