Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.02.2015, Blaðsíða 5

Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.02.2015, Blaðsíða 5
Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. febrúar 2015 • 5 ONLINE MAGAZINE: WWW. HEIMSKRINGLOG.COM OP-ED What is the difference? Although there were points of agreement between Stefan and me in his recent editorial, there are also some differences in opinion. The editorial speaks about blasphemy laws, and recommends their abolition. I agree. Blasphemy laws are outdated. They remind me of the middle ages or the Spanish Inquisition. I was very surprised to learn that Iceland, widely viewed on the world stage as a free-thinking nation, still has a blasphemy law on the books. In my opinion, the focus of law should change. I wonder where, as human beings, we should draw the line. I am a professional librarian, and worked in that field for many years. Contrary to popular depictions of homely spinster librarians in sensible shoes and support hose, managing libraries like a pseudo police force, the librarians of my experience are actually some of the most open-minded people there are. The intensive education for professional librarianship covers censorship, the right of people to access information, and other related issues. Librarians are taught that all library patrons should be treated with respect, no matter what their information needs, social status, racial or sexual identities. So I get it. I get freedom of speech; I get freedom of religion; I get freedom of expression; I really do. However, it seems to me that somewhere society has the task of ensuring that minority groups especially should be protected from hatred. I believe that it is wrong when people are judged as part of a group instead of as the individuals they are. It is the job of society to make rules that protect people. They are called laws. Unless we purport to want to live in anarchy, and I think that few people honestly desire that, then laws are required. Laws should reflect the beliefs and rights of citizens and offer protection to the innocent. Unfortunately, they do not always do that. Don’t get me wrong. Nobody should be killed because of what they draw, what they write, or what they think. Debate continues throughout the world as to whether or not people should be killed for their actions. Some countries have capital punishment and others do not, even for the most horrendous of crimes. The victims at Charlie Hebdo should not be dead. I have to wonder, though. Several years ago, a newspaper in Nanaimo, where I then lived, published a hate rant by a reader as a letter to the editor. It was disgusting. It expressed hate against a particular group of people. Among other things, the writer purported to know absolutely that aboriginal people had never accomplished anything in their whole history. In the writer’s opinion, native people are a lower class of being. There were several protests outside the paper’s offices by people hurt and angry that the letter was published. It did no good and the paper did not change its ways. Instead, the editor published another hateful letter and continues on with cartoons and other wise- crack inferences about aboriginal people. Very recently, the media has been afire over a Facebook post from northern BC, which said the “only good indian is a dead indian. Let's have open season on em!!!” Following many complaints and calls to the local detachment, the RCMP is now conducting an investigation. The writer’s ugly recommendation was in response to what he saw as the interference in economic matters and development in northern BC. What is the difference between that and Hitler’s campaign of hatred through extensive media propaganda prior to the Holocaust? No ethnic group should be vilified or exposed to hatred. That kind of hatred serves as a rallying point to those who are prejudiced and hateful in the first place. In fact, in Nanaimo there was support expressed for the hateful letter to the editor from people who said they agreed with it. They agreed that aboriginal people were lesser beings. The letter to the editor had become a rallying point for racial hatred. Was Charlie Hebdo hurting anybody with its images of the Prophet Mohammed? Yes. I wonder how Christian people feel seeing images of Jesus defiled. And yes, I know that cartoonists don’t see anything as being out-of-bounds. Or, how would Jewish people feel if they again had to view horrible images of their people – possibly depicted as swarming rats as they were shown in the infamous Nazi propaganda films during the rise of Hitler. Maybe cartoons like those published by Charlie have seen their day. Maybe they belong to a time when empires viewed people as lesser beings. Maybe they belong in an archives. They hurt people, even those people who would never kill. They hurt people who would never behave in an extremist way. They are mean – let’s face it. Meanness and hatred under the guise of humour make them no less palatable. The staff at Charlie who were gunned down earlier this year were viciously murdered. Sensitivities are running high. There are extremists in almost every belief community in the world. Tragically, the murdered staff of Charlie fell victim to extremists in one of those groups. Judy Richardson Arborg, MB A response to the editorial by Stefan Jonasson in the February 1st issue PHOTO: DAVID GISLASON Judy Richardson GIMLI SELKIRK Betel Home Foundation will continue to be a leader and innovator in providing the highest quality of life for each individual in our care. Betel Home Foundation is an integral part of the community recognizing our Icelandic roots and respecting others cultures. Betel Home Foundation G I M L I 96-1ST AVENUE • 204-642-5556 S E L K I R K 212 MANCHESTER AVENUE • 204-482-4651 Tax receipts available for donations of either money or stock. WWW.LH-INC.CA WE’RE ON THE MOVE Lögberg-Heimskringla has relocated from 100-283 Portage Avenue to 508 -283 Portage Avenue Effective February 1, 2015 LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA INC. 508-283 PORTAGE AVENUE, WINNIPEG, MB R3B 2B5 CANADA TEL: (204) 284-5686 FAX: (204) 284-7099 TOLL-FREE: 1-866-564-2374 (1-866-LOGBERG)

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