Posted by Cathy Taggart While we are on this issue, I would like to thank you, Kevin, for making available to us (in your "Current Affairs" section) the article about "those" cartoons. The article expressed exactly what I feel about this whole sorry affair. I couldn't help feeling a bit cynical whenever I heard about editors who justified publishing the cartoons on the grounds that I also really loved the little story about Muhammad near the end of the article. I really do believe that one good way to bring about understanding and acceptance between diverse religious (and other) groups is by sharing our stories - not just our personal stories, but the stories, parables and myths which give both colour and inspiration to our religious lives. There's still hope for the world as long as human beings tell stories!
on February 28, 2006, 4:05 pm, in reply to "Peter Costello and Multiculturalism"
I certainly agree that it all seems to be a bit of a worry! I heard on the radio this morning that John Howard is the most popular Prime Minister ever - apparently, many people feel that they can't believe him on a number of issues, but they still like him as a prime minister! The sad thing is, I think that there is still a lot of goodwill in the community. Many, perhaps most, people genuinely want to live peaceably and with integrity, in a diverse and multicultural society. All we need, it seems, is some good leadership.
"people could make up their own minds about whether the cartoons were offensive". As it's primarily Muslims who are likely to be offended, and as these newspapers had largely non-Muslim readerships, their rationalisations didn't really add up!
--Previous Message--
: This country is sliding deeper and deeper into
: a climate of confusion and fear. Peter
: Costlelo's eipc piece during the week where
: he cites "Australian values" as
: being the benchmark of acceptability was of
: real concern.
:
: The Kerry Packer-esque values of competition
: where we win at all cost, our beahviours
: over the Tampa and the children overboard
: story, the silence about the atrocious
: Guantanamo Bay circus, our participation in
: a war in Iraq that looks like leading to
: ever more dreadful violence, IR legistlation
: that will almost inevitably lead to
: disruption and suffering on a huge scale at
: home, environmental policies that are so far
: behind the efforts of most other countries,
: and so it goes.
:
: All these things are the result of so-called
: "Australian values"?
:
: It's hard to sense the spirit that we
: displayed during the Olympics just five
: years' ago. Maybe following the success of
: that event we have got a bit big for our
: boots and think that we are above common
: decency, above truth, and above
: accountability.
:
: Some of us had better try for a change of
: direction.
:
:
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