My whole life I've been an avid reader and writer of both fiction and nonfiction. I've always gravitated towards controversial topics, like politics and religion, not because I like controversy, but because I think "That-Which-We-Must-Not-Talk-About" is what we should be talking about the most: the issues that affect all of us, the issues that aren't merely a matter of opinion but a matter of life and death. One thing I've learned during my reading is that heroes don't exist in fiction alone. One such hero is Flemming Rose, the Foreign Editor for Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's largest daily newspaper.
In 2005, Rose published twelve cartoons by artists and creatives to make a point about the creeping culture of self-censorship in Europe when it came to controversial topics, such as politics and religion. In the near-decade since then, Rose has not censored his reverence for the sanctity of freedom of speech, not in the face of cordial dissenters or death threats, not in the face of the fatwah issued against an artist named Salman Rushdie, nor the murder of innocent artists in Paris this past January. A human's right to free speech does not end where another human's offense begins. "What is one man's blasphemy," Rose told me, "is another man's poetry."
I had the honor of interviewing Flemming Rose on behalf of The Undercurrent last week about his controversial views and courageous book, The Tyranny of Silence, in which he recounts his personal journey throughout the 'cartoon crisis' that begin in 2005.
If you or any of your family and friends love to read or write or draw or sing or dance, I think it's an extremely important time to speak freely about politics and religion, because heroes of the world like Rose have armies of villains against him. They want to silence his-and your-right to speak your mind.
Agree or disagree with Mr. Rose, isn't it great we live in country where you're free to do that?
Happy early 4th, all!
I had the honor of interviewing Flemming Rose on behalf of The Undercurrent last week about his controversial views and courageous book, The Tyranny of Silence, in which he recounts his personal journey throughout the 'cartoon crisis' that begin in 2005.
If you or any of your family and friends love to read or write or draw or sing or dance, I think it's an extremely important time to speak freely about politics and religion, because heroes of the world like Rose have armies of villains against him. They want to silence his-and your-right to speak your mind.
Agree or disagree with Mr. Rose, isn't it great we live in country where you're free to do that?
Happy early 4th, all!
