If you own a television or read a newspaper,you may have heard by now that a pastor in Florida plans to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday. The only reason you know anything about this is because the national media have decided, for reasons that are entirely unclear, to give this guy a platform. As Michael Calderone noted at Yahoo!, this pastor appeared on the front page ofover 50 different newspapers…on Wednesday.As Calderone pointed out, he doesn’t even have that many members of his church.
Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas put the blame where it mostly belongs–on the media:
I ask you: If a sad little man burns some Qurans in the woods, and the media aren’t there to film it, is it news?
Now, predictably enough, we are in the next cycle of coverage, with TV shows booking their “Should We Even Be Covering This Story?” segments. I know this because we’ve been calledto appear on such programs. The funny thing is when you tell a producer that your comment on this story is thatit isn’t worth talking about, the response is inevitably something along the lines of, “Well come on and say that!”
Actually it’s interesting because the Jones case does two things: It shows how insanely stupid this Islamophobia can be, and it also normalizes that kind of insane stupidity.
That is: Among the moderate, the horror-filled example of Jones can be a further moderating force. But among the nutso, the example of Jones show exactly what kind of wonderful opportunity you have for self-promotion through media.
In some ways, Jones is Glenn Beck with nothing to lose.
Notice how the opposition from the elite isn’t centered on the hate (and I don’t consider this bastard a “sad little man”, any more than I’d describe a Klansman that way), but on the “damage” this does to “our reputation and our troops” (read “US propaganda and US imperial aims”)?
Just another day in the life of “the other” in these here United States, isn’t it?
Well one persons interpretation of what “God wants” is another person’s Hell on Earth.
My personal opinion at this point it makes no difference if he does or does not burn the books the royal order of extreme Muslims has already started the burning of the American Flag and threatening the downfall of America as if America is a small marginally functional country like Somalia.
As a I mentioned to an e-mail friend in Australia who commented on this little incident (word does travel far and fast thanks to the mainstream propaganda machine), there’s no law against having a little campfire. And that’s about the extent of its importance and significance until the media decided to fan the fire.
@ Deborah J Boyd: I wonder if you’d say the same thing if it was bibles being burned? I don’t think your post is helpful in any way. One day in the not-too-distant future America will be like Somalia – except with 1.3 billion enemies.
Since the Bush presidency, I dare see we probably ALREADY have 1.3 billion enemies, if by that you just mean people who don’t like the U.S.
I noticed the Christian symbol of the dove on the church building. The words of La Colombe came to mind.
“The dove has torn her wings so no more songs of love. We are not here to sing, we’re here to kill the dove.” So much for Christian love we hear so much about.
he should learn to spell qur’an..
all he’s gonna do is make it a hell of alot worse..and yes the media have rather stupidly given him the time of day, making it even worse. every religion has got it’s fanatics but if they burned biles in the middle east then he’de e the first to start complaining (and probably want another invasion…)if he burns the qur’an he thinks it’s some sort of revenge. i bet he’lle be the first to complain if there’s another terrorist attack though…
sigh…when are people gonna learn….
I heard on NPR that radical Muslims picked this story up a month ago and have been prepared to use it as anti-US propaganda. If that is true, it might have become a major story whether the domestic media picked it up or not. It reminds me, of course, of the Danish cartoonist who depicted Muhammad. The controversy erupted after not before the fact. Perhaps it was in part that awareness and not simply the sad but true inclination of the press to sensationalize that made it a major story that took on a life of its own.
I wonder if the burning of a book will create more anger and reaction then having their cities and infrastructure destroyed.
I wonder if the burning of a book will create more anger and reaction then the killing and maiming of their families and loved ones?
I wonder if the burning of a book will create more anger and reaction then the unmanned drones we send to bomb them in their homes?
The burning of a book is a small action carried out by a small fraction of Americansâ┚¬Ã‚¦
The taking of innocent lives and a countries resource is a large action directed by a small fraction of Americansâ┚¬Ã‚¦
Which has more impact? Which is the bigger threat to our safety?
