So, as you’ve doubtless already heard, there’s been some anger about cartoons allegedly offensive to Muslims, and a large Iranian newspaper decided that the best way to get back at the Danes for not having clear policies against offending people was to, get this, have a contest for Holocaust cartoons. Because, you know, Denmark is almost entirely Jewish, or something.
Anyway, it was only a matter of time before there was an Israeli response. It is the Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoon Contest.
"We’ll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published!" said Sandy "No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!"I think this pretty much summarizes the culture gap that's happening here. This is the kind of thing that doesn't so much end a fight as just make it clear how stupid the fight is. The contest founder gets a special award for mentioning that one of the prizes will be "...the famous Matzo-bread baked with the blood of Christian children."
It’s worth noting that, when Arab newspapers reprint the famous claim that Jews bake bread with the blood of Christian and Muslim children, we don’t generally hear about embassies being burned to the ground and mass riots. One can only hope that over time more considered responses, such as responding to ludicrous assertions with ridicule instead of blind rage, will become more common.
Comments [archived]
From: Tom
Date: 2006-02-17 07:26:34 -0600
I heard the interview with Terry Gross yesterday. The guy is both quite serious and also a hoot.
I think it would be fun to have a website where anyone can post a caricature of their own culture, nation or religion. No-one can tell a fag joke like a screaming queen!
Tom
From: dave
Date: 2006-02-18 00:00:25 -0600
I especially liked this, from deep in one of the comments pages:
“In reaction to the publication of anti-Jewish cartoons on the Boomka website, thousands of angry Jewish protestors burned the Israeli flag and burned down the Israeli …
oh wait. no.
sorry - scrap that news release - wrong parallel universe."