Sunday, April 25, 2010

Molly Norris Wimps Out: Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, Take 2

Yesterday, HazZzMat posted a virtual poster we spotted on Dan Savage's blog urging folks to support the censored South Park cartoon team by drawing a picture of Mohammed (Muhammed) and posting it to the web on May 20, 2010.

Later in the day, we noticed several posts in which someone identified as a Seattle cartoonist, Molly Norris, was claiming credit for this outstanding idea. I've seen nothing to contradict her claim to be the originator of the idea, so I'll accept it for now.

But today, what do my wondering eyes doth appear? Ms. Norris, seemingly overnight, has had a change of heart:
The momentum drawn from Norris' cartoon was more than the artist had anticipated and by Sunday Norris had posted the following message on her website:

"I am NOT involved in "Everybody Draw Mohammd Day!" I made a cartoon that went viral and I am not going with it. Many other folks have used my cartoon to start sites, etc. Please go to them as I am a private person who draws stuff"

On her website Norris originally explained the campaign was not meant to disrespect any religion, but rather meant to protect people's right to express themselves. 
If you don't believe me, read the message at Molly's website here, assuming it's still up. More on the brouhaha here at the WaPo, which quotes Molly as saying:
"I just want to go back to my quiet life."
Fascinating. Wonder what kind of hate e-mail she got last night. She sure was basking in the good PR she was getting yesterday. According to the AP, via The Daily Caller:
Norris told KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross that cartoonists are meant to challenge the lines of political correctness. “That’s a cartoonist’s job, to be non-PC.”

“...As a cartoonist I just felt so much passion about what had happened I wanted to kind of counter Comedy Central’s message they sent about feeling afraid,” Norris said.

Norris has asked other artists to submit drawings of any religious figure to be posted as part of Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor (CACAH) on May 20th.

On her website Norris explains this is not meant to disrespect any religion, but rather meant to protect people’s right to express themselves.
What a difference a day makes. In all seriousness, the poster currently on her website (apparently stringently edited today) does not sport the invitation to draw graf that appears on the poster that we put up here yesterday with a hat tip to Dan Savage. I have no idea as to whether Savage (or someone else) added the invitation verbiage after the fact, or whether Molly edited the invitation out of an earlier post she put up as a way of rewriting history, something the New York Times does all the time. But she is indeed indirectly quoted as having issued her invitation to "participate" in the cartoon protest on radio station KIRO yesterday.

Molly can disclaim all knowledge if she wants to. That will certainly put an end to her dubious 15 minutes of fame. But whoever was really the instigator of this delightful idea that "went viral"--whether it was Molly or someone else--you need to know it's no longer under your control. There will be a lot of Mouhammed drawing showing up in the blogosphere on May 20, 2010. We'll be posting one here even though at the moment we have no clue how to draw. And yeah, maybe that will cause an issue for some of the posters.

But let's get it straight, folks. The issue here is freedom of speech. If we don't support it, it's gone. If, these days, that level of support happens to involve a bit of personal risk, so be it. I, for one, am sick of seeing Westerners cave to murderous 10th century Islamofascists. It's these clowns who need to learn respect for other people and other religions, not the other way around.

My old man and his fellow sailors and Marines took at least 4 kamikazes in the flight deck of their aircraft carrier near the end of the Second World War defending our freedom against murderous fascists and militarists. As a result, many of dad's buddies, burnt to a cinder by the explosions and aircraft fuel, never made it home. But that's what freedom costs, and sometimes you have to pay. Why is it any different for us? Why do some of us boast about how "edgy" and "avant-garde" we are and then chicken out when someone raises the stakes?

As for those brave, beyond a doubt leftist censors who run Comedy Channel--which routinely disses, slanders, and reviles Republicans, conservatives, and all other religions 24/7 with impunity--everyone now knows all about your own special brand of selective courage and patriotism. Enjoy living with it and hope it blows over.

2 comments:

Grate God Almighty said...

Molly Norris is piss-weak. The idea was good, she should have stuck to it.

I've started a comic blog in solidarity for Matt and Trey and I won't be wimping out.

grategodalmighty.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I guess Molly Norris didn't have the balls to carry through with Everybody Draw Mohammed Day (be it literally or figuratively speaking). But the continued support of celebrating May 20th with pictures of Mohammed by rational people who aren't going to be bullied by facist Islamists shows that even if someone pussies out on a good cause, other people will be there to carry on what the cowards started.