In line with what Ms. Jones said above, this is obviously a classic case effectively normalized militaristic/imperialistic violence with sensationalized news content to 1.) distract people, & 2.) subtly give people a fuzzy feel-good mood, with the implication that the population of the US is good because it CARES about religious tolerance, & 3.) edge-out/supplant more serious stories Never mind the approximately 1 million Iraqis who are dead from this Bush invasion alone, (or the approximately 500,000 Iraqi children estimated to have died during the Clinton era sanctions) nor the 3-4 million displaced Iraqi citizens – – we’re self-righteously indignant about a nobody who’s getting his 15 minutes of fame, so that makes us moral and we can turn the channel and watch ‘American Idol’, God’s in his heaven and all’s right with the world.
Yellow journalism lives. The FREAKING media. Like flies to *hit. One crack pot pond scum preacher crawls out from under his rock and the pope and the president are kissing his *ss in the middle of main street. Problem is not matter were you turn there this creep is. Like, who has a choice to when it’s in your face everywhere. Not-tune-out-able. The media pour napalm on the fires of ignorance and bigotry. IT IS THEY WHO INCITE RIOT. IT IS THEY WHO SHOUT FIRE IN A CROWDED THEATER.
Bogwart, I have to agree with Ms. Boyd, to a point. As the initial post by Mr. Hart brings to light, the biggest problem is not that which is to be burned or the burning itself, the problem lies with mainstream media dramatizing it in such a way as to inflame emotions on all sides. The power behind the media is the only profiteer in any resulting conflagration, and that is their very intent and purpose.
Burn the Quran, burn the Bible, burn the American flag. Why can’t you and others see that, first, all that is really being destroyed is paper, cloth, dye and ink worth nothing but pennies? None of those things is worth the destruction of human lives.
Second, all it comes down to is the ideals for which those insignificant materials stand, and that amounts only to a difference in inflamed opinionâ┚¬”Âstill not worth the taking of lives. Emotionalism, conviction of opinion and the ensuing violenceâ┚¬”Âthere is the formula for humankind’s ultimate failure! Tell me how children in a sandbox hitting one another to decide whose Dad is better is less mature and evolved. Does it truly become more supreme once elevated into so-called adulthood with gravely increased stakes? Should we not all be ashamed?
Bogwart, are you truly prepared to kill or die for your convictions? Will you sacrifice your children and their mother? Are you prepared to bring about Armageddon because someone, somewhere burns a mere symbol of something you happen to believe is a good idea, something in which corporate media rubs your nose to increase their profit? Is your conviction that mindlessly intense? Am I being overly dramatic? Tell me then, please, where you would draw the line, because one thought leads to the next action, into oblivion.
As you wondered about Ms. Boyd, I now wonder of you: Would you say the same thing if it was your skin being burned?
I believe Nietzsche said, â┚¬Ã…“Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.â┚¬Ã‚Â
This story sadly has new legs.It has been discovered that this man went to high school and graduated with Rush Limbaugh.Ah Ha says some of the media midgets…… so that is it.A connection to the raging right wing!Rush responded by saying he really could not recall him.The press of course with seething hatred for Rush has implied he is lying.Rush shot back with……..You dont believe that a boy I schooled with 40 years ago ,holds little sway in my memory…Yet you do believe that a reverend who mentored Obama for 25 years up till a couple years back- is a forgotten man to our PREZ????That is what ya call a TKO
Terry Jones is goofy.If it shows anything it shows a sensitivity beyond all understanding to such nonsense.Remember Madonna and her plays on the cross.Yeah that really effected my life.One thing struck me though.BAM was not of a same mind on the Koran burning and the ground zero mosque.One was part of our freedom of Religion beliefs.One was a mean spirited incitement against people and their faith.Actually BOTH are part of our freedom of religious beliefs.
Absolutely, I know there are a lot of nutty people out there, but why does the media turns the spotlight on them and make them into celebrities? I wonder if the media does this to distract the public from the real issues.
