tosh13 Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 There is no democracy in our country no more.Ron Atkinson went to the USA to talk about racism & he was astounded by the way African Americans can call each other N****R & it's ok but a white man say's it & it's racism,what a load of rubbish.Now we have a problem, everytime something comes out on TV,Cinema & Theatre & the other cultures who live in the UK do not like it they can cause a riot,what a crock.We are supposed to live in a multi cultural society & if something is said about the Christian Religion then it's ok.Well I am sorry but we live in a society of freedom of speech & if thats stops because of some idiots who think they can batter anything they do not agree with then our country is doomed.I am no racist before anyone jumps on the bandwagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 What amuses me about the whole thing is the way the Daily Mail has tied itself up in knots condemning the fact that the play was closed due to pressure from a mob. Anybody on here remember the fuss the self same paper made about the rape scenes in Romans in Britain? I'm sure that if it had been about a rape scene in a Cathedral then it would have been the Mail at the forefront of any campaign to get it banned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lickszz Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Obviously, in principle, people have the right to freedom of expression, subject to the law. The main difficulty arises when people start producing literature that insults somebody else's religious beliefs. To what extent should that be permissible. If somebody produced a play depicting clergy engaged in rape and murder in a Christian church, wouldn't Christians be up in arms about it? Christians have been known to make intense protests against some films alleged to be insulting to their faith, such as the Last Temptation of Christ and the Life of Brian. I think some of these films were banned from been screened in cinemas by certain local authorities. So the question is, should people be allowed to make films which cause insult to a particular religion, be it Christian, Muslim, Sikh or whatever? Or would restrictions on this, be classed as a violation of free speech? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgksheff Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Originally posted by Lickszz If somebody produced a play depicting clergy engaged in rape and murder in a Christian church, wouldn't Christians be up in arms about it? Not sure about rape but regarding murder, 'Becket' by Jean Anouilh is regarded as a classic and taught to schools as we chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foo_fighter Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Originally posted by Lickszz The main difficulty arises when people start producing literature that insults somebody else's religious beliefs. Hmmm, is that what happened here ? 1) The author is herself a Sikh 2) Although offence was obviously taken, was any actually intended ? Food for thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lickszz Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Originally posted by cgksheff Not sure about rape but regarding murder, 'Becket' by Jean Anouilh is regarded as a classic and taught to schools as we chat. Not the same thing. In that, the clergyman was the victim. In the current play, it would appear that Sikh clergymen are portrayed as the perpetrators of the acts. That is what is offending the Sikhs. I can't think of an example of a play depicting Christian clergy committing rape and murder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lickszz Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Originally posted by foo_fighter Hmmm, is that what happened here ? 1) The author is herself a Sikh 2) Although offence was obviously taken, was any actually intended ? Food for thought... With regard to number 1 - Does that mean that is isn't possible to insult the Sikh religion? With regard to number 2 - That statement is never going to hold water in this day and age. Acts of violence can never be condoned. But the problem is, as I see it, is that under current law, the Sikhs cannot take the matter to the law courts. The only religion currently protected by blasphemy laws is Christianity. It was the exact same problem as with the Satanic Verses. Undoubtedly that book was highly blasphemous towards Islam, but Muslims had no legal redress whatsoever. The blasphemy laws should be extended to cover all religions, or abolish them altogether. Politicians prefer to keep away from this issue, because it is potentially a political hot potato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yodameister Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Originally posted by Lickszz The blasphemy laws should be extended to cover all religions, or abolish them altogether. Politicians prefer to keep away from this issue, because it is potentially a political hot potato. Totally agree and I think that is the opinion of the government. In my opinion the right option was to abolish blasphemy laws, but the government did not fancy the uproar that there would be if the blasphemy laws were abolished (can you IMAGINE what the Daily Mail would say - I think Tony Blair has probably woken up in a cold sweat thinking about it) so they went for the option of extending it to everybody. Incidentally, will I be able to invent a new religion every time I want to sue somebody I don't like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mancom Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I just wish we'd all shut up[ and leave each other alone. A certain amount of censorship is necessary so that we can all live peacefully. If that means political correctness, then so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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