No riots for Hollywood

Townhall.com ^ | May 20, 2005 | Brent Bozell (archive)

[.cnI redruM]

The riots caused by Newsweek's story claiming American interrogators were flushing the Koran caused many Americans to be amazed by the extreme reaction in the Islamic world. Ken Woodward, the long-time religion writer of Newsweek, tried to explain to Christians just how offensive Koran-flushing is to Muslims: "Recitation of the Koran is for Muslims much like what receiving the Eucharist is for Catholics -- a very intimate ingestion of the divine itself."

There's a certain irony here. If you wanted to see the Eucharist in the toilet, you needed only to watch the NBC sitcom "Committed" in February, when NBC played for laughs the idea that two main characters thought they accidentally dropped a communion wafer in a bar toilet.

Hollywood makes lame jokes and harsh satires of Christianity all the time, figuratively and literally tossing Jesus, the Bible and church figures into the toilet. Those alleged American interrogators are pikers compared to Tinseltown. They could learn at the feet of the masters of mockery.

Last May, on Fox's "That ‘70s Show," one character explained to another: "You don't get paid to be the best man. You do it for the satisfaction of nailing the hottest bridesmaid. It's in the Bible." Religion is often mocked as fairy tales for fruitcakes. In a January 2004 episode of "The Simpsons," the daughter Lisa tells the son Bart, "The Mount Builders worshipped turtles as well as badgers, snakes and other animals." Bart replies, "Thank God we've come to our senses and worship some carpenter that lived 2,000 years ago."

Anti-Semitic riots and hate crimes were endlessly predicted when Mel Gibson made "The Passion of the Christ." Frank Rich and all the other Gibson-bashers looked pretty silly when millions of Americans saw the movie, and the impending Kristallnacht didn't materialize.

But that hasn't stopped some in Hollywood from satirizing Gibson as a Nazi kook. You can go out and buy the DVD of South Park's cartoon treatment, titled "The Passion of the Jew," in which the young characters see the movie, and then Cartman starts a Mel Gibson fan club with Nazi/Holocaust overtones, while two other characters confront an over-the-top crazy Gibson dancing in a Carmen Miranda get-up as they demand their ticket money back. The DVD also includes a "classic" episode titled "Red Hot Catholic Love," where almost every Catholic priest and cardinal in the world favors having sex with altar boys, because it's supposedly been enshrined in Vatican law.

Impressed by lucrative DVD sales of the crude cancelled cartoon "Family Guy," Fox brought their old show back to Fox on May 1 with another Mel Gibson-as-kooky-Catholic-Nazi satire. The lead characters go on a second honeymoon in a Gibson hotel room, where they discover a secret film titled "The Passion the Christ 2: Crucify This," a buddy-cop picture with the tagline: "This July, let He who is without sin kick the first ass." Jesus even replies to a buddy-cop who claims he's crazy: "That's what my ex-wife said."

Peter, the lead character, protests ("That's all we need, more Mel Gibson Jesus mumbo-jumbo") and pledges to "save the world from another two hours of torture on behalf of Jesus, Scooby and the other beloved children's characters." His wife, Lois, worries that it's one thing to take Gibson's "towels, bathrobes and Nazi paraphernalia," but not the movie. A duo of Gibson's priest henchmen kidnap Lois and fly her to Gibson's house on the top of Mount Rushmore. The cartoon Gibson later falls to his death off the famous sculpture. Peter says it's because "Christians don't believe in gravity."

Even as Muslims rioted in Afghanistan, Fox was showing an episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer and Bart convert to Catholicism, and havoc ensues. Marge is having a vision of being in Protestant heaven with country-club types, while over on the other cloud, Catholic heaven is full of passionate Latinos and fighting, drinking Irishmen. Homer and Bart join everyone else in Catholic heaven doing the Riverdance. At the end, two futuristic armies are about to kill each other pointlessly over differing interpretations of what St. Bart Simpson said. The episode was postponed because it was originally planned to air on the weekend Pope John Paul II died. How thoughtful.

So why doesn't Hollywood produce storylines about the Koran being flushed down the john? That, they would tell you firmly, with conviction, would be religious bigotry.

