I looked at the Danish cartoons for the first time, but I still don't get the why the family declined so drastically after (presumably) the boss sacked him.
(I can post a link for the cartoons if that's all right with Mark and Aaron)
I guess the boss 'should' have been horrified at seeing any representation of The Prophet (let alone one as a clown). But he was shocked by the image of a clown because of his phobia.
OK, you've forced me! Any images of the Prophet Muhammed are always a taboo for Muslims, like the Holocaust for Jews. If those images of Muhammed are mocking it is highly offensive, hence the global furore recently. Obviously a sketch then would have been inappropriate but, the idea was to have a sketch where a child's innocence unwittingly brings down a whole family by a combination of bad luck (Mr Hussein's clown phobia) and the imposition of a child's world view, in which spontaneity, tolerance and trust largely prevail. The family are not racists (or Nazis!), Mr Hussein is not a militant Islamist but the smallest things can destroy us ( a wrong turn, misinterpreted words, an error of judgement, a grope in the dark).
Quote: Darren Goldsmith @ July 9, 2007, 2:58 PMYe-es... I got the reference to the cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (a bit old now, as a joke, in my opinion)... but is that it?
Like I said earlier... did I miss something?
Well I think it is a comment about the over-reaction of Muslims to any kind of criticism of the Prophet Mohammed ... even from a childs innocent drawing (in this case...)
She made a nice drawing of a clown and the over-raction of her dad's Muslim boss leads to her dad losing his job...
Frankie xxx
PS Sorry I didn't realise Mr Hussein really did have a phobia of clowns, I thought he was just using that as an excuse... phobia of clowns does of course exist as medical fact but a bit too tenuous I would have thought!!!
Quote: Fred Peters @ July 9, 2007, 3:16 PMOK, you've forced me! Any images of the Prophet Muhammed are always a taboo for Muslims, like the Holocaust for Jews. If those images of Muhammed are mocking it is highly offensive, hence the global furore recently. Obviously a sketch then would have been inappropriate but, the idea was to have a sketch where a child's innocence unwittingly brings down a whole family by a combination of bad luck (Mr Hussein's clown phobia) and the imposition of a child's world view, in which spontaneity, tolerance and trust largely prevail. The family are not racists (or Nazis!), Mr Hussein is not a militant Islamist but the smallest things can destroy us ( a wrong turn, misinterpreted words, an error of judgement, a grope in the dark).
I've lost all respect for you Fred! You soon folded! Imagine tackling the press if this was produced, Chris morris you are not, 
Ouch! Now you've upset Lee, Fred.
Haha! It's a fair cop, Leevil! I was goaded into explaining my sketch but I'll not do it again. Not ever. Never! Swines!
Excellent mate. Liked it a lot.
Quote: Fred Peters @ July 9, 2007, 3:37 PMHaha! It's a fair cop, Leevil! I was goaded into explaining my sketch but I'll not do it again. Not ever. Never! Swines!
LOL... goaded? Hey... I was just wondering if I'd missed the point. As it happened, I hadn't.
I guess, for me, the Prophet Muhammad cartoon stuff is old news... I think I was just looking for something that wasn't there.
Damn... I need to lighten up!
Quote: Fred Peters @ July 9, 2007, 3:16 PMOK, you've forced me! Any images of the Prophet Muhammed are always a taboo for Muslims, like the Holocaust for Jews. If those images of Muhammed are mocking it is highly offensive, hence the global furore recently. Obviously a sketch then would have been inappropriate but, the idea was to have a sketch where a child's innocence unwittingly brings down a whole family by a combination of bad luck (Mr Hussein's clown phobia) and the imposition of a child's world view, in which spontaneity, tolerance and trust largely prevail. The family are not racists (or Nazis!), Mr Hussein is not a militant Islamist but the smallest things can destroy us ( a wrong turn, misinterpreted words, an error of judgement, a grope in the dark).
I know, I know... sorry to keep going on about it but this is bugging me.
Presumably, if Mr. Hussein is not a militant, the family meet their downfall based solely on his phobia of clowns? Or is the clown image simply the proverbial 'straw that breaks the camel's back' i.e. Hussein is flexible in his beliefs but only to a point... the Prophet Muhammad represented by a clown taking him past that?
So we're laughing at Hussein's idiocy? His inability to see that it's simply an innocent child's drawing... despite his phobia?
Quote: Fred Peters @ July 9, 2007, 3:16 PMAny images of the Prophet Muhammed are always a taboo for Muslims, like the Holocaust for Jews.
Only a minor point here but there's a world of difference between Islam's professed aversion to images of Mohammed (despite Islamic scholars and artists producing many over the years) and the Jewish aversion to Holocaust.
The Jews rightly have an aversion to holocaust as an event but images / discussion / rememberance events of that terrible moment are encouraged (rather than repressed in the mohammed image sense) in the hope that it will prevent another future occurance.
I know this had nothing to do with the discussion at hand, nor changed the thrust of any point, but wanted to make that distinction clear.
SlagA - I'm glad you did. Darren - No more! Work it out- it's just a daft sketch
Quote: Darren Goldsmith @ July 9, 2007, 4:13 PMLOL... goaded? Hey... I was just wondering if I'd missed the point. As it happened, I hadn't.
I guess, for me, the Prophet Muhammad cartoon stuff is old news... I think I was just looking for something that wasn't there.
Damn... I need to lighten up!
I know, I know... sorry to keep going on about it but this is bugging me.
Presumably, if Mr. Hussein is not a militant, the family meet their downfall based solely on his phobia of clowns? Or is the clown image simply the proverbial 'straw that breaks the camel's back' i.e. Hussein is flexible in his beliefs but only to a point... the Prophet Muhammad represented by a clown taking him past that?
So we're laughing at Hussein's idiocy? His inability to see that it's simply an innocent child's drawing... despite his phobia?
Yes, I think that's right!
Do you like the sketch in that context?
Quote: Frankie Rage @ July 9, 2007, 6:49 PMYes, I think that's right!
Do you like the sketch in that context?
Nah...
Lol... only kidding. Actually it didn't make me laugh but that's due to the Prophet Muhammad debacle being used a source of comedy many times already. Not that you shouldn't use older news as a source, obviously... but it didn't grab me for that reason. I am in the minority here however so it doesn't matter one jot.
I liked the little girl's lines though... very cute.