The shortsighted Charlie Hebdo

We’ve all heard this narrative over and over again: Two shooters (accompanied by one driver/lookout) killed 12 members of the Charlie Hebdo editorial staff on Jan. 7. Within the week, millions of French citizens flooded the streets of Paris and other large cities. These crowds embraced the slogan “I am Charlie,” declaring themselves to be staunch supporters of freedom on speech.

However, this is the same Charlie Hebdo which had a previous incarnation as a magazine called Hara-Kiri:

QUOTE:

SOURCE:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Hebdo

Charlie Hebdo first appeared in 1970 as a successor to the Hara-Kiri magazine, which was banned for mocking the death of former French President Charles de Gaulle.[10]

:UNQUOTE.

How many among those millions of demonstrators found it acceptable to condemn Muslims killing 12 journalists, while finding it unacceptable for (virtually) that same magazine to mock the death of Charles DeGaulle? Both the killing and the mocking are instances of freedom of speech being exercised, right?

Looks like freedom of speech got sacrificed on the altar of Charles DeGaulle, a secular god of the Frankish people.

Charlie Hebdo’s staff had prior warning of Muslim sensitivities concerning the creation of images of their Prophet. That is, there was a firebombing of this magazine’s offices in 2011 for that same crime. As far as freedom of speech is concerned, hate speech and fighting words aren’t protected. At least in the United States of America, they’re not. Even common sense tells you, you cannot crawl into a bull fighting arena day after day and wave a red flag in front of the bull, and then complain when he finally charges at you.

Charlie Hebdo had always been a low-circulation magazine, not even among the top 25 in sales among French magazines. Now it can claim the largest-ever single print run in French history – having cranked out 7 million copies of its first post-massacre edition. And eager souvenir seekers the world over are snapping up all available copies.

If I was at a newsstand in Paris, looking at the front cover of this issue with a thought of purchasing same, I would have turned away empty-handed upon seeing the front page. That shows a cartoon image of the Prophet with a sad face and a single tear streaming down his face. He’s holding a sign that says, “I am Charlie,” and he’s below the headline that reads “All is forgiven.”

It seems Charlie Hebdo’s editors couldn’t resist waving that red flag in front of the bull one more time. It’s like they’re saying, “No one can tell us what to do.” Never mind that riots erupted throughout the Islamic world causing the deaths of several people. Never mind that Muslims would react badly to an infidel magazine putting words in the mouth of their Prophet, while showing him declaring himself to be Charlie Hebdo. Never mind the claim that “All is forgiven.”

I don’t think Charlie Hebdo could have succeeded more magnificently in insulting Muslims than it did by means of this cover – not even if they consciously tried doing so.

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Steven Searle, just another member of the

Samgha of the Lotus and

Former candidate for President of the USA (in 2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com