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So with '24' in full swing, you know it wouldn't be long until the protesters stepped up to the mike -- especially since this year's bad guys are (for the moment) Muslim extremists.
Now, I understand the desire to have a "zero tolerance" rule when dealing with examples of fictionalized stereotypes, especially negative ones. However, I feel that saying that having a Islamic terrorist is prejudicial to all Muslims is akin to saying that having a wife beater is prejudicial to all married men.
Of course, when you start out with a non-logical position, you can't expect intelligent arguments.
From Muslims protest '24' at CNN we find this amazing jump in illogic:
"After watching that show, I was afraid to go to the grocery store because I wasn't sure the person next to me would be able to differentiate between fiction and reality."
Frankly, I'm always afraid of people who can't differentiate between fiction and reality. What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching Saw or Hostel decides to imitate what they see and torture people to death for fun? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching as CSI or L&O decides to imitate what they see and kidnap and rape someone? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching Superman, decides he can fly and jumps off a building? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, reading the Harry Potter books starts practicing witchcraft and sacrificing babies to the devil!
Maybe we should ban all those things, too.
In the end, it's not the shows or the movies or the books that are the problem -- it's the whole "can't differentiate between fiction and reality" bit. Hell, even more than that, it the whole can't tell right from wrong bit. That's what scares me.
It's a hell of a slippery slope to follow when you pin people's actions on fiction. Don't get me wrong. I'm a firm believer that words have power. The pen is truly mightier than the sword, especially when trying to sway people hearts. Quite honestly, I have a hard time defending crap like Saw and Hostel. Fortunately, I don't have to. Oddly enough no one is seriously protesting that celluloid crap and if they would, everyone would cry "But it's fiction, you idiot!".
This protest made all the more ridiculous by the fact that '24' in spite of its roller-coaster, action oriented, all-plot-all-the-time dynamic is doing a fine job of touching on the complexity of the terrorism issues this year. Sure, it has Islamic terrorists, but they give them a personal vendetta (the US -- Jack, specifically -- attacked, tortured and murdered their loved ones) that can be used to justify their actions. It has a patriotic American Islamic who is willing to put his personal liberty behind the safety of others. It has an Islamic terrorist who has renounced violence and is willing to risk his life to broker a peace.
In the end, I'm sure that Fox will bow to pressure (as it did two years ago) and put out some ridiculous PSA where Kiefer Sutherland says "Gosh, people, '24' is fiction. Please don't believe that all Muslims (or people of Middle Eastern decent) are terrorists".
Yeah. That will work.
Because, don't you know, wackos, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, will idolize Kiefer Sutherland so much that his saying the words alone will make all bigots drop to their knees in repentance and beg forgiveness.
Sometimes, the stupid scares me.
Now, I understand the desire to have a "zero tolerance" rule when dealing with examples of fictionalized stereotypes, especially negative ones. However, I feel that saying that having a Islamic terrorist is prejudicial to all Muslims is akin to saying that having a wife beater is prejudicial to all married men.
Of course, when you start out with a non-logical position, you can't expect intelligent arguments.
From Muslims protest '24' at CNN we find this amazing jump in illogic:
"After watching that show, I was afraid to go to the grocery store because I wasn't sure the person next to me would be able to differentiate between fiction and reality."
Frankly, I'm always afraid of people who can't differentiate between fiction and reality. What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching Saw or Hostel decides to imitate what they see and torture people to death for fun? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching as CSI or L&O decides to imitate what they see and kidnap and rape someone? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, watching Superman, decides he can fly and jumps off a building? What if some wacko, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, reading the Harry Potter books starts practicing witchcraft and sacrificing babies to the devil!
Maybe we should ban all those things, too.
In the end, it's not the shows or the movies or the books that are the problem -- it's the whole "can't differentiate between fiction and reality" bit. Hell, even more than that, it the whole can't tell right from wrong bit. That's what scares me.
It's a hell of a slippery slope to follow when you pin people's actions on fiction. Don't get me wrong. I'm a firm believer that words have power. The pen is truly mightier than the sword, especially when trying to sway people hearts. Quite honestly, I have a hard time defending crap like Saw and Hostel. Fortunately, I don't have to. Oddly enough no one is seriously protesting that celluloid crap and if they would, everyone would cry "But it's fiction, you idiot!".
This protest made all the more ridiculous by the fact that '24' in spite of its roller-coaster, action oriented, all-plot-all-the-time dynamic is doing a fine job of touching on the complexity of the terrorism issues this year. Sure, it has Islamic terrorists, but they give them a personal vendetta (the US -- Jack, specifically -- attacked, tortured and murdered their loved ones) that can be used to justify their actions. It has a patriotic American Islamic who is willing to put his personal liberty behind the safety of others. It has an Islamic terrorist who has renounced violence and is willing to risk his life to broker a peace.
In the end, I'm sure that Fox will bow to pressure (as it did two years ago) and put out some ridiculous PSA where Kiefer Sutherland says "Gosh, people, '24' is fiction. Please don't believe that all Muslims (or people of Middle Eastern decent) are terrorists".
Yeah. That will work.
Because, don't you know, wackos, who can't differentiate between fiction and reality, will idolize Kiefer Sutherland so much that his saying the words alone will make all bigots drop to their knees in repentance and beg forgiveness.
Sometimes, the stupid scares me.
