The worst repercussions I can expect for writing something is to be sued for libel. Not so in Afghanistan.
See here.
The 23-year-old Sayed Parwiz Kambakhsh allegedly added three paragraphs to a story which criticizes "the ignorance of the Prophet Muhammad on women’s rights," according to the NY Times, and distributed the story around school. He can appeal his death sentence, but even without the Taliban, Afghanistan clearly isn't a place for free speech.
So what about the United States? Could I say something like that here?
A Danish paper in 2005 ignited controversy across the Muslim world when they ran cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. The Wikipedia entry on the subject depicts the original cartoons. It's hard to believe mere cartoons resulted in embassies being set on fire, but that is the sensitivity of this issue.
I've seen various student and professional newspapers publish controversial items just to draw attention to themselves. I would never publish something just for the sake of creating controversy, but, conversely, would I shy away from publishing something for fear of the consequences?
I'd like to say no but I can't honestly say that is really the case. The religious fanaticism and consequences of publishing a negative depiction of Muhammad, even in America, can be great. Being a "fearless journalist" becomes a much more complex issue when dealing with the prospect of fanaticism. Would we be the ones putting our heads on the chopping block if we called Muhammad ignorant, or would fanatics lash out at others? Would we be responsible if that happened? What about all the moderate and liberal Muslims who would also be offended by such a reference?
Is defaming Muhammad the equivalent of screaming "Fire!" in a crowded theater?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Dragon Ball all Asian Cast Except Goku
When I heard that Dragon Ball Z would be a movie, I was more than excited. For years, I dreamed of a live-action Dragon Ball flick, but then I was the guy who owned all the mangas and watched that ancient cheap live-action version of Dragon Ball: The Spirits Within. I used to watch the show before it hit Cartoon Network and became popular. Waaay back when it was on KCAL 9 and you had to wake up at 5 a.m. to catch a Saturday morning episode. Everything was great until I visited IMDB and checked out the message boards. Instead of excitement from the fans twittering about the movie, I found THIS:
"Wow, it looks like they are using Asians for just about every role. . .except the main character. Who do we blame for this racism, Hollywood or the American audience? Perhaps, both? Some people like to make the argument that Goku is an alien and not Asian. Well Superman is also an alien, but he is still white! If you're going to have a white guy play Goku, then why not let an Asian play Clark in the next Superman movie? Oh, that's right, because Asians aren't white."
I think Paul Mooney on the Chapelle Show said it the best: “ Hollywood is crazy.”
There have been movies titled The Mexican starring Brad Pit and The Last Samurai starred Tom Cruise. At least this movie doesn't have a racially confuzzling name and will in some ways stay within the original storyline.
What the guy had to say was partially true. Hollywood can be and is racist on occasion. But I don't think that’s the case here. Pulling the Superman card is a cheap move, as the character was created in 1938, when protagonists couldn’t possibly be anything but white. Superheroes like Black Panther wouldn’t have made it to the drawing board back then.
The fact that Justin Chatwin was chosen to play Goku is because he's right for the part. His hair and jawline are very similar to Goku's and if he does a good job acting the part, no one should care. Stephen Chow is the main producer of the film and to my knowledge he’s about 100% Asian. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t ruin this like they ruined the Incredible Hulk.
Here's a video of the cast:
"Wow, it looks like they are using Asians for just about every role. . .except the main character. Who do we blame for this racism, Hollywood or the American audience? Perhaps, both? Some people like to make the argument that Goku is an alien and not Asian. Well Superman is also an alien, but he is still white! If you're going to have a white guy play Goku, then why not let an Asian play Clark in the next Superman movie? Oh, that's right, because Asians aren't white."
I think Paul Mooney on the Chapelle Show said it the best: “ Hollywood is crazy.”
There have been movies titled The Mexican starring Brad Pit and The Last Samurai starred Tom Cruise. At least this movie doesn't have a racially confuzzling name and will in some ways stay within the original storyline.
What the guy had to say was partially true. Hollywood can be and is racist on occasion. But I don't think that’s the case here. Pulling the Superman card is a cheap move, as the character was created in 1938, when protagonists couldn’t possibly be anything but white. Superheroes like Black Panther wouldn’t have made it to the drawing board back then.
The fact that Justin Chatwin was chosen to play Goku is because he's right for the part. His hair and jawline are very similar to Goku's and if he does a good job acting the part, no one should care. Stephen Chow is the main producer of the film and to my knowledge he’s about 100% Asian. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t ruin this like they ruined the Incredible Hulk.
Here's a video of the cast:
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
You've found us!
The Daily Titan isn't a real big fan of definition leads, but I can't help this one:
When one types "define:blog" into the Google search engine, you get a few results:
- Short for "Web log," a specialized site that allows an individual or group of individuals to share a running log of events and personal insights with online audiences. Blogs with political or current-events themes have grown in popularity and become "soap boxes" for instant mass-audience commentary.
www.pvt.com/oth/glossary.htm
- Web LOG is a journal kept on the Internet. This journal is often updated daily and contains all information that the person maintaining the BLOG (the blogger) wishes to share with the world. www.avatar.co.nz/resources/web-site-design-web-marketing-definitions-b.html
- Like an online dairy. This can be about and be used for anything at all, it can be used for news, reviews, products etc for a business, organisation etc. This is great as it helps the user stay in touch with the website with new and up to date information.
germworks.net/blog/2007/02/11/web-jargon-explained/
Welcome to the Daily Titan's Version of "The Blog." Here, you'll get the story behind the story and other fun stuff.
Hope you come back soon!
When one types "define:blog" into the Google search engine, you get a few results:
- Short for "Web log," a specialized site that allows an individual or group of individuals to share a running log of events and personal insights with online audiences. Blogs with political or current-events themes have grown in popularity and become "soap boxes" for instant mass-audience commentary.
www.pvt.com/oth/glossary.htm
- Web LOG is a journal kept on the Internet. This journal is often updated daily and contains all information that the person maintaining the BLOG (the blogger) wishes to share with the world. www.avatar.co.nz/resources/web-site-design-web-marketing-definitions-b.html
- Like an online dairy. This can be about and be used for anything at all, it can be used for news, reviews, products etc for a business, organisation etc. This is great as it helps the user stay in touch with the website with new and up to date information.
germworks.net/blog/2007/02/11/web-jargon-explained/
Welcome to the Daily Titan's Version of "The Blog." Here, you'll get the story behind the story and other fun stuff.
Hope you come back soon!
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