Response to Byrn

Submitted by Hind Samy (Egypt), Feb 5, 2006 at 07:02

Dear Byrn,

I never condoned the slitting of people's throats or any form of violence.

As for the "Dark Ages" in which we live, I come from a country that was civilised and advanced more than 4000 years when you all were still living in caves, so please don't give me a lecture on history.

"We are free even when our freedom offends others…free people learn to cope lawfully with those who are merely offensive…you just turn the channel, or argue with them, or if it's a neighbor you deal with it as you see fit within the law."

So hypothetically if I owned a newspaper and if I were to post funny pictures about a subject that is very sensitive and painful to others such as say, the Holocaust (and please don't twist my comment and turn me into an anti-Semitic as I am sure many will, I am only choosing this example as my parallel as I know it is a painful and personal subject for many and then maybe, just maybe you might be able to understand how we feel - this is called compassion and empathy)- and make mockery of it, would everyone consider this freedom of speech and applaud me? Freedom when it insults or hurts others intentionally is not freedom. In many countries you can get sued for calling someone a bad name, but you call insulting a whole race "freedom of speech" this doesn't make any sense.

The cartoonists knew full well their cartoons would propagate hate and ill feeling, I ask you, was this productive in any way? Is everyone now happy? What was achieved? Is this being civilised?

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