Team America -- Bill Clinton and Kim Jong Il

Can Comedy Overcome Prejudice and Fanaticism?

The idea of using comedy to make light-hearted entertainment of sensitive issues is not new. Perhaps some would argue that has always been the point of comedy to make fun of the big issues that divide us. Nevertheless, we will soon find out whether a sense of humor and a situational comedy can overcome the prejudices and fanaticism that pervade our communities.

Omar Marzouk, a Danish comedian and a Muslim has put together a sitcom called "The Terror Cell" with a disparate group of characters being the Cell. Marzouk was born and raised in Copenhagen.

The Cell includes Osama, a businessman who finds that terror sells all manner of things such as t-shirts, caps, and pens. This reminds me of a t-shirt that I still see every now and then in Bali and further afield that came out soon after the first Bali Bombings of 12 October 2008, "Fuck Terrorists". No apologies for the language as it expresses a sentiment that many continue to feel and to use "f*&k" to me seems to undermine the intensity of feeling and that sentiment.

The second of the cell is Abdul, a convert whose main goal is to kill as many people as he can with the biggest bombs he can make.

Finally, there is Ali, a Pakistani who entered a competition where the winner was awarded the chance of wreaking revenge on the masses for the publication of the cartoons of Muhammad in Denmark.

Just the thought of such a show making it onto Danish TV is intriguing. Even more so considering the violence that occurred in the aftermath of the Muhammad cartoons being published in Denmark and the violence that was related to Geert Wilders and his film, Fitna.

In a Kenny of South Park fame kind of a way the principle characters die and then reappear in the next episode. Every episode ends with the terrorists blowing themselves and their apartment up. They make the journey to heaven and then Allah sends them back to the real world so that they can learn from their mistakes and do it better the next time around.

The Terror Cell, according to Marzouk, has some similarities with "The Young Ones". Marzouk liked The Young Ones because it was crazy in that they were always blowing each other up. It would seem that Marzouk and I enjoy something similar in our choice of comedy. I really enjoyed The Young Ones when I was younger, I would probably still enjoy it now [mental note to myself -- search the Internet for some Young Ones episodes -- if anyone has links please share], so I am looking forward to getting to watch The Terror Cell.

Marzouk recognizes that the subject matter of his sitcom is probably not going to be essentially viewing for some and in anticipation of the obligatory death threats has placed a poll on his website which allows people to choose one of eight different methods of having him killed. To date beheading is head and shoulders above the others (pun intended).

Is Isaac Hayes Really Dead?

Being a bit of a fan of South Park meant that I was familiar with Isaac Hayes' membership of the Church of Scientology or the Cult of Scientology. The Church vs. Cult issue depends on your definition of either church or cult. Nevertheless, Hayes (photo) was a star long before ever signing on to be the voice of Chef in South Park. Hayes was the voice of the theme song of the movie Shaft.

However, this post is not really about Hayes' fame and fortune but whether or not when he was found dead last week crumpled next to the treadmill whether he was really dead or not! Now, if that sounds a little confusing, it should not be. Scientology believes that Hayes simply moved onto another body or as the Scientologists would have you believe, Hayes has gone onto claim his next piece of "meat". Scientologists believe that the human body is just a piece of meat that is inhabited by a spiritual being known as a thetan.

Hayes was a dedicated convert to Scientology, so much so that in July 1997 Hayes and fellow Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley founded the Church of Scientology in Memphis. The thing about Scientology is that it cultivates relationships with the rich and famous by convincing them that they are better than everyone else and in some bizarre way better than the rest of us not so rich and famous people.

I am guessing that Isaac Hayes has not chosen to inhabit my body, although I would not mind being able to sing! Unfortunately, the exact means of Hayes' spiritual being finding a new piece of meat is not entirely clear. However, the means of transfer is apparently an inside secret for those who are members. Therefore, if you want to know how the Scientology version of reincarnation works you will either need to become a member or wait patiently like the rest of us until a convert un-converts and sells the story to the National Enquirer.

For those of us who were not alive or were too young when Hayes hit his popularity peak in the 60's and 70's, our acquaintance with him and his spiritualism came via South Park. The beauty of South Park is that the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have no shame and are prepared to satire anything and everything without fear. This included a satire of Scientology and in particular the most famous face of Scientology after its founder L. Ron Hubbard, Tom Cruise.

Hayes' main beef with the episode was:

There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins. Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honoured. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.

However, as South Park co-creator Matt Stone pointed out:

This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology… He has no problem — and he’s cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians.

So, it would seem that Hayes' had no beef with ridiculing all other religions but got a little upset when his own came under the harsh glare of the South Park sun. To many this would be hypocrisy in a somewhat extreme form.

Yet, those scientologists are a little crazy. It was not all that long ago that Tom Cruise was off on a crusade against psychiatry as being phantom science and medicine. This included some ranting about Brooke Shields and post-partum depression.

Scientology -- A religion or a cult?

As Fox News Channel is fond of saying, "we report, you decide".