Our Constitution gives us the right to free speech. It is true that no freedom is absolute and is subject to certain reasonable limits but, at the same time, it is also true that the freedom of expression cannot be curbed at the flimsiest excuse.
Yet, over the years, an atmosphere of intolerance has been created by political parties and religious organisations, making a rational discussion on contentious issues nearly impossible.
It used to be easy for Americans to sit back and dismiss the petty political hysteria of other nations as laughable proof of their backwards natures and of our more enlightened existence. But if I hadn't paired the quote with a plainly Indian political cartoon, you'd have thought it was good old Yankee insight.
India is currently in political turmoil over a 63-year-old cartoon in a history text, which didn't upset anybody when it appeared in newspapers in 1949 but has now been revealed to be offensive, as is the notion of teaching students about political cartoons at all.
We could laugh at this, if only there weren't so many pot-and-kettle issues involved. But, while there's no reason to feel superior, it's still worth tracking, and, with a hat tip to Tom Spurgeon, here are two good places to visit:
The cartoon is from this excellent round-up of the state of Indian cartooning from the New York Times. I've become a little cautious in following links to the NYTimes since they started metering visits and limiting non-subscribers to a certain number each month, but this is worth spending a ration coupon.
The quote is from a more detailed discussion of the controversy in the Economic Times/Times of India. Also a very good read.
But, as said, this is a matter of keeping up with the world, not of sitting back and feeling smug and superior. If there is some competition going on, we're not doing much to win.
Our political discourse has degenerated to the point where other nations don't have to work to catch up with our level of sophistication. All they have to do is to hold still and let us pass them going the other way.
I've said this many times before, but, when I first lectured students on political cartoons, I had to explain the partisan press and how each town had two newspapers, one Democratic, one Republican. In the latter years, I just had to say they were like Fox and MSNBC and the kids got it.
And, honestly, I don't know which is worse: Taking one of those points-of-view as the "truth" and the other as "lies," or recognizing that they are both utterly irresponsible and concluding that all is falsehood.
All is not falsehood. But, as Sturgeon's Law tells us, ninety percent of everything is crap.
Your job is to find the pony at the bottom of the pile before the poor thing suffocates.
Speaking of Indians and competition:
Today's Candorville reminded me of a story I heard from an outstanding professor emeritus I had in college, who was, I think, about 80 when I had him a little over 40 years ago, which gives you a sense of how much older than Lemont and Susan, or even Darrin Bell himself or even me myself, the story is.
He told of a college friend who worked at a Hopi elementary school. (This is a different use of "Indian" than in the previous section, BTW)
This brand-new teacher sent a group of little Hopi kids to the blackboard and posed a math question, telling them, "Work it out on the board and then, as soon as you finish, turn around and raise your hand."
Pretty standard classroom activity in which one kid finishes first and gets to "win."
But Hopi culture doesn't work that way. You don't shame another by showing him up.
So, as they worked the problem, the kids were furtively watching each other and, as they each came up with the answer, they'd start writing more and more slowly until the last one had figured it out.
Then they simultaneously wrote the last digit on the blackboard, turned as one and all raised their hands at the same time.
(Some decades after hearing this, I was interviewing a Hopi tribal historian about something else, and asked him if, first of all, the story rang true, and then, second of all, if it were still true. He said it was very much in line with Hopi culture and values but that, well, they were learning to adapt.)
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