well, this past friday, (most of you know this story from personal experience, i realize), every student at the university of saskatchewan got an email from the president himself demanding that the sheaf, the university's student paper, formally apologize to all students, faculty and staff for publishing a comic entitled "capitalist piglets" and not publishing the comics of the Prophet Muhammad.
i read this and was like "what the hell is he going on about? comparing capitalists to a Prophet?" i think i thought a few curse words as well, and then got over it and was like, meh, even our president's on crack.
the weekend went on, and i hopped onto the bus this morning and an acquaintance of mine (mr. x) sits down in the seat in front of me and we start to chat. he mentioned the email from the prez, and i was like, "yeah, why's he so for publishing those comics of Muhammad??" and mr x is like, what? didn't you SEE what they published?
dear friends, my university's student paper was stupid enough to write that they were not going to publish any of the comics portraying the Prophet Muhammad, out of respect, etc... and then, published the most blashemous (and i've travelled, folks, i've seen my share of blasphemy.... can anyone say father ted???) most blashemous, disrespectful, explicit (as in i don't want my sister going anywhere NEAR those comics) and wrong comics (yes, more than one) about Jesus Christ Himself. i dare not recount what they've portrayed the Son of God as....
all this.... published on Ash Wednesday.
you'd think maybe they could've done the standard "pick on feminists due to international women's day" instead!
so here's the thought of the day, folks... what has led our society to such decadence that it is drawn to portray not only great historical figures, but Messengers of God, in such a manner that would've been demeaning to any individual... i, personally, cannot understand it.
and so that's that for the sheaf and i. it's officially sunk in my mind.... i mean, before i was like, yeah, it's trash.. but so's everything else... but no, this.. this is a new low.
i agree with jonathon. we should make a bonfire out of this week's papers. (the fools didn't even remove the paper from the racks.... that's how i got a look at them...)
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I was shocked and appalled. University's should be know for insightful, thought-provoking debate, not this crap that was clearly meant to insult and hurt people. Does anyone have any ideas against this? I really do want to light it on fire but am looking for something slightly more classy and less cliche then write a letter.
write the president.
there actually is nothing more classy than writing a letter... but make sure it's a good letter.
as for lighting it on fire... that lacks class, yes, but it says something immediately.
that all being said, i have no idea what i'd actually do. i'm still debating it.
The Sheaf relies primarily on funding from local companies who pay for advertisements of their products and services. If we (the student body) got together, alerted these buisnesses of what this paper is printing, proposed that they not pay for next weeks/month's advertising fee, it would hit The Sheaf right where it hurts; in the wallet. They simply wouldn't be able to afford to print any more papers. Really, would anyone actually miss it?
that's all good in theory; however, you forget that those same businesses rely on the sheaf to reach a sizeable and lucrative population - that of a student body desperate to fill their waking/nonstudy hours with something they can spend money on. if the sheaf went out of print, it would not be good for the businesses.
a more plausible solution is one that is currently occuring: a change in the membership of the sheaf staff. the chief editor has resigned, and a formal apology is to be written in this week's paper.
we must remember that the solution to change does not always require radical action. change in government does not mean dissolve the institution of the government but to replace it with a more appropriate one.
And unfortunately, as we pay student fees to the sheaf, (Yes, I live in a world where I am forced to pay money to have my fundamental human rights violated) they'd probably just jack the prices. All I agree with is 451.(F)
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