A couple points. To the poster who said there is no law against this, I distinctly remember him being threatened with arrest for having a fire without getting permission. He could be burning a cookbook and it would still be against that law.
Then there’s the fact that a while back, it was revealed that US troops were using Korans for target practice with their guns and were putting them down the toilet. I don’t remember that really spurring much of a backlash (not saying there wasn’t).
I agree that all this is about is this guy getting a platform to advertise stupidity.
Russ Mars: You are inferring a great deal from my short comment, and it’s all wrong, unsurprisingly. What I objected to was the reference to “the royal order of extreme Muslims”, a remark which betrays bias.
I agree with most of what you say. It may help you to know that I am an atheist, and as such have no axe to grind for Islam or for Christianity. People in general seem to be ignorant of the fact that they are being set up for the bombing of Iran by the further demonisation of Islam. It’s called manufacturing consent.
We’ve had recently the contrived nonsense about the so-called Ground Zero Mosque, this Florida clown who shouldn’t have merited no more than an entry on a police blotter and now the wholesale blame being attributed to all Muslims for 9/11.
The Park 51 community centre isn’t even within sight of Ground Zero – and people seem neither to know nor care that there was a mosque within the WTC at which Muslims prayed each Friday – and was planned months before the loons like Beck and Limbaugh climbed on it.
Jones had a sect in Cologne for some years, but was expelled by his followers last year for his radicalism. It is beyond belief that a wingnut like him should receive the attention he has, except that is the direction the MSM have taken.
It should be obvious, then, that my answer to the questions contained in your fourth paragraph is a resounding ‘NO’.
I think it’s important to see who gets excoriated for their hateful prejudice, and who doesn’t, and why.
As LT mentioned, there have been incidents of soldiers desecrating the Qur’an that have elicited barely a mention in the corpress, much less any condemnation.
Likewise, the backlash against Muslim places of worship, whether in Manhattan or Murfreesboro, is either cheered on, or at best presented as one side in a debate that deserves consideration.
For the mainstream media, their protestations are like a flu shot, innoculating them against charges of Islamophobia.
Anyone can condemn a cross, or a Qur’an, burning.
The truly important manifestations of societal and systematic prejudice are left unscathed, if not supported.
It’s incumbent upon us to zoom out from Gainesville and see the big picture, isn’t it?
This was FAIR’s take on the earlier Quran desecration reports:
https://fair.org/index.php?page=2519
“This story sadly has new legs.It has been discovered that this man went to high school and graduated with Rush Limbaugh.Ah Ha says some of the media midgetsâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬Ã‚¦ so that is it.A connection to the raging right wing!Rush responded by saying he really could not recall him.The press of course with seething hatred for Rush has implied he is lying.Rush shot back withâ┚¬Ã‚¦Ãƒ¢Ã¢”š¬Ã‚¦..You dont believe that a boy I schooled with 40 years ago ,holds little sway in my memoryâ┚¬Ã‚¦Yet you do believe that a reverend who mentored Obama for 25 years up till a couple years back- is a forgotten man to our PREZ????That is what ya call a TKO”
Yet sitting in a Christian Church for 25 YEARS doesn’t make Obama a Christian?!?!?!?!? More selective amnesia from the lunatic right, and I didn’t even vote for Barack W Obamabush. It was our worthless soundbite media that made Wright an issue in the first place. His ENTIRE sermons are available on Youtube – listen and learn.”Go after the military mindset and the enemy will come after you with everything.”
