Mark's Notebook

Americans in an uproar over cartoons?

In this rambling New York Times Op-Ed, Robert Wright starts out by making some good points.

Even many Americans who condemn the cartoon's publication accept the premise that the now-famous Danish newspaper editor set out to demonstrate: in the West we don't generally let interest groups intimidate us into what he called "self-censorship."

What nonsense. Editors at mainstream American media outlets delete lots of words, sentences and images to avoid offending interest groups, especially ethnic and religious ones. It's hard to cite examples since, by definition, they don't appear. But use your imagination.

Agree so far. The problem of self-censorship has become even more acute under the GW Bush administration, when any criticism of the Republican administration is considered treason.

But then Wright cites Hugh Hewitt's "apt comparison" that is so far off base as to be ludicrous:

... "a cartoon of Christ's crown of thorns transformed into sticks of TNT after an abortion clinic bombing," ... that cartoon would offend many American Christians.

Sure, it might offend many Christians, American or not, but it would not incite them to riot.

Wright's examples of the "American tradition of using violence to make a point" include the Watts riot of 1965, but the tensions that resulted in those riots had been brewing for over 100 years.

Besides, while certain American groups might resort to violence when they feel their own self-interest is threatened (as blacks did in the civil rights era of 1954-1968), expecting Christians to riot is beyond the pale of even the likes of Pat Robertson. After all, if American Christians ever felt the need to riot, wouldn't their favorite cause be the abortion rights ruling of 1973? But apart from a few loners who bomb abortion clinics, even the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade passed last month without major incident. Those few loners could hardly be called a riot or even a movement. Virtually all American Christian leaders decry those outbursts.

Which is more than you could say about Muslim leadership worldwide, who have apparently been fanning the flames of hostility behind the scenes. Wright makes this point also, and on this one other point he is also correct.

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008