Comedy Central Submits to Islamic Intimidation

Comedy Central has bowed to Islamic intimidation. Although South Park was broadcast on Wednesday night not only did the network censor images of the Prophet Mohammed but they also bleeped out dialogue other than swear words. One critical piece of dialogue that was bleeped out was a speech by Kyle Broflowski about intimidation.

I was at the Cantab on Wednesday so I hoped to see the episode repeated at midnight. But Comedy Central did not rebroadcast the episode and aired another episode instead.

If that wasn't bad enough a former Comedy Central employee named Lindsay Robertson wrote a blog condemning South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. What if any connection she had to South Park isn't clear bu she referred to Parker and Stone as "assholes":

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are assholes. This should be the real angle of the story going around today, not something that paints them as heroes for free speech. They owe an apology to every Comedy Central employee they’ve put in danger in pursuit of their own glory and publicity. Hopefully, and probably, nothing will happen except a few hundred people having anxiety for a few weeks, but if god forbid something does, it is on Trey Parker and Matt Smith’s shoulders.

What absolute drivel!!!

Parker and Stone put no one in danger. The spectre of violence was raised by Revolution Muslim when they showed an image of a mutilated Theo van Gogh and suggested this would be the fate of Parker and Stone. Yet Ms. Robertson does not see fit to condemn Revolution Muslim and indeed makes no mention of them in her post.

If we take Ms. Robertson's argument to its logical conclusion then Theo van Gogh was an asshole for making a film about violence against Muslim women and the violence visited upon him at the hands of Mohammed Bouyeri rests on van Gogh's shoulders.

What I find even more disturbing is that Hollywood isn't sticking up for Parker and Stone. Although Jon Stewart told Revolution Muslim off he did state Comedy Central was within its rights to censor the episode as it saw fit. As Eric Cartman would say, "Lame." Well, given that Comedy Central airs his show I guess Stewart knows who butters his bread and its not "Butters" Stotch.

If a cable network can so easily crumble before the rantings of a bunch of thugs then I'm afraid it doesn't say very much about its willingness to defend free speech. Comedy Central is no Jyllands-Posten.