Back in the 1980s, I went down to the state capitol steps in Montgomery, Alabama to cover for my newspaper an event that was billed by the press release as a “rally and press conference.” It turned out to be a one-man show by an out-of-town Ku Kluxer who was trying to get publicity for his newly published racist hate screed. No one showed up except me, two radio reporters, and one local TV news crew. When it became clear how we were being played, I caucused with my colleagues and asked them if any of them thought this was a news event worth covering. Nope. Then, why would we cover this non-event, letting this racist jerk hurt the feelings of many of our good local folk and offending everyone except like-minded racists. No reason, we all agreed. As the s.o.b. began to spout, the TV guys folded up their gear, the radio folks hit the off button, and I pocketed my notebook. We all turned on our heels and walked away, hearing the desperate pleas of the ignored racist, first pleading for us to come back and then calling us the usual names. We laughed and returned empty-handed to our news outlets. Not one of our editors disagreed with our call. This asshole should have received the same treatment.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776246/posts
TO Informed veteran.
You say that the lunatic right has problems with Obamas faith?Actually more than 50% of Black americans are not sure of his faith according to polls.And like numbers of dems and rs.Seems like a lot of lunacy going round.It is simply a fact that he is so oily that you are not sure what to believe.Who really knows a mans heart but I think he is a Christian who listened to that nut Rev wright for 25 years and now cant recall a word.Draw your own conclusions as to what that says of the man.
The church he attended and its sermons are uncomfortable to a lot of folks.An all white church could not get away with it’s charter- or many of its sermons in reverse.Believe me the Libs on these pages would be yelling racist and hate speech HATE SPEECH loud as they could.But I guess it was Ok in his case.
If the point is not giving unnecessary attention to this dog and pony show…
then we have truly missed it, friends.
To Bogwart: Yes, evidently I did infer incorrectly and, as you put it, unsurprisingly. Not wanting to infer the wrong thing again, I’ll try not to assume from your ambiguous use of the word, “unsurprisingly,” that you felt the responsibility for my failure to understand lay entirely in my court. I’ll make a deal with you: Let’s share accountability for the failure in communication; I’ll try not to read too much into a brief comment if you’ll try to be clearer in your comments. Agreed? I do now apologize for gleaning the wrong meaning from your comment to Deborah J. Boyd. You were quite clear, however, in your reply to me and, I, too, agree with most of what you say.
Jones, “wingnut” that he may be, is well within his rights to express his beliefs as he has (assuming he got the appropriate fire permit). That I will defend with vehemence. Nonetheless, I think you got my point that one of the biggest failures of organized religion, politics and patriotism is emotion, all failing extremely in so many ways to solve the very problems they seek to address. We must learn that, agree with his actions or not, he really has hurt nothing but feelings. Though the mainstream media is also within its rights, there is no doubt it has wielded its power irresponsibly and has done profound damage simply by bringing attention to Jones’s actions; the results garnered are exactly what is sought by the powers behind the media.
@ Russ Mars: Certainly, and I am happy to apologise too. I’d rather that a thousand times than hold onto entrenched positions to which truly I do not cleave.
Religious bigotry is certainly not confined to any given faith. Maybe the fact that Judeo-Christians have more and better access to the internet and to normal news/opinion media means we hear their shouting more. The MSM has been uniformly rabble-rousing and misinforming; people in Afghanistan and Pakistan are dead as a direct result of their actions.
One major difference between us is that in Europe Jones’s diatribes and actions would have been proscribed. Hence his followers’ decision in Cologne to expel him. We do have specific laws against fomenting racial and religious hatred, and I do approve of them. I do not believe that they are wrong, and I do believe in the saying by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
When these laws were first introduced here there was considerable uneasiness about the potential for misuse which they conferred on government. In practice I cannot think of one instance where they have been applied in a way that upset anyone beyond the offenders.
I cannot agree that all that has been hurt are feelings, at least insofar as the proximate targets are concerned. The Muslims who are upset feel that way for two main reasons. First, Islam fills a much bigger part of their lives, for better or worse, than Christianity does for the average adherent in the West. And secondly you have the West, specifically the Americans, murdering innocent civilians left right and centre and making it abundantly clear that their war is against Muslims. About the only good thing I have to say about Bush 43 is that he went out of his way to avoid stirring up anti-Islamic sentiment, which is stronger now than it was after 9/11.