notes on Rich Johnston, and drawings of Mohammed

[hradzka]

This just in: Rich Johnston is a coward.

What's more, he's a weaselly and despicable one.

If you don't know who he is, Johnston runs Bleeding Cool, which is the successor website (and current host for) his long-running comics news and gossip column, "Lying in the Gutters." One of his recent posts mentioned the attempted murder of Danish

Comments

[unix_jedi]

to draw Mohammed in contravention to Muslim religious law.

I don't think this is a nitpick - in contravention of some interpretations of Muslim religious law.

I am informed by Iranians of my acquaintance, that carrying images of Mohammed is quite the norm in Iran. Also note the many many mosaics and frescos where Mohammed (put in by people closer to him) were later chipped out - or not.

That missing context is like talking about Catholic - or Baptists - as canonical representatives of Christianity. But we're usually close enough to those branches to understand there are some major policy differences between them.

Also usually left out of the discussion is that the "Danish Imams" who complained *made up 2 images of Mohammed* themselves (and one picture of a guy at a USA BBQ wearing a pig mask). So obviously, it's not that big of a deal (or why aren't they getting hacked up?)

we're advertised as being everything the guy who tried to kill with an axe actually is, but nobody is afraid of us. As they shouldn't be.Yup. Sarah Brady

[hradzka]

Very accurate not a nitpick.

I Agree

[robby]

It's becoming clear that this Somali was more than "an axe-wielding fanatic", but more of a terrorist hit man, sent by others. He has been tracked by various security agencies, and recently was trailing Hilary Clinton in Africa.

I agree that there's a cowardly unwillingness to confront these evil murderers. They count on the good will and openness of western society to go their evil deeds.

[hradzka]

It's not the "unwillingness to confront" that bothers me -- I don't dedicate my entire life to calling out things I see as wrong, after all. It's the defining confrontation down so that "not confronting" becomes the same thing as "utter acquiescence" -- and utter acquiescence to the lunatic wing, at that.

I don't want to unnecessarily offend people, but there's a world of difference between being respectful and polite, which everyone should be, and not doing something innocuous because you're afraid someone might try to kill you with an axe.

[vvalkyri]

semirelatedly, Ireland just enacted an anti-blasphemy law; these articles are about response:

http://blasphemy.ie/2010/01/01/atheist-ireland-publishes-25-blasphemous-quotes/#more-721

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/01/irish-atheists-challenge-blasphemy-law

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/02/AR2010010201846.html

This seems different from the attempt to put such things through the UN, but that bit did come to mind.

[hradzka]

I've been watching this. It's an interesting issue.

[anonymous]

I'm a feminist. I'm also a Christian. Does that help?

I probably wouldn't post anything IRA-baiting either though.

But yes, it's true, I'm also a coward. Always happy to run away from a fist fight. It's why the good Lord gave us legs.

Wouldn't say I'm weaselly or despicable over it though.

"Coward, every time" - The Doctor

[hradzka]

I'm guessing this is Rich! Hey, dude.

Running away from fistfights is often a wise strategy. What's unwise is announcing loudly that you're doing that, because it tells the bully his strategy works; what's weaselly and despicable is merrily teasing only the people whom you know don't escalate their disputes to fistfights. Talk about perverse incentives.

[anonymous]

Yep this is me.

I continue to tease comic book professionals who have sent me death threats. But then, you know, it's comic book professionals. Fat ones too. Fatter than me, I mean. So, again with the legs.

I thought the line was a funny one. Reminiscent of Stewart Lee when asked if he's make a Jerry Springer The Opera about the Muslim faith, saying "No, because I don't have a life steeped in that culture, belief, history and values and also because I'm not stupid"

[bats_eye]

The difference between that joke and yours though is that he actually gave a serious reason as to why he wasn't doing it and then made the joke.

If you morally don't think that you should do things which have no other purpose than pissing off the muslims, (and presumably because you're not muslin yourself you feel like you have less lee way for mockery) for reasons beyond just not wanting to be attacked, then fair enough. But that only takes a line to put in there and you can still add the joke at the end. As it is, your only stated reason is cowardice and so you are always going to be accused of being hypocritical and weaselly.

[fengi]

Johnston is an asshole on the issue of sexism, but I can appreciate the desire not to become a target

[hradzka]

Actually, the controversy wasn't really ignited until several Danish imams went on a tour of the Middle East with a compilation of the cartoons, which they had thoughtfully augmented with their own contributions: a photoshop of a dog humping a praying Muslim, a cartoon of Mohammed as a demon and pedophile, and a photograph that they claimed was a man mocking Mohammed by cosplaying the prophet in pig nose and ears but was really of a participant in a French pig-calling competition.

Radical fundemantalism, from Islam to teabagger, indicates how powerful such things are as they can only win by silencing doubt with violence and mindless shouting.

I can understand folks opposed to the Tea Party crowd disagreeing with them, disliking them, even looking down on them -- that's all human nature -- but no matter how you feel about their politics, grouping them with jihadists goes far beyond the pale.

until the dominant voice of gun advocates is not the NRA but people who respect the need to control a killing machinesWell, if you think the

[unix_jedi]

until the dominant voice of gun advocates is not the NRA but people who respect the need to control a killing machines, people have a reason view them as reckless and dangerous.

You know nothing of their work.

Period. I'm *not* a member of the NRA, for the reasons detailed above. I've been in quite a few arguments over it, but suffice it to say that even though I'm not an NRA fan, this obligatory slander of the NRA is tiresome and wrong.
"I support gun ownership, but not the NRA". Then you don't. Period. You don't even know what the NRA stands for, you're repeating Joyce Foundation slanders.

deem any regulation as an unacceptable threatAnd you know nothing of the current state of gun "regulation". The 2nd Amendment doesn't refer to control, it refers to condition

[fengi]

I'm an asshole on the issue of sexism? Where did that come from?

On the other angle, I did once write a comic book that had a family of US gun nuts dropped on the Middle East who proceeded to blow up a mosque in Mecca with a bazooka. And Avatar published it. So, you know...

Rich