14 July 2008

A Modern Day Crucifixion?


Just so everyone knows that I am equally offensive to all and play no favourites!

6 comments:

David said...

now I'm going straight down to the US Embassy and throw eggs!! hahahaha...

Rob Baiton said...

:D

JennieSBev.com said...

I'll join David. :D

Rishardana said...

Hi Pak Rob,

With respect Pak, as much as we love our freedom of expression, I think it's only fair if we show some respect to Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and other men of religion.

These are great men, who have suffered a lot for what they preach for, and have helped define the course of history. Not only that, most of them are very kind and compassionate human being during their whole life, something we all should admire and try to emulate.

I don't understand the kind of flak these men has been receiving, alive and for the following thousand of years. I have yet to see people mocking Isaac Newton, Fleming, or Bohr for example.

I think it's more to do with their followers. If their fan club is the object of ridicule, that I don't mind too much. However, if these men were being used to convey a point even sarcastic or satirical one, I think it's wrongly addressed and a little unfair.

From what little story that I know, in crucifixion Jesus have to suffered an obscene amount of pain and a lot of humiliation by those who hate him and the idea that he brought. It's rather disheartening that we may use it as a punching bag nowadays :) or maybe I just have a low sense of humor, I don't know.

Hehe anyway, sorry for this random block of text, Pak. I hope I'm coherent enough as English is my second language.

Rishardana said...

Waduh Pak Rob, jadi gak enak :D ... post yang bahasa Inggrisnya kesan nya jadi fiery gitu yah. Padahal Pak Rob kalo di blog saya komen nya selalu ok. Maaf ya soal yang satu ini :) maklum topiknya rada kontroversial.

Rob Baiton said...

RH...

I am open to all comments fiery or otherwise. I am also not going to "hapus" or erase comments that might be a little (or a lot) critical of what I write or post.

Let's face it, everybody has their own views on these things. Just because they were famous men, religious men, spiritual men, this in and of itself does not make them exempt from satire or humor.

Respect also does not mean that one is free from satire.

With the right to freedom of expression comes responsibility however does this responsibility mean you cannot criticize? Does it mean you cannot find humour in serious issues of life?

I would imagine crucifixion to be a very painful way to die, and to be beaten on the way to the cross would only add to that pain.

However, this cartoon is not so much about the crucifixion but perhaps it is about our views as a community to religion. Clearly, this particular cartoon is a dig at Christianity.

I might point out that caricatures and the satirization of Jesus, Buddha, or other men and women of religion does not draw teh same emotional response as say a cartoon of Muhammad.

Religion is always fertile groud for satire as it almost always evokes an emotional response.

Once again, feel free to comment as you see fit. It is always interesting to me to see how others think and feel on certain subjects.