“The discussion of culture is being steadily absorbed into the discussion of business. There are “metrics” for phenomena that cannot be metrically measured. Numerical values are assigned to things that cannot be captured by numbers. Economic concepts go rampaging through noneconomic realms: Economists are our experts on happiness!”
Category: issues
The Paris Magazine Massacre And The Right To Commit Blasphemy
Jonathan Chait: “The Muslim radical argues that the ban on blasphemy is morally right and should be followed; the Western liberal insists it is morally wrong but should be followed. Theoretical distinctions aside, both positions yield an identical outcome. The right to blaspheme religion is one of the most elemental exercises of political liberalism. One cannot defend the right without defending the practice.”
The Charlie Hebdo Shooters Aren’t Defending Islam, They’re Degrading It
William Saletan: “The fantasy of these terrorists, like those who previously bombed Charlie Hebdo and attacked a Danish cartoonist, is that they’re honoring Islam. But they aren’t. They’re disgracing it. When you murder people in the name of Allah, you fulfill the most pernicious of all Muslim stereotypes. You do so not in ink, but in blood. Your crime sows fear of all Muslims. You don’t avenge the caricature. You are the caricature.”
Charlie Hebdo’s Most Controversial Religious Covers, Translated And Explained
“While they’ve mocked everything from Sept. 11 to Michael Jackson, Charlie Hebdo has riled up the most controversy when covering religion, particularly the Prophet Mohammed – whom many Muslims believe it is forbidden to depict.”
AP Takes Down “Piss Christ” Image After Complaints About Censorship Double Standard
In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, the Associated Press released a statement: “None of the images distributed by AP showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. It’s been our policy for years that we refrain from moving deliberately provocative images.” Then a conservative magazine observed that Andrés Serrano’s notoriously controversial photograph was available via AP …
Dear Russell Crowe: No.
“The movies remain a deeply sexist business, and if middle-aged actresses complain about a lack of parts, it is because producers prefer that female leads be played by women under 40 – realism be damned.”
Gunmen Storm Satirical French Newspaper And Kill 12 People, Including Cartoonists
“A number of prominent editors and cartoonists [were] killed on Wednesday, including the cartoonists Stéphane Charbonnier, known as ‘Charb,’ and Jean Cabut, who signs his work ‘Cabu.’ He said that the cartoonists Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac were also among the victims.”
The Jack Bauer Issue: Can Fictional Depictions Of Torture Make People More Willing To Condone It?
Many of us would like very much to think that the answer is no, but researchers seem to be finding otherwise.
The Problem With The Whole Free-Tickets-For-Critics Deal (No Good Pretending It Doesn’t Exist)
“In other words, there is an entrenched and rather touching belief on our part that disinterested media coverage plus freebies doesn’t equal oxymoron. Although it is a far from satisfactory state of affairs the system continues because it is mutually beneficial. Mostly.”
Writers Everywhere Feel Censored – Or Have Censored Themselves – Thanks To Omnipresent Surveillance
“The idea that we are seeing some similar patterns in free countries to those we’ve traditionally associated with unfree countries is pretty distressing.”