[.cnI redruM]

ALl it took was one Fatwa against Salmon Rushdie and noone in Hollywood had the guts to criticize Islam again. They always have time to rag Christianity to the dogs. Why? They know a soft target when it's presented.

The Avante Guarde are normally Avante Chickensh-t. They accuse Christians of every type of barbarity imaginable precisely because they know no decent practising Christian will actually burn them and then hang them from a bridge near Fallujah.

Let them meet somebody who would probably jack off while they burned, and the pathetic boot licking and fawning immediately commences.

[Brilliant]

After the crucifix in a glass of urine, there isn't much Hollywood can add that hasn't already been said.

[.cnI redruM]

Your tax money hard at work.

[Rummyfan]

Fox was showing an episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer and Bart convert to Catholicism, and havoc ensues. Marge is having a vision of being in Protestant heaven with country-club types, while over on the other cloud, Catholic heaven is full of passionate Latinos and fighting, drinking Irishmen. Homer and Bart join everyone else in Catholic heaven doing the Riverdance. At the end, two futuristic armies are about to kill each other pointlessly over differing interpretations of what St. Bart Simpson said.

Actually, as a Catholic, I find that kinda funny.

[AbeKrieger]

The riots caused by Newsweek's story
The riots caused by Newsweek's story
The riots caused by Newsweek's story
The riots caused by Newsweek's story
The riots caused by Newsweek's story

please make a note of it.

[Darkwolf]

As Fred Barnes said, if the Koran is like the eucharist for Muslims, then how come they booby trap Korans in Iraq, hmmmmmmm?

Nice try, apologists.

[lilylangtree]

Frankly, there should be a nationwide flushing of the Koran to show our protest to the islamics protest.

[RexBeach]

Good one. Hadn't heard that.

[Dilbert56]

Don't forget Lucas' new film comparing Christ to Darth Vader. How ironic that the day before ROTS came out, the daily Catholic New Testament reading was:

Gospel
Mk 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us."

[ozzymandus]

I like Brent Bozell, but the man should grow a sense of humor. I find his foaming rants against cartoons like South Park and The Simpsons rather over the top.

[Dionysius]

Note to multiculturalists and moral relativists: Some cultures are vastly superior to others!

[peacebaby]

I truly believe people responsible for this blasphany will go to hell. That is their conviction. Judgement will be served.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Hollywood Leftist Ping!!!

Please FReepmail me if you want on/off this ping list.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Totally, totally agree. People like Brent Bozell personifies the stereotype that all conservatives are a bunch of mean-spirited, bible-thumping monsters.

Add Michael Medved to the list, too.

[hunter112]

This is one of the reasons I think Newsweak did us all a favor. They brilliantly contrasted the behavior of a civilized people who, while they might not like it, will not go full-goose-bozo over mocking of their religious icons, versus asshats who will kill over the most minimal perceived slight.

Too many have forgotten the contrast of us vs. them from 9/11, this country needed a fresh reminder of why we're superior to Islamofascist scum. They revere a book of fairy tales over human life, and we (except for abortion) tend to do the opposite.

[tuffydoodle]

I never believed that stupid Ko-ran was flushed down the toilet from the get-go. My kids stop up the toilet with a big wad of toilet paper, how do you flush a huge book?

[jec41]

Maybe hollywood is jealous and only seeks worship for themselves.

[Anvilhead]

So did I when I watched the episode.


It's whining crap like this article (author not poster) that starts speech codes and if that's the case I'd rather people just insult me.

Less long term bloodshed that way.

[.cnI redruM]

This from The Corner on NRO

(http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/05_05_15_corner-archive.asp#063796)

The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year. Just days before Crown Prince Abdullah met President Bush last month, two Christian gatherings were stormed in Riyadh. Bibles and crosses were confiscated, and will be incinerated. (The Saudi government does not even spare the Quran from desecration. On Oct. 14, 2004, dozens of Saudi men and women carried copies of the Quran as they protested in support of reformers in the capital, Riyadh. Although they carried the Qurans in part to protect themselves from assault by police, they were charged by hundreds of riot police, who stepped on the books with their shoes, according to one of the protesters.)

[GoldCountryRedneck]

Frankly, there should be a nationwide flushing ....

Sorry....I have too much respect for my toilet