Kaitlyn Lewis, Opinion Editor
Communication is powerful and should require careful consideration. In a world filled with people of different backgrounds, beliefs and convictions, we have seen how powerful communication can be. Last week, members of a controversial Paris newspaper were murdered for what they said. Armed, masked men invaded the publication’s office and shot and killed 12 people, including the editor and cartoonist.
These crimes were committed for no good reason; I do not condone them.
The newspaper, named Charlie Hebdo, has been threatened before. They have published shocking, satirical cartoons of the prophet Mohammad and Jesus. But the writers were like celebrities in France, according to an article published in TIME Magazine by Claire Berlinski, an American journalist living in France. Berlinski said they were comparable to America’s Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. They were irreplaceable.
When I take a step back to look at this whole situation, I see a bad example of how important conversations are to take place. Charlie Hebdo may not have only offended the extremists who raided their office, but Christians and peaceful Muslims as well. Matt Martin, a Christian minister at Kennesaw State University and my mentor, told me that defending free speech comes with the challenge of defending someone’s right to say outrageous and offensive statements.
I think it is one thing to make a funny, satirical cartoon about a political figure; but having a drawing that mocks a religious figure may be triggering for some people.
I’m a Christian myself, and seeing some of the provocative cartoons Charlie Hebdo printed about Jesus did make me upset. I do appreciate satire, though; but I’m afraid this may not have been the right conversation for it.
It’s not that I’m overly sensitive or waiting to be offended. My initial reaction to the cartoons is not, “Oh how lovely this satire is.” I am simply shocked by this portrayal of Jesus.
Those who are not religious may not understand what Mohammad means to Muslims or what Jesus means to Christians. Faith is something so personal and deep, so we do not find things funny the way others might.
At KSU, we all come from different backgrounds and beliefs. Some of us see things differently.
Fellow college students, before we can speak, it is important that we are able to address issues of injustice and seek truth, considering every aspect of the conversation. We don’t want to forget about the people caught in the crossfire of our discussions.
The staff at Charlie Hebdo did have the right to say what they wanted to say. I imagine they didn’t truly intend to hurt anyone, and maybe they thought the risk was worth it.
On the other side of this conversation and giant miscommunication, the extremists reacted poorly with little regard for human life.
“Jesus also had all sorts of insults thrown at him,” Martin said. “He didn’t trifle with them…So it takes wisdom and discernment to respond gracefully and truthfully.”
“The university environment is designed for us to have hard conversations and figure out what we think about believe for ourselves,” Martin went on. “Also, if we just continue to ignore others and not listen, then we are only reinforcing the divide that exists in our country. But if we are willing to listen and engage with each other, then we will be better as a whole.”
I believe KSU should continue to grow as an environment for the pursuit of knowledge and free speech, but we must consider each other’s feelings and avoid unnecessarily offending people.
I often think of what the Bible says in James 3:5, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”
Our words are powerful and have the ability to impact many lives. Not everyone will agree with what we say, but we should consider the impact of our words before we speak.
Would your message be unnecessarily offending anyone? Are you making a general, degrading statement about a certain group of people? Are you expecting a reaction? What is your reason behind your message? Will it benefit anyone? Are you prepared to stand by and defend everything you have said?
In the end we want important conversations to take place. We want to pursue knowledge and truth. We want to make a difference in the world and on our campus. All this can be accomplished through careful consideration and powerful communication.
