Hard Graft

When I was a child, I was brought up to respect an opinion and respect the right of someone to voice that opinion. He or she may be right or they may be talking utter tripe but they have the right to say that. And trust me, in my household it was dog eat dog and if you either could not or would not stand by your opinions you will lose a debate but my family would always hear you out first. I have a lot of respect for that.

For example I respect the right of Hugo Chavez to have an hour long rant once or twice a week on his nice TV show Alo Presidente and on the opposite side of the political spectrum I respect the right of BNP Leader and arch-racist Nick Griffin to go on a national debate show in the UK to voice his foul politics.

What I do not respect is someone in academic authority who is behind a successful photo-comic/sketch page/whatever reading an opinion column which has the temerity to say that their comic is not a comic and then use his superior platform to galvanise his or her audience into attacking that column. That is utterly and completely wrong and someone in that position should know better.

My opinion? I don’t agree with Jules on some points. I think there are great and successful photo comics but I don’t think certain ones are comics rather they’re intelligent sketch pages such as those that belong in a well to do publication like Punch or The New Yorker.

But do I think she is arrogant, ignorant, idiotic, ridiculous or just plain bitchy? No! Because she presented her arguments calmly and logically from a professional point of view. That is her opinion guys deal with it. Don’t get angry, don’t shout at her because she decided to speak up, debate with her!

The treatment that she has received in the past 24 – 48 hours has been nothing short of shameful. She has been made to walk outside, stand on a chair be tarred and painted, bow for hours on end and wear a sign saying “I’m an idiot” while the baying mob (currently at 120 comments at the time of writing) criticize her endlessly and repeatedly.

We claim that we live in an enlightened and civilised society and that we enjoy the freedoms that people had died to defend time and time again. We look at the likes of China and scoff at their endless cycles of violence, mayhem and mob lynchings when we fail to realise that our own actions echo those very same horrible periods of history.

People should be made to read Li Zhensheng’s experiences and look at his photos. They should read abut the son whose father, the Helionjiang Party Secretary, was condemned and punished for days simply for being too old and “elitist” and how this son who tried to speak out, to voice his opinion, was gagged with a dirty sock and condemned himself.

Several days later he fell out of the window of the building he was being held at. The mob said it was suicide but in their hearts they know what really happened.

Today I look at that poor soul and I feel that he was the lucky one.