If there's one moral crusade I can get behind, it's free speech.
So I'm all too glad to support the growing movement urging people to buy Danish! (Via Glenn Reynolds.)
I can't think of a more worthy cause right now, and I'm adding this icon.
By way of disclaimer, I should point out that not only am I of Norwegian descent, but I have visited Denmark repeatedly -- most recently last summer. It's a wonderful place, and not only do I advise buying Danish, I also suggest traveling there!
UPDATE: Because I don't want this to be just a linking campaign, I thought I'd remind readers that buying Danish does not require much work, shopping, or even imagination. If you like to drink (which I suspect a lot of readers do), please remember that Denmark is a major brewing country. And by all means consider the many fine Danish beers.
And best of all, please remember that beer contains alcohol!
Which means that certain countries make it illegal to drink.
So get with the, um, spirit of this campaign!
LATER THAT DAY . . . Well, I put my money where my mouth will soon be! On a case of Carlsberg beer which I persuaded Coco to graciously model:
If Coco looks a little peeved, it's because I had to tell her that in certain countries, female dogs who drink beer are frowned upon.
MORE: While interpretation is one thing, I have a strict ethical rule against putting words in my dog's mouth. However, when Coco heard me read Theron Marshman's comment below, she assented quite vocally, and I felt duty-bound to help her get it on the record.
I had to! I mean, what kind of master would deprive his own dog of her free speech rights?
posted by Eric on 02.01.06 at 10:03 AM
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Comments
OH! I feel so strongly about this! I have actually been designing a logo for support of Denmark myself!
I'm going to get this on my site asap.
This whole situation is outrageous!
And Clinton, the EU and the UN putting pressure on Denmark to not publish the political cartoons.
Can we spell C-O-W-A-R-D!
Thanks for this post!
(my bloods boiling over this)
I guess it all comes down to what Robert E. Howard said when he created the character of Conan the Barbarian:
“Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing".
To most “civilized” post-Enlightenment Westerners, Islamic Law (mainly based on the Hebrew Old Testament) is straightforwardly barbaric and repulsive in itself- see Hegel, Renan and other mainstream 19th century European thinkers who have contributed to shaping our view of Islam and the Orient.
It’s sad to see this kind of cultural stereotyping still persists to that day, on both side of the cultural/religious divide for that matter: that hapless Danish cartoonist is as backward as his Saudi censors and probably views them as fanatical fools; whereas they’re probably utterly convinced that a second-tier Scandinavian newspaper must be part of some “Occidental Masonic conspiracy” designed to destroy Allah and his beloved bearded vicar!
But it wasn’t always so Manichean: ironically, throughout the Middle-Ages and until the 18th century, many libertine Western aristocrats and free-thinking philosophers were actually attracted by Islam precisely because they viewed it as a more rationalist and modern faith than Christianity: after the defeat of Napoleon’s republican “Grand Army” and the return to power of the rightwing Catholic kings of France, several of Napoleon’s revolutionary generals choose to move to Cairo and some even converted to Islam.
But this was then…the times have changed and two hundred years of fanatical Wahhabi activism boosted by Saudi Arabia’s immense oil revenues, compounded by France and England’s brutal colonial practices in the Middle-East and North Africa, and America’s unwavering backing of Israel’s war crimes have succeeding in tilting the Mohammedan collective psyche towards a very reactionary interpretation of Islam, which in many ways is simply a natural defense reflex albeit an obscurantist and backward one…
Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion states: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts. Whatever draws or presses another is as much drawn or pressed by that other”.
Hee hee! Coco says thanks! And happy drinking for the rights of Danes! (Not too loudly, OK? Coco might be thinking that we're talking about Great Danes. Well, the Danes are great people, but you know what I mean....)
Remember the Protestants, the Catars, many of whom died for being accused of blasphemy. Without freedom of expression, how can we live together?
Buy Danish!
fgabriel · February 4, 2006 10:54 AM
For everyone supporting by buying danish.. It is working.. today it has been on danish news that Denmark might just get a larger turnover from the people who decided to buy danish than the people boycotting..
So from the danes, I would like to send you all a huge THANK YOU!
Tabasco · February 9, 2006 03:56 AM
Thank you all for your great support to Denmark
We will allways support you!!!
Thank you very much for your great support in this matter!
It warms my heart, and the heart of all Danes, that you guys stand firm in this matter! We need that support in order to maintain the freedom of speech, which is essential for our contry.
Again - we love you - keep up the good work!
On behalf of the Danish people -
/Gulkings
Gulkings · February 9, 2006 05:56 AM
Thank you all for your support. It`s so nice to see people all over USA standing up for the freedom of speech.
Buy Danish.
Quark · February 9, 2006 06:34 AM
We will always support US, your are trulig oure frinds
On behalf of the Danish people
Boboo · February 9, 2006 09:25 AM
Hi
I from Denmark
Thank for your great support to Denmark
Made in denmark is the best
As a norvigian fighting agains communism the last 30 years. The muslim dictator mullas is our next goal in the fight for freedom. Support Denmark by buying danish products - Not only for helping Denmark. Danish products alvays are of excellent quality. ECCO - shoes are the best shoes you can buy.
Tomorrow I will go to the local supermarket and buy all the danish product I can find.
Per Johansen · February 9, 2006 12:01 PM
Thanks for the great support
we are 5 million danes against 1,5 billion muslims, thats the viking spirit, but we welcome all the help we can get
The Dane · February 11, 2006 04:33 PM
Blogger "The Dissident Frogman" actively maintains a posting with some very high quality "Support Denmark" graphics in multiple languages (the list of which is growing) such as English, French, Italian, Polish, German, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Romanian:
OH! I feel so strongly about this! I have actually been designing a logo for support of Denmark myself!
I'm going to get this on my site asap.
This whole situation is outrageous!
And Clinton, the EU and the UN putting pressure on Denmark to not publish the political cartoons.
Can we spell C-O-W-A-R-D!
Thanks for this post!
(my bloods boiling over this)