TPM Reader RS: “It might be instructive to remember the reactions to “Piss Christ,” Andres Serrano’s photograph of a crucifix in a glass of urine. NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, no friend of civil rights, tried to get it removed from a display at the tax-supported Brooklyn Museum. The arts and civil liberties community rose up in opposition and “Piss Christ” stayed. Giuliani didn’t try to prevent the work from being displayed at all, he only said taxpayer’s money shouldn’t support its display, a distinction lost on many. And of course, there was no violence.”
TPM Reader CZ: “My first reaction was to the violence and the sense that the Muslim world needs to understand what a free press means. But as I reflect on it more, I think one of the greatest weaknesses of our western societies (currently so wedded to capitalism and sensationalism) is the belief that nothing is sacred. So, of course, I repudiate Muslim violence. But I’m also put off by the cavilier attitude the Danish newspaper showed in publishing the cartoons.”
