Je suis Charlie? A criticism of freedom of expression.

source: http://www.dezeen.com/2015/01/08/illustrators-respond-charlie-hebdo-magazine-attack-je-suis-charlie/

In the wake of the brutal murders of 2 police officers and 10 staff members at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo  in Paris last week, many have jumped on the protection of free speech bandwagon with the slogan “Je suis Charlie” popping up all over social media and at public marches and vigils.  I also, on the day of the extremist terrorist attack, posted the slogan to my Facebook page to mourn the victims and in support of freedom of expression.  But, as days past, I wondered if mocking of anyone’s religion, race, sexual orientation, etc. is really my idea of free speech.  And if the current focus on the attacks at Charlie Hebdo as an attack on the western ideal of free speech ignores the real issues:  the demonetization of marginalized groups and the age old conflict between the world’s big 3 religions.

One could argue that because Charlie Hebdo openly mocked everyone that its infamous depictions of Mohammed weren’t such a big deal, but as Rabbi Michael Lerner states the ” ‘…ridicule [of] everyone is exactly the problem — the general cheapening and demeaning of others is destructive to everyone’. And it causes more damage to groups that are already marginalized because the ridicule offends rather than generates a laugh”.  In fact, the open mocking of any group fuels anger, discontent and radicalization within these groups. Do all members of these groups feel the sting?  Certainly not.  But some do. There in lies the possibility that those humiliated and angered by the “joke” may go on to commit unspeakable acts of violence in, what they deem as, justifiable retaliation.  Consequently, the entire group (in this instance the Islamic community) may be demonized by society at large.  Here, a vicious circle of hate emerges.

source: http://labourlist.org/2015/01/je-ne-suis-pas-charlie-hebdo/

Charlie Hebdo‘s idea of free speech, rather than advocating understanding, education, and tolerance of religion, global issues, etc., created tension and deep seeded anger in fundamental Islamism and in other groups and even individuals which have been satirized since the birth of the publication.  As a result of the massacre, the world has united around the issue of protection of freedom of expression.  Well done Charlie.  But we cannot ignore that a xenophobic, anti-religious, homophobic, misogynistic, etc. commentary, even in the form of humour, is down right distasteful.

We also cannot ignore the historical relevance of the occurrence.  The big 3 religions–Catholicism, Judaism and Islam–have been in conflict since their inceptions.  Though similar in basic principles, the three have been unable to co-exist peacefully to this day.  With the power that religion holds in the daily life of individuals, something must be done to remedy this.  Until there is real, open acceptance between the faiths and fundamentalist branches are separated from (the media must play a large role in this) those that adhere to the true values of the religion, incidents of hate crimes, unfortunately, will continue to occur.  It is currently evident in the media coverage in the wake of Charlie Hebdo, that many, especially in the Muslim community, ask not to be lumped in with those who committed the atrocity.

Should laws be passed to limit freedom of expression?  Should hate speech be deemed illegal?  I am not for censorship in any way, shape or form.  I share Jordan Weissman’s opinion that freedom of expression should indeed be celebrated, but that it can also be condemned.  Words are indeed powerful.  We should use them wisely.  We should use them to spread the ideals of basic human dignity and respect.  As educated readers, we need to be critical of all published works.   We cannot take anything solely at face value.  It is important to research, question and criticize everything we see and hear in order to reach the objective of an informed opinion.

*My criticisms of the work of the columnists and cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo in no way minimizes the tragic nature of the events.  I do not condone any act of violence.

**Below are the links to articles I mention in my blog post plus a cartoon response to the Charlie Hebdo polemic that I find interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-michael-lerner/mourning-the-parisian-jou_b_6442550.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2015/jan/09/joe-sacco-on-satire-a-response-to-the-attacks

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/01/charlie_hebdo_the_french_satirical_magazine_is_heroic_it_is_also_racist.html