Hero in the Line of Fire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber
[Update Jan 7, 2018: Today marks three years to the day since the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. We should not and dare not forget...] RT
Today's poem was written several years ago, but will resonate today with believers in Freedom of Speech worldwide.
What appears to have been yet another barbaric act of terrorism in Paris on staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing and injuring a number of people, including two police officers, is a terrifying reminder of the times in which we live. There is NO excuse for it whatever.
The killers were reportedly heard shouting what translates as ‘We have avenged the prophet’; a prophet who would have been appalled to have His name so abused.
Humour, especially satire, will always be controversial, but should never be allowed to fall victim to either political correctness or any socio-cultural-religious persuasion. It is one of the most effective Weapons of Peace by which various elements of society can be freely criticised. The keyword here, of course, is ‘freely’. All of us - especially writers and journalists - must feel free to criticise wherever and whenever they feel criticism is justified. Others, of course, must be similarly free to agree or disagree.
Any attack on Free Speech is an attack on us all. We can but trust the perpetrators of this latest horrific event will be tracked down and brought to justice.
I love Paris and the French people. My thoughts and sympathies - as I imagine those of all my readers - are especially with the families and friends of those killed and injured in Paris earlier today. May they draw on the power of love to help them through the coming hours, days, months and years with the kind of strength and courage that epitomises the very best of human nature.
Where certain elements of any society are inclined (as are all of us, up to a point) to take its beliefs as 'written on tablets of stone' these are - and always will be - a legitimate target for satire if only to encourage us be less inflexible and/or dogmatic. We need to regularly review our perspectives on life, including those on the society in which we live, and at the very least draw attention to any perceived failings. Isn't this what a free press - indeed, free speech - is all about? This, too, I fear has been increasingly under threat for some years, especially by a significant (but vocal) minority who so love to play this or that socio-cultural-religious card...
This poem is a villanelle.
HERO IN THE LINE OF FIRE
Where society a hypocrite or liar,
politics the ultimate blame game,
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
Invariably, no smoke without fire,
(point the finger, give it a name)
where society a hypocrite and liar
Global warming, threat more dire
for all those repudiating the same;
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
World leaders, negotiating its mire
(power, among the perks of fame)
where society a hypocrite and liar
[Update Jan 7, 2018: Today marks three years to the day since the attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris. We should not and dare not forget...] RT
Today's poem was written several years ago, but will resonate today with believers in Freedom of Speech worldwide.
What appears to have been yet another barbaric act of terrorism in Paris on staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing and injuring a number of people, including two police officers, is a terrifying reminder of the times in which we live. There is NO excuse for it whatever.
The killers were reportedly heard shouting what translates as ‘We have avenged the prophet’; a prophet who would have been appalled to have His name so abused.
Humour, especially satire, will always be controversial, but should never be allowed to fall victim to either political correctness or any socio-cultural-religious persuasion. It is one of the most effective Weapons of Peace by which various elements of society can be freely criticised. The keyword here, of course, is ‘freely’. All of us - especially writers and journalists - must feel free to criticise wherever and whenever they feel criticism is justified. Others, of course, must be similarly free to agree or disagree.
Any attack on Free Speech is an attack on us all. We can but trust the perpetrators of this latest horrific event will be tracked down and brought to justice.
I love Paris and the French people. My thoughts and sympathies - as I imagine those of all my readers - are especially with the families and friends of those killed and injured in Paris earlier today. May they draw on the power of love to help them through the coming hours, days, months and years with the kind of strength and courage that epitomises the very best of human nature.
Where certain elements of any society are inclined (as are all of us, up to a point) to take its beliefs as 'written on tablets of stone' these are - and always will be - a legitimate target for satire if only to encourage us be less inflexible and/or dogmatic. We need to regularly review our perspectives on life, including those on the society in which we live, and at the very least draw attention to any perceived failings. Isn't this what a free press - indeed, free speech - is all about? This, too, I fear has been increasingly under threat for some years, especially by a significant (but vocal) minority who so love to play this or that socio-cultural-religious card...
This poem is a villanelle.
HERO IN THE LINE OF FIRE
Where society a hypocrite or liar,
politics the ultimate blame game,
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
Invariably, no smoke without fire,
(point the finger, give it a name)
where society a hypocrite and liar
Global warming, threat more dire
for all those repudiating the same;
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
World leaders, negotiating its mire
(power, among the perks of fame)
where society a hypocrite and liar
Religion, where AIDS toll higher,
its rhetoric loud, reasoning lame;
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
Drugs-arms dealers loath to retire,
(Greed, the name of the game);
where society a hypocrite and liar,
find a sharp-tongued ally in satire
Copyright R. N. Taber 2010; 2012
Labels: bigotry, challenges, Charlie Hebdo (magazine), France, free press, free speech, human nature, Human Rights, murder, Paris, poetry, religion, satire, social awareness, social conscience, society, terrorism
posted by R. N. Taber | 14:04
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