Friday, February 03, 2006

We're classy: We do not show Mohammed tampons.

5 comments:

truepeers said...

Thought you might be interested in this comment left at Belmont Club:

Voltimand said...
If I draw a tree and call it Mohammed is it a picture of Mohammed? If I put the name "Mohammed" (or better: "this picture of a tree is a picture of Mohammed") under the picture, is it a picture of Mohammed? If, having done so, I erase the name "Mohammed," is it a picture of Mohammed or a picture of a tree? I would argue that there is no difference between the tree and the picture of some human-like person with the name "Mohammed" or interpretive surrogate phrase under it.

I put these interesting conundums in order to isolate the utter arbitrariness of the notion of "picturing Mohammed." How much of the "idolatry" involved is the consequence of something intrinsic to the picture, and how much of it is a matter of someone drawing a (potentially rather complicated set of semiotic) conclusion that it is a picture of Mohammed and therefore "idolatrous"?

From another perspective: Does anyone know what Mohammed looked like? If you don't know what Mohammed looked like, how can you be sure that a picture of "Mohammed" is a picture of Mohammed, and therefore idolatrous?

This is worth thinking about, because it isolates the functioning political point in this whole silly business: something will make you mad if you decide that that something is something that will make you mad. It it wasn't the picture of "Mohammed" or a Koran down the toilet, it would always be something else. Muslims are angry because anger is what they do with with their lives, and of course anger is like one end of an electrical cord: it must be connected to another terminus for the anger joice to flow.

11:50 AM

link

Dag said...

We not only sink to the depths.

The comment above shows vividly the difference between the West and Islam. When we respond to Islam in terms they can relate to as equals we use provocation and graphics. When we discuss among ourselves we resort to intelligent critique of ourselves.

I can skip lunch today. I have food for thought.

Anonymous said...

Where can I get that toilet paper?

Dag said...

We keep losing comments. Sorry about that. I recommend wtriting to http://jihadwatch.org to ask there among readers if they have any for sale. I do believe someoone has it. If not, go for it. Many people have asked. You'll be rich, so remember me when that happens. Best of luck. Dag.

Anonymous said...

No we don't dag the comments are there!

But we are losing ground on all fronts its frustrating!

What else have we left after caricatures against Allah and his Prophet and the holy men?