French Magazine Stands up for FS

[Dennis]

[Boris Johnson]

How is this freedom of speech?

The reason I ask this, as there is a very important difference between idea of a republic of letters from which the notion of freedom of speech (separate from freedom of religion or conscious) evolved in the 17th century, that is quite distinct from being provocative for its own sake.

[foadi]

i applaud the magazine too. pissing off dumb ppl is a goodness.

[Sparse1]

Less to do with free speech and more to do with the long history of anti-clericalism and iconoclasm in French intellectual thought.

[PoS]

[OGPhilly]

I do agree that pissing of stupids is great, however, people seem to be distorting what this is about:


"It happens that the news this week is Mohammed and this lousy film, so we are drawing cartoons about this subject," Charbonnier told CNN affiliate BFM-TV on Wednesday. "It's more turning in derision this grotesque film than to make fun of Mohammed."


They're ridiculing the film, not Mohammed or Islam. Just as well, but don't spin this as if the magazine is standing up to Islamist bullies or what have you as they have made it explicitly clear that isn't what they're doing.

[OGPhilly]

Also, quick question:

We've established that pissing off stupids is good, right?

So that guy made a YouTube video mocking Mohammed and that pissed off Muslim fundies. Then the embassy in Cairo condemned the film and that pissed off Dennis. Does that make the situation a win-win?

[Boris Johnson]

Fair enough, I jumped too quickly.

However, I maintain my point that every time someone does something retarded and offensive that its a victory for 'free speech' shows how the concept is quite frankly becoming rather absurd.

[Dennis]

[Boris Johnson]