I’ve been watching the coverage today of the shootings in Paris at the office of the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo. It’s a horrific and troubling scene, the act of terrorists who seem at the moment to be acting in the name of some warped version of religion. That they chose to attack satirists seems a very revealing action to me, one that shows that this is not about a religion retaliating to an insult but rather the actions of those who want to control our thoughts and speech.
Satire is often the first line of defense against those who would try control our thoughts and actions. Throughout history, up to this very moment, satire’s ability to poke holes in the balloons of power has played a vital role in free societies. We may not always agree or enjoy it. It may seem crude and tasteless at times. But it remains one of the pillars of free thought and free speech. An attack on it is an attack on freedom, an attack on free society.
There are people standing in the streets of Paris tonight, holding pens in the air and signs that proclaim: Je suis Charlie.
I am Charlie.
Redtree Times 