Bloody Mary

"These Arabs are crazy!" That's what I reckon Obelix would be saying to Asterix right now. Don't worry, I don't have the conceit to try to add anything to the debate. Anyhow my thoughts have already been echoed by many prominent Arab-media commentators, who've pointed out the regular publication in newspapers across many of the Islamic nations of hugely derogatory and racists cartoons depicting jesus, christians, jews, and westerners in general; publication, I hardly need to add, which has gone without the accompanying killing, rioting, burning; indeed, any kind of protest at all. I really, really, really can't get my head around the hypocrisy and gall of the protesters. "Let him who is without sin" etc.

I can't believe I just quoted jesus, but there you go.

All this leads nicely to the next secularism vs. religion; genuine satire vs. offensiveness; cultural-freedom vs. cultural-transgression meltdown - the South Park "Bloody Mary" episode. Yep, South Park, the regular crossers-of-the-line as far as the bounds of acceptability go, did an episode which features a menstruating statue of the virgin mary. NZ catholics are demanding the episode be pulled from screening, and calling for an advertising boycott.

I normally have not the slightest bit of sympathy for catholics of any description. I'm willing to bend my usual strict stance, however, if the pope immediately reverses the catholic church's own stance on (a) abortion, and (b) contraception; and says sorry to the Cathars. But I know that it'll be a cold day in hell before this happens. So, despite my earlier quoting from the supposed son of god, as a deliberate mark of disrespect for catholics - and in fact christians of all denominations - I'm going to go back through this post and de-capitalise all the christian-related proper nouns.

Take that, you bastard papists.

Wikipedia episode precis of the South Park episode here. "Bloody Mary" Episode Ensures South Park Guys A Bungalow In Hell article here.