Posted on 08/27/2007 9:10:28 AM PDT by Lorianne
We're proud to host Berkeley Breathed's "Opus" every week, but especially this week and next: At least 25 of the newspapers that normally print the comic strip, and probably more, have declined these two, at least partly out of fear that Lola Granola's latest spiritual journey -- dabbling in Islam and adopting its conservative dress code for women -- could be offensive to Muslims. Sadly, one of the papers that isn't printing the strip is the Washington Post, though the Post's syndication service, Washington Post Writers Group, distributes Opus. (The Washington Post actually ran the strip online, though it was hard to find, but not in the paper.)
According to Editor and Publisher, some papers were concerned that the strips were sexually suggestive -- Lola's boyfriend Steve makes a joke about things he's "not getting" because of her conversion -- but the anxiety seemed to stem mostly from Breathed's making radical Islam "the hot new fad on the planet," as Lola says. Washington Post Writers Group Executive Sales Manager Karisue Wyson told E&P some papers "won't publish any Muslim-related humor, whether pro or con. 'They just don't want to touch that,' she said."
I thought the strip satirized loopy American seekers who customize world religions for their own needs, not Islam. But either way, it's cowardice to shun the strip. And newspapers wonder why they're dying?
Another opus.
Offensive to muslims? It's offensive to an ifidel like me!
Owners of the media are cowards. They are afraid of the murderous mudslimes. We live in poisoned times in which a devious government and disfunctional society make it unaceptable to defend ourselves and vanquish our enemies. Unless there is a radical change of attitude, our country will be no more within a generation.
They are also stone lying hypocrites, like with the CNN show trying to equate fundamentalist Christianity and Judaism, with fundamentalist Islam (redundant, I know). They have no qualms in running cartoons mocking and slurring Christianity and its icons, because they know Christians won’t call for their heads, much less carry out violence against them. But they are afraid of Muslims, and hypocritically try to cover their a**es by saying they don’t want to “disrespect” them. Then they have the nerve to try to equate Christianity and Islam.
This comic was in the WaPo - I don’t know why the author said it wasnt’ run, it was.
Many brave men and women died for their right to run or not run things such as this. Those who opted not to run it out of fear just slapped everyone who ever wore the uniform of the USA right in the face.
ty ,.. and yeah , those of us FReepers living in American urban places , or just passing through ....
get to see some loopy SH*T , both in print , and right in front of us , in R/T R/L , .. God Bless our LEO’s
Okay, I must be seriously out of touch...seriously. When did Breathed come back??? I loved Bloom County.
Be sensitive to the religious convictions of your readers. Unless they are Christians.
He’s been doing this Sunday-only Opus strip for a couple of years now. Not carried in that many papers due to his demand that the cartoon must be carried “full size” - no tiny Opi allowed...
The author said it was online, but not in the dead tree paper. Was that incorrect?
The Washington Post used to run a comic strip called “God Man” in which they blatantly made fun of the God of the Bible. I wrote a letter to the editor asking them if they’d ever do the same thing to a Muslim or someone of another faith? They actually printed the letter, which surprised me. But here...their hypocrisy is in full view. I’m disgusted.
Berk Breathed is the funniest comic strip artist in history. He seems to enjoy poking fun at everyone and I enjoy it also, even when he gets heavy handed about it.
Our paper printed them. I knew they would cause some ruffled feathers out there in PC Land.........
Interesting... Or did you mean "will print"? The two that the Salon article refers to are for Sept 1st and 8th. The one above is an innocuous one from yesterday that also features Lola Granola, tho' looking quite different from how she'll appear next week.
Ours printed THAT one last week and the Islamist one yesterday...........
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