Lars Vilks is a hot topic. And for some reason there are many different opinions about him.
I've read and commented. I've discussed and argued.
And I think it's my turn to make a post about it and let people yell at me now.
Personally, I'm believe Lars Vilks is good fun. He makes news more entertaining than yet another car crash we won't see bodies from.
And I hope his actions will reach out to those who need to react...
See, Lars Vilks painted some picture, which people argue is bad art. It's racism. It's insulting. It's respectless. And whatnot.
First of all - I've seen "good" art.
Lars Vilks isn't half bad compared to some things Picasso and other painters did...
Second - It isn't racism at any point. It's a religious context and religion, bar Jews, are not 'races' at any point.
Third - Everything is insulting to Someone
And Fourth - Respect and Art..? C'mon.
Right. Let's go through a few points here.
Lars Vilks has drawn a picture of someone who is very much dead and has no close relatives still alive.
So with that said: He isn't making it personal. It wasn't anyone's mother who was drawn as a whore.
He was attacked by a bunch of nutters during a lecture at a university. To which he was invited. To talk about controversial art. And he showed images of sexual act involving Mohammed.
Right. Did you also know what he did before that?
He showed a painting with Jesus on the cross, dipped into urine.
He showed the Pope being hit by a meteorite. (I'd assume a painting of it..)
He also showed a crucifix with a large penis in it..
Noone really cared. Heck they were at a lecture about controversial art. Why would they?
Then he showed images from a piece of art a woman in Iran had created (And had to leave the country for...) that depicted Mohammed doing sexy stuff.
I've personally been using internet since I was a child. I've seen things.
Let me share a few things with you:
*A picture of the norse god Thor, holding a hammer, with the text "My god has a hammer, your god was nailed to a cross. Any questions?"
*A picture of a skeleton on a crucifix, branded with a Microsoft logo, with a small demon engaging in sexual activities with an eyesocket.
*The joke "6 millions Jews can't be wrong, it's fun to go camping!"
*An image of Jesus on the cross with the text "Shit happens fucking carpenter."
Now in my daily life in the real world I see Nazis, marching yearly in demonstrations and whatnot.
I hear people openly deny the holocaust. I see so many jokes about priests fondling choir boys I've lost count. I've discussed the fact that Jesus was a pussy and that I would've been more eager to believe in God if he was still nailed to that cross.. 2000 years later. Begging for death.
All these things belong to my daily life. I laughed at most of them at first. Now they're getting a bit old.
But at no point did I hear the Pope, some protestant movement, jews or even Microsoft put a prize on someone's head.
Lars Vilks has a prize on his head. And he painted a picture of a wooden dog, which was already a part of Swedish art for some reason, with a bearded guy in a turban.
He was attacked for appearing at a university for showing controversial images on the subject of controversial images. But only by one group.
I'm not going to discuss art, quality or legal rights. We all know the image was shite. We all know Vilks is actively provoking people. And we all know he's entitled to this.
What I want to know, and someone please tell me, is why there are still just one group of Muslims!?
Why do Muslims not have the same divide as Catholicism and Protestants?
Sure, a bunch of knitwits are obviously pissed as hell over an old Swede who drew a picture.
They've been burning flags, and mockups of our prime minister (Which I may or may not enjoy watching, but that's besides the point) and still there are people who refer to a whole group of people as Muslims.
Where are the sane Muslims? Who don't want to burn flags? Who just ain't gonna wear burkas? Who won't stand for being beaten? Who won't marry more than two, max three, wives? Who just want to sell me my cheap turkish-esque COMMANDO Bear 2000 (Red Bull... Kinda) and get on with their lives?
Personally, I would've said "Fuck them, they ain't no Muslims, they're Mohammed worshippers!
I see Muslims every day.
Well I think I do because anyone looking slightly not-pale-as-a-ghost in a beard or any type of cloth on the head I label as a Muslim. So do you.
Why?
Because that's the only reference to them I have!
I don't label black people as slaves. I don't label Asians as kamikaze pilots.
Why? Because they're pretty damn clear about slavery and kamikaze (Or Christianity, Buddhism or Shogun's).
Why are all middle-eastern people Muslims?
I don't like it. And I hope they'll change.
But it's up to them. As it stands today, if you're middle eastern and wear any head cover, have a beard or just don't make an effort to look European, you're a Muslim. Just like the suicide bombers, Al-Qaeida (spelling?!?!?!), Bin Laden, women in burkas, men with +10 wives and as Skeleton shouting "Silence!"...
Black people defeated slavery.
Jews survived Nazis.
Russia ... Well is still Russia. Not Soviet.
Can't someone put some effort into helping the rest of us, semi-racist, every day drones, see a difference between a suicide bomber and the guy in Alhumidis Groceries? Seriously. It'd help.
Where was I?
Right. Lars Vilks.
Lars Vilks is forcing up a debate around this. And I thank him for it.
He's going to get killed. Muslims are going to get shunned. Wars might start.
The US will elect another moron for president and I'll still be buying my COMMANDO Bear 2000.
But the guy behind the counter might not be smiling as much... And that bothers me.
To continue this, we have the National parties who lift forth Lars Vilks as some kind of martyr for their cause.
What a bunch of idiots.
The people who vote for them.
The National parties obviously have good reason for it. Votes.
Those that vote on them however...
Lars Vilks has sparked a debate about Muslims. And that shows we need to stop letting them near us.
And we do that by working towards removing immigration.
Right.
I agree, we need to reduce the immigration numbers. They're sky high. It's terrible.
But building a wall between ourselves and the 'others'?
Didn't anyone watch Avatar!?
You can't solve issues by turning your back on them...
Ever tried to cure aggressive cancer by pretending it's not there? Yeah that's not healthy.
Hoooow abooout.... Solving the problems that cause the immigration?
"Immigrants wanting free money and leech on our society?"
Yeah. No.
If that was the reason, why are there so few British immigrants in the rest of Europe?
So let me share a secret with you:
The main cause for high immigration numbers is because some other country has high EMIGRATION.
Those countries are war torn and devastated. It's an open wound that nationalists are trying to solve with a band-aid....
