CAH Name ______
Mr. Jablonsky
The Attack on Charlie Hebdo
Directions: You will work in partners reading and accessing background knowledge from the website below. Use the questions to guide your understanding and please respond IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.
http://www.vox.com/cards/charlie-hebdo-attack
1. What is Charlie Hebdo?
2. What happened in Paris during the three days starting Jan. 7, 2015?
3. How did the violence end?
4. How did France and the rest of Europe respond to the attacks?
5. Who claimed responsibility for the terrorist acts?
6. What are some of the worries and questions that France faces now that the violent episode is over?
7. What questions do these attacks raise for the world at large? What questions do they raise for you?
In an Unequal World, Mocking All Serves thePowerful
Saladin Ahmedis a science fiction and fantasy writer and poet.
UPDATEDJANUARY 11, 2015, 12:57 AM
Guns should not be used to silence speech. Governments should not censor art. These things are, or should be, beyond dispute. But are there times when writers, particularly satirists, should check our own tongues? When sensitivities are high, should artists self-censor?
As an American writer, I know that the "right" answer here -- the answer that one is supposed to give, especially in light of the hideous mass murder of cartoonists in Paris -- is a resounding "No!" Art must serve no masters, we are told, and satire can have no sacred cows. The truth must be told, sensitivities be damned! It's a thrilling pose to strike, at once moral and subversive. And in principle, it's hard to disagree with.
In practice, however, art is always beholden to forces other than simple truth, and even the most ruthless satirists have their sacred cows. Charlie Hebdo, which fired the cartoonist Sine in 2009 for an antisemiticcolumn, certainly did. American cartoons such as South Park and Family Guy joke about the disabled and the terminally ill, and constantly engage in "envelope-pushing" racist and misogynist humor. But these "no holds barred" shows never mock, say, 9/11 victims, or soldiers killed in Iraq. American newspapers do not publish pro-ISIS cartoons.
The fact is, we self-censor and select the targets of our satire based on our worldviews - and those worldviews are influenced profoundly by being male or female, black or white, American or Iraqi, Muslim or Christian. Our identities and lived experiences have everything to do with the offenses we decide need mocking, and the targets that we select.
The question for writers and artists, then, is not whether we ought to limit ourselves, but how we already limit ourselves. In a field dominated by privileged voices, it's not enough to say "Mock everyone!" In an unequal world, satire that mocks everyone equally ends up serving the powerful. And in the context of brutal inequality, it is worth at least asking what preexisting injuries we are adding our insults to.
The belief that satire is a courageous art beholden to no one is intoxicating. But satire might be better served by an honest reckoning of whose voices we hear and don't hear, of who we mock and who we don't, and why.
To Fear Offense or Reprisals Is to Surrender OurValues
Amos N. Guiorais a professor at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and the co-director of its Center for Global Justice.
JANUARY 10, 2015
To be or not to be? When a despondent Prince Hamlet asked this question he was contemplating death and suicide. The question is relevant to the challenges Western civilization faces. Do we give in to extremism or do we stand up to the murderous jihadists who killed 12 innocent people in Paris?
The intended targets of the attack were journalists, satirists and cartoonists. These individuals practiced their craft and expressed their opinions in accordance with the principles and values of Western civilization. The essence of liberal society is critical thinking, robust dialogue and open exchange of ideas.
Islamic extremism kills Muslims deemed insufficiently devout, murders the infidel, engages in barbaric honor killings and imposes its will through unimaginable violence and torture.
Charlie Hebdo published cartoons deemed offensive to Islam. That is true. So what? Journals publish articles, satire and cartoons that offend other faiths and ethnicities. That is what satirists and cartoonists do.
Unfortunately, if not inexcusably, Charlie Hebdo was largely a lone voice in the wilderness. The overwhelming majority of mainstream news outlets, in Europe and the United States, refused to publish the edgy, and to some offensive, works that became a Charlie Hebdo hallmark. Due to their fear of Islamic extremists these outlets engaged in self-imposed restraint. That made a courageous publication like Charlie Hebdo more vulnerable and contributed to the Paris slaughter.
The important question is where do we go from here? Satirists and cartoonists must continue their work, undaunted and unabated by extremists. To do otherwise is to succumb to the evil of terrorism. It is for that reason that major magazines, newspapers, journals and blogs must publish and post the work of edgy artists.
However, for courageous artists to continue their work when threats are visceral and clear they deserve three things: 1.) equally courageous publishers; 2.) national security leadership that is willing to proactively and rigorously engage jihadists who endanger the very essence of society; and 3.) a public that emphatically demonstrates violence is an unacceptable response to the voicing of differing opinions and the exercise of democratic values will not be discarded in response to fear.
Edgy artists perform an invaluable public service. They deserve our fullest support and protection. Their voices must be heard, no matter how offensive an opinion might seem or the discomfort it might cause.
Otherwise, the most precious values of our society will “not be.”
CAH Name ______
Mr. Jablonsky
The Attack on Charlie Hebdo
BELLRINGER
If you were an American newspaper editor, should your paper reprint Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, either on the grounds that the cartoons are newsworthy, or as a demonstration of solidarity with the besieged French weekly? Explain.
Satire –
DOCUMENT A
sacred cow – something that is off-limits (from being made fun of)
antisemitic – anti-Jewish
misogynist – prejudiced against women
mock – to make fun of
1. What is the meaning of the article’s title?
2. What is the most persuasive point made in the document? Restate it in your own words.
3. What word would you use to identify the author’s point of view towards Charlie Hebdo?
DOCUMENT B
jihadists – Islamic terrorists
infidel – religiously unfaithful
restraint – to be held back
vulnerable – open to attack
succumb – to be overcome by
edgy – trendy, trendy
1. What is the meaning of the article’s title?
2. What is the most persuasive point made in the document? Restate it in your own words.
3. What word would you use to identify the author’s point of view towards Charlie Hebdo?
After completing the comprehension questions DISCUSS with your partner your answers and come to a consensus on the last question.
1. Would you publish the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo? Provide at least 2 specific reasons for your answer.