Comedy Central joins an ever growing list of TV and Newspapers censoring the image of the Prophet Mohamed.
Last week South Park started a two-part episode spoofing the Family Guy sitcom (read previous post) titled First Amendment. It was making fun of Fox refusing to show the Prophet. Within the first episode, the SouthPark creators dared Comedy Central to allow SP to allow the Prophet Mohamed to be shown in Episode Two this week. I'm sure there was a lot of talk around the conference rooms there.
In Episode two, aired Wednesday at 10 PM EST, they attempted to show the Prophet. But they cut the footage, saying "Comedy Central has refused to show the Prophet". But yet, they still had the "Voice" on there.
South Park has crossed a number of ethnic and racial lines, but there's always a moral the creators try to convey which seems to get lost by most (of not all) anti-South Park people.
The one for this episode was that if we are forced to use censorship, then the terrorist have won. As where does censorship stop? Free Speech entitles oneself a free voice. Given Comedy Central is FCC monitored, the FCC has not banned the image of Prophet Mohamed. It was Comedy Central itself that refused to show it (scarred?).
Eric Cartman: "If you hate a TV show, all you have to do is to get an episode pulled. Pretty soon the show is compromised and it goes off the air. ...so my plan is to use this whole Mohamed thing as a way to scare the network into pulling tonight's show [of Family Guy].
I'm going to use fear to get them to do what I want."
Bart Simpson's spoofed character: "Isn't that like Terrorism?"
Eric Cartman: "No. It isn't like Terrorism. It IS Terrorism."
We all are given the right to Free Speech by the constitution of the United States of America. Giving-in to Terrorist threatening violence is the same as giving into demands when they kidnap hostages: it lets the terrorist know they can get their way.
Would I censor image from my website if you posted the cartoon in a comment? No. But I myself respect other religions and beliefs: which I know showing the image would be greatly disrespectful. If I wanted to thwart the powers-at-be and go against the “man” to make a crude statement (like I would have in my teens), I would have posted it here.
I have been a big South Park fan since episode one due to their true-to-Earth viewpoints, cunning storylines and willing to say the things we are thinking, on the tube – daring all others. And I will remain a South Park fan.
People I have met that are against South Park tell me what offended them. When talking to these people, out of the 10 seasons (yes, 10!), all of these complaints and boycotts of South Park all have one thing in common: The focus on the graphic, grotesque nature of the cartoons and speech.
If you walk up to me and say, “Eric, I can’t believe you are a South Park fan.” Then I would state the obvious, “You didn't like the movie Fight Club, Secret Window, and other movies with an alternative plot behind the obvious storyline, did you?” South Park on the surface can look highly offensive (to those offended). But there’s always an underlining moral if you look close enough. Over the last two weeks, it was Censorship and how the Prophet Mohamed cartoon issue has taken away our right to Free Speech in America. Or at least, scarred network tv into censorship.
So I say no to censorship. Show the image if you wish. And I will not judge you any differently.