Twigs Spot

By now, most of you know or have heard about the Danish cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad that has incited riots and anger throughout the Muslim World. A Danish newspaper runs a cartoon depicting Muhammad wearing a turban with a bomb in it, among other things, which is reprinted in other European papers. Drawings or images of Muhammad are forbidden in Islam, as they can lead to idolatry. Muslims are furious and demand a retraction and apology, as well as laws to prevent future images being published.. They don’t get it, (though they did apologize for offending Muslims) and the papers insist they have the right to run whatever images they want, and riots erupt. What are the issues at play here? Freedom of Speech, freedom of the press, respect for religious beliefs, and racism come to mind. Heavy issues. But consider this: the very message of the cartoon, as interpreted by me, is that violence perpetrated in the name of a prophet who promoted and spoke of PEACE is hypocritical. Any group of people hiding behind religious beliefs and using them as an excuse to kill or attack other human beings is flat out misguided. Of course, the grand irony of the this situation is that by responding to the cartoons with riots, by attacking embassy’s and burning down KFC’s and spewing words of hatred, these extremists are giving credibility to the cartoons! They are fulfilling the stereotypes, proving the point made by the man who drew the cartoon.
That being said, Muslims aren’t the only ones falling into this category. Look no further than our very own President, who based his entire campaign on the platform of morality, derived from his strong Christian faith (which won him many swing votes, especially from the bible belt). Yet somehow he has been able to justify the bombing and destruction of thousands of innocent lives in the Middle East. God told him to go after the terrorists in Afghanistan, just as God told him to end the tyranny in Iraq. Really? Did God tell you to torture and humiliate prisoners and blow up civilians whose only crime was living in a country with massive oil reserves and a maniacal dictator they did not put into power?  (The US doesn’t have this excuse, more than half of the population voted Bush in.) I shudder to think where "God" will send him next. Perhaps somewhere with the means to fight back. What was that part in the bible where it says something about ‘turn the other cheek?’ He must of skipped over that and went directly to the section about gays being evil. All over the world, in every culture and every religion, there are people who twist their religion in to something it was not meant to be, a manipulation to suit their own needs and desires.
Back to the cartoon. Although someone has a right to do something, it doesn’t always make it a great idea. Sure, they had the right to print that cartoon. But why intentionally do something that you know will upset and incite an entire religion? It’s called responsible journalism. Especially with the delicate nature of cultural relations in the current world climate? And if they didn’t know the type of reaction that would ensue, a simple apology and "I take it back, I won’t do it again" could have put an end to this messy, escalating situation. But it seems pride and being correct are more important to some.
The more I read about different religions and philosophies, the more I see the similarities. All religion is founded on love and respect for one another, on peace and tolerance. And yet it somehow evolves and gets twisted into the exact opposite, which is truly upsetting. Will America and the Middle East ever be able to reconcile their differences? I think the best we can hope for is an administration in office who steps up to the plate and says: "Hey Middle East. Sorry we’ve been an asshole for so long. You were and asshole too, but lets put that behind us. From now on, we will mind our own business, and respect your culture, and we ask the same of you. Live and let die. In Peace." Even so, the hatred may run too deep. The seeds have taken firm hold, and the roots are hard to unearth. You were right David, I think Switzerland did have the right idea.

Those of you who are native western new yorkers will remember the feeling you had as a kid when you woke up for school, saw several feet of snow on the ground, and ran to the t.v. to watch the scrolling closings list at the bottom of the screen. They were displayed in alphbetical order, and you would inevitably tune in one letter after your school and have to wait an agonizing 5 to 7 minutes for it to come around again, all the while trying to figure out what your superintendant would decide based on the surrounding district closings: "Damn Penfield, they always close, I hate you Penfield!" "Oooh, yes! Pittsford is closed, they’re right around the corner! Come on Fairport!" There was nothing sweeter than finally seeing your school name, in all it’s glory, with the word CLOSED next to it! It opened up a world of possiblities, such as going back to sleep, watching tv, playing outside…well, that was about it. That total lack of obligation and absence of necessity was a gift to be cherished, and it was.
Things are different when you are an adult. Today, the school where I teach in Jersey was closed due to weather. I got the call at 11, and the initial reaction was the same, sheer joy! Thoughts of video games and lazily reading in bed raced through my head- until my adult mind took over. It bluntly reminded me, "don’t get too excited there bub. you need the money. remember those reproductions of your new headshots you are getting done? remember the overdue loans? credit cards? cell phone bill?" I responded with, "yeah, well there’s nothing i can do about it, is there? so shut up and let me sleep." Of course, he had a comeback. "Really? you gonna sit around and waste the day, when you could be doing something productive? get off your ass and do something. do something. do something-" Eventually, he won out, and I went about creating a productive day. And I felt good about it, upbeat, happy to be accomplishing something, taking advantage of the situation! Except, here’s how my day went…
Headed to Chelsea studios for an audition for Millie, stopping on the way to hand off keys to my apartment to Garfield so he could make copies of his demo. After arriving at the holding room, I was greeted as I entered by who I presume to be the monitor. "Can I help you?" I told him I was here for the Millie audition, and he told me they weren’t seeing Non-equity today. I looked around the room and saw 25 guys. I said, "really?" and he told me I could come back tomorrow and be typed at 2pm sharp. I can’t go. So, I tried to get in across the hall at Sacremento Music Circus. Wouldn’t see me. Still determined, with my adult voice ringing in my frozen ears (do something!), I headed up to AEA to try and get seen for Pittsburgh CLO. There, posted in the oh-so-familiar hallway, was my fate spelled out in big black letters: "No Non Equity Today." Fine. You can’t stop me when I’m determined! On to Nola Studios! Wait- ahhh! Hidden slushy puddle! Soaked up to the ankle! "I should go home now," I thought. But that damn adult voice was relentless! Fine on to Nola. Merry Go Round- appointment only. Norman Meranus, York Theater Company- gone. Damn it, 0 for 5!
At this point, I was quite aggravated, and I knew of only one thing that would simultaneously calm me and give me the sense of accomplishment I was craving- YOGA! I had a terrific class, and had a chance to really push aside the external and focus my mind internally- with my adult mind appeased. I can accept the things I experienced today and learn from them. They are now part of me. And next time I have an unexpected day off, and my adult voice kicks in, I’ll tell it not to worry, and to follow me out the door- to yoga class. Unless I can wrangle my equity card before then….