In crazy extremist paranoia news this week, the Turkish state network, TRT, banned the airing of Winnie the Pooh because one of the main characters (the second best character, in my opinion, next to Tigger) is a pig. At first they were going to cut the scenes with Piglet in them, but there were too many.
I can respect the fact that to Muslims, pigs are considered "unclean" and not fit for consumption. But I think banning Piglet is a bit extreme, considering it is a cartoon pig, and I really don't see any Muslims running out to eat pork because of it. In fact, if anything, it would keep them from eating pork, because Piglet is so cute and you wouldn't want to eat something that cute. And I suppose that is the point - you can't portray a pig as cute, because pigs are evil.
Still, any religion that exerts so much control that you can't even see a pig in a movie or a cartoon is a bit weird to me. I mean, Christians are exposed to sinful things all the time and it doesn't necessarily mean they will do these sinful things. People were breaking religious laws long before movies or television came along, and I suspect will keep on breaking religious laws without any outward provocation.
3 comments:
LETS BURN THEIR EMBASSY
ON THE GROUNDS OF BEING INHUMANE
TO ANIMATION CHARACTERS
WHAT THE HELL ,,
THEY HAD THEIR FUN....LATELY
LETS GET REVENGE.!
=ZARDOZ=
I'M JOKING ,, BUT ITS SCARIER
THAN THE GARBAGE THEY WERE
DEMOSTRATING AGAINST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
IMAGINE THE KIDS............
A few months ago I heard that items with Piglet's picture were banned in an office in England because they were deemed offensive to Muslims. While I sympathize with those few who are so offended by cartoon representations of animals that they find offensive that they cannot function in society, I think it is no reason to deny the liberties of those non-Muslims who do not find Piglet in Winnie the Pooh offensive.
Why can't those few offended Muslims simply turn off their TV?
First of all, I always thought Piglet was an oversized cute rat with a mocking name. Secondly, I've always had my doubts about Winnie's gang: a donkey, a slap-happy tiger and (now, I find out) a pig. Sort of makes me wonder what the author was smoking when he/she first started writing...
:-)
Just kidding. But on a serious note, Turkish kids probably never saw Babe, which is a pity...
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