Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Credit Where Credit is Due
This post was written by my friend and very occassional guest blogger, Eric Jacobson. (This page has a picture of him getting an award from The Writer's Guild) Here's his post:
On Saturdays, I like to listen to the radio while I clean the pool. I love sampling the extremes: radio in languages I don't understand, chat shows aimed at narrowly obscure audiences, emanations from as far beyond the legacy media as possible. To that end my solar/wind-up radio does yeoman service.
One of my favorites is right here in my neighborhood: KPFK, an affiliate of Pacifica Radio. The LEFT-ness of this broadcast outlet would be difficult to exaggerate. This weekend their Deadline L.A. program discussed international reactions to the anti-Arab cartoons. So I was very curious to hear what they would say. How would they choose which one to hate more -- Western societies or religion?
Related Tags: Danish cartoons, Islamic cartoons, Pacifica radio, blame Bush, Jewish Journal, credit
On Saturdays, I like to listen to the radio while I clean the pool. I love sampling the extremes: radio in languages I don't understand, chat shows aimed at narrowly obscure audiences, emanations from as far beyond the legacy media as possible. To that end my solar/wind-up radio does yeoman service.
One of my favorites is right here in my neighborhood: KPFK, an affiliate of Pacifica Radio. The LEFT-ness of this broadcast outlet would be difficult to exaggerate. This weekend their Deadline L.A. program discussed international reactions to the anti-Arab cartoons. So I was very curious to hear what they would say. How would they choose which one to hate more -- Western societies or religion?
I was shocked and delighted by the discussion. It featured Rob Eshman, editor of The Jewish Journal. He had three trenchant observations:
- The Danish cartoons were offensive and should not have been published. Political cartoons are not inconsequential. This kind of stereotyping and ridicule in political cartoons helped pave the way for the rise of Nazi fascism.
- The cartoons did not cause the rioting. The Arab press (mostly state controlled) is shot-through with anti-Christian, anti-Buddhist, and of course anti-Semitic hate-mongering. Want to see some? The Arab press has been telling its readers for DECADES that the world and all its religions hate them and want to kill them. That's what caused the outcry.
- As tempting as it might be, there is no way to blame Bush for any of this.
Yes, they actually said that.
The show was followed by some very tasty West African jazz fusion.
Related Tags: Danish cartoons, Islamic cartoons, Pacifica radio, blame Bush, Jewish Journal, credit
