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The Spectacle Blog
Last night the curtain rose on The Book of Mormon to rave reviews. This marks the Broadway musical debut of South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone who collaborated with Robert Lopez of Avenue Q fame.
As a fan of South Park, I am sure The Book of Mormon is laugh out loud funny without being demeaning as they amply demonstrated with their “All About the Mormons?” episode which originally aired in 2003. Who knows? I might even try to get a ticket on my next trip to New York next month.
For its part, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints issued a statement last month which neither praised nor condemned the production. It is worth noting the contrast in the reaction of the Mormon church to that of the group Revolution Muslim. Nearly a year ago, one of Revolution Muslim’s leaders Zachary Chesser (a.k.a. Abu Talhah al-Amrikee) encouraged violence against Parker and Stone for their two-part episode about the Prophet Muhammad. His threats were sufficient for Comedy Central to not only pull the Muhammad episodes but to also pull the 2001 episode “Super Best Friends” which also featured Muhammad. Chesser was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison in part for his threats against Parker and Stone.
I remind people of this incident to illustrate that while it is possible in this culture to create a Broadway musical about Mormons it is not possible to do the same with Muslims. Now I am sure that if Parker and Stone could do such a thing they would but they cannot. Even if they were prepared to stand up to death threats I doubt anyone in the world of Broadway would stand with them. It is amazing how our willingness to defend freedom of speech and freedom of expression recedes in the face of violence or even the threat of violence.
View all comments (14) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/03/25/the-book-of-mormon-debuts-on-b
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Too Many Tims| 3.25.11 @ 4:00PM
I am certain that if they insulted Islam the way they have already insulted Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormoms and Jews , they'd have to live in fear the rest of their lives.
Proud Mormon| 3.25.11 @ 5:49PM
Just in time for President Willard Milton Romney. Go Mitt!
bfwebster | 3.25.11 @ 7:51PM
God bless Parker and Stone. Will I go see "The Book of Mormon"? No, probably not, for much the same reasons that the only "South Park" episodes I watch are the bleeped-out ones in syndication on channels other than the Comedy Channel. But I am a staunch supporter of the 1st Amendment, and I'm tickled to see Parker and Stone out there, taking no prisoners (even if Comedy Central chickens out from time to time). May they never stop. ..bruce.. (a Mormon)
Jonah| 3.25.11 @ 9:05PM
Give me a break. These two gutless turds take on the Mormon faith and you commend them?
I'll be impressed when they do the same to Islam--but I won't hold my breath.
Will| 3.26.11 @ 6:03AM
Yeah, if they really wanted cutting edge, they should have taken on the "Religion Of Peace" with all the beheadings, amputations, stonings and of course bombings, they are overdue for their curtain call. How lame!
Michael L. Hauschild| 3.26.11 @ 9:27AM
You contrast and compare the Muslim and Mormon societal behavior. Your contention is that the Mormon Faith is one sans terrorism. Au contraire, the Church of Latter Day Saints regularly terrorizes our town here in Nebraska, their “jihad” on free time/peace and quiet is second only to the Jehovah Witnesses. One mans missionary is anther mans terrorist.
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.26.11 @ 11:42AM
Aaron,
that is the reason I only ask for anonymous book reviews. I'll take the chance, but I see no reason for others to do so.
.......unless it's somone like Rush Limbaugh who already have serious security teams 24-7.
Bob K.| 3.27.11 @ 11:28AM
Most of the media in the USA is controlled by people consumed with Liberal White Guilt which is part of the explanation for these curious inconsistencies. There is another reason too.
John Lukacs has observed in his recent book, "Democracy and Populism," at page 217, in the Chapter entitled "Triumph and Disappearance of Liberalism" that liberalism is on the wane along with parliamentary democracy: "One is that liberalism has, after all, triumphed: it's self-imposed tasks are done. The other is the overall waning of its appeal, of the appeal it once may have had." (This chapter alone is worth the price of the book!)
The media will argue with this but it knows it to be true at a gut level. It knows liberalism is dying out and it is making a last stand. The media is pursuing a scorched earth policy, if you will: Hoping and working for the continuation of policies that weaken the nations freedoms and help keep the ones they have helped establish in force.
Hanover| 3.27.11 @ 1:05PM
I just hope and pray the Libtards don't take us with them!
anon| 3.27.11 @ 1:31PM
Michael,
You're comparing knocking on your door to killing innocent people? You need to get out of Nebraska.
Jonah| 3.28.11 @ 7:06PM
That was sarcasm.
Vf6cruiser| 3.27.11 @ 8:25PM
The religion of peace doesn't make idle threats as others have found out. The cartoonist in Seattle who is now in the witness protection program found out the hard way...........
Jonah| 3.28.11 @ 7:05PM
3000 innocent Americans found out the hard way on 9/11, too. Too bad Clinton didn't take Bin Laden's threats seriously in the 90s.
Paul| 4.1.11 @ 11:43AM
These two "creative minds" have no clue as to what it means to give up two years of one's life to go to some far off place separated from friends, family, and a secure way of life to help the lives of other people whether it be through religion, service or just plan helping hands...these two probably have never sacrificed anything in their lives save their dignity.