As a cartoonist, you have to operate in the knowledge that some members of your audience might not like what you do; Some might not understand it, some might not find it funny, and some might even take offense. Its reasonable to expect letters, emails and sometimes phone calls from people expressing these views. But today, two men stormed into an office and murdered people because of some pictures they had drawn. The freedom to satirise powerful institutions, ideas or individuals is not just a human right, its a human impulse. It is our most peaceful and civilised method of attacking one another. It is an integral part of what makes us unique as a species and we have been using it throughout the course of our history. What those men demonstrated today, is that they have no understanding at all of what it means to be a human being. They, and others like them, are incapable of weilding the most impressive tool our species ever created. They are not in possession of that sophisticated level of discourse which separates us from swine and cattle. Should we allow ourselves to be intimidated by that? No. But we must never forget it. Nor should we forget what the signs at the zoo say about feeding them.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:16:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015