We are no longer "Charlie"

Paris, 7^th January 2015, attack on the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo, 12 dead and 11 wounded.
Amatrice, 24^th August 2016, earthquake measuring 6.0 ± 0.3, 296 dead and 388 wounded.

Two dates, two tragedies albeit very different in numbers and origin. The first is the result of the human hand and the extremist insanity of a pseudo religious mould. The second is the offspring of the inscrutable laws of nature, probably with the accomplice of human superficiality.
Why associate them?
Because both have somehow to do with images, that were produced by the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists.
In the first case the cartoons of the French cartoonists have been identified as the trigger for the preparation of the attack. In the second they commented, in their own way, on what had happened in Central Italy.
Different, however, were the reactions to the images that in both cases were considered offensive. In the first case around Charlie Hebdo the entire western world stood by them, implicitly certifying the success of the terrorists and proving to have been struck once again deeply. Solidarity found form in an expression which became instantly popular: «Je suis Charlie». A phrase to say the least elementary started apparently on Twitter and spread with the speed that only a regurgitation of demagoguery can have. A phrase that somehow wanted to support the cartoonists and defend their work pointlessly and stupidly offensive to Islam and its believers. The latter, of course, does not justify the reaction, whose real reasons should be sought for in areas that has very little to do with religion.

In the case of the Italian earthquake, however, one of the cartoons in Charlie Hebdo was just as irreverent and equally idiotic, in as much as to trigger reactions and controversy culminated with the complaint made by the City of Amatrice against the French newspaper.

The cartoons of the weekly French satirical Charlie Hebdo on the earthquake in Central Italy, which took place on the 24th August 2016.

What actually unites both cases is not so much the common factor constituted by the cartoons being produced and published by Charlie Hebdo, as much as the stupidity of which the reactions were imbued. It is useless to discuss the bad taste shown by those who conceived and published the drawings with a text, which was just as inappropriate. It is also unnecessary to comment on the action of the Italian municipality, it is humanly understandable on the part of who has lost a loved one, on the other denotes a high level dose of incapability in understanding of the offending image. It is claimed in fact that this blackened the honour of the dead, as it was intended to stigmatize the superficiality of controls on construction and maintenance of the collapsed buildings.

The images have once again demonstrated their power. They have set in motion whole populations. They raised the shields in defence of freedom of expression when being hit by an idiot satire were the others. They all cried out «Je suis Charlie». All the Italians got angry against Charlie Hebdo when they discovered they were the targets of this questionable sarcasm.

We were all Charlie. Now that we consider they have offended our dead no one is Charlie.

All this smells, or rather stinks, only of great hypocrisy. Personally I find both publications of the French newspaper stupid and inopportune. But this does not push me to file a complaint. It is probably because I do not have to defend my work and I do not take votes from anyone (which gives me an undoubted privilege in the evaluation), but I believe, as far as not sharing an opinion acceptable, certain utterances have the right to be made. It is enough to remember a phrase attributed to Voltaire by S. G. Tallentyre (Beatrice Hall) «Je désapprouve ce que vous dites, mais je me battrai jusqu'à la mort pour que vous ayez le droit de le dire»* and be in possession of the minimum of maturity necessary to attach things to their correct position in a scale of values. [ Sandro Iovine ]

* «I do not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death that you may have the right to express it».

_ _ _

[ INTERNAL RESOURCES ]
◉ [ exhibitions ] From Hara-Kiri to Charlie

[ EXTERNAL RESOURCES ]
◎ Charlie Hebdo
◎ La vignetta di Charlie Hebdo spiegata a mia madre

partecipa alla discussione

categories

EXHIBITIONS CONTEST WORKSHOP EVENTS MELTINGPOT BOOKS PORTFOLIO VIDEO ONGOING THEMATICPATHS YTOI OPINIONS FPART COVER READINGIMAGES SMARTFOLIO FPBLOG FPLAB