The Scene staff
“I am Charlie Hebdo.”
That became the world’s slogan after two Islamic gunmen forced their way into the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo and killed 12 people to avenge the magazine’s publication of controversial cartoons.
The United States is a democratic society, and we’ve always been able to express ourselves. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. It wasn’t until 9-11 that Americans realized how many people in the world hated democracy.
What does “free speech” mean? For the most part, we can say whatever we want. Everyone knows it is illegal to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, but we can make fun of anybody and anything we choose.
You want to draw a caricature of the president? Go ahead. You want to lampoon other officials? No problem. Satire? Bring it on. Just look at TV shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and publications such as Mad magazine. Nothing is off-limits.
People in France enjoy many of the same freedoms, including free speech. But when Charlie Hebdo exercised that right, there was a price to pay.
For a cartoon rendering of Muhammad, souls were lost. Was it worth it? Hell, yeah! If the journalists slaughtered in Paris were still alive, they would agree. They knew the importance of free speech.
Now let’s talk about “The Interview,” Seth Rogan’s satirical movie about North Korea and an assassination attempt on its leader.
Sony Pictures delayed release of the movie after computer hackers, probably backed by the North Korean government, released embarrassing emails sent by company executives.
Should Sony have bowed to this pressure? No way.
The controversy made everyone want to see the movie, even if they really didn’t want to before. President Obama weighed in, chastising Sony for kowtowing to the North Koreans. This is America.
We will not be bullied when it comes to freedom of speech.
Our French allies stood up to the terrorists, too, as did the rest of the world. The slogan “I am Charlie Hebdo” popped everywhere in the next few weeks.
World leaders, celebrities, politicians, sports figures, journalists … People from all walks of life united in outrage at this senseless attack.
What happened in Paris wasn’t even the deadliest event of the week on a global scale. Boko Haram militants massacred 2,000 people in Nigeria. An al-Quaeda car bomb killed nearly 40 people.
Evil has many faces: Hitler, the Taliban, Isis, Idi Amin, Stalin, the KKK, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussain, Osama Bin Laden … People die for causes that are beyond my realm of thinking.
In the time it takes you to read this column, who knows how many people will leave this plane? I’m not talking about those who die of old age, cancer, heart disease, auto accidents, police brutality or alcohol. How many will die for freedom today?
Free-speech proponents have their All-Star team, too. They’re the people who have given their lives in defense of the right to say what they want.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the phrase “The pen is mightier than the sword” in 1839 in his play “Richelieu.” Or in today’s parlance, “The computer is mightier than the nuclear weapon.” You get the gist.
Without freedom of speech, I couldn’t have written this article. And you couldn’t have read it. I am Charlie Hebdo. We all are.