The Stupidity of Charlie Hebdo

So legs sticking out of a lasagne means what?

Let it go Obes.

I may be completely wrong. Anyone else got a slant on it?

They annoyed people so much that some people got murdered there.

Where?

I think yours is a brilliant interpretation, jings.

Thanks Bags.

Yes. you are right Obi. People did get murdered there. Very sad, but I guess there are some people in this world it's better not to mess with.

obi, so murder is justified by annoyance, is it? Don't be silly. Anyone who commits murder because they are annoyed as a result of their own interpretation (which may be wrong) of a drawing needs to be locked up for the safety of everybody else.

Don't bother to answer, obes, please.

So, two possible interpretations, jings's being the better, have been mooted. And the rest have jumped on the "oh how awful! how cruel!" waggon.

Satire is diffifcult but one doesn't have to be a sheep. As I said earlier, CH does things to make people think laterally. I don't believe its purpose is to offend, but to bring people up short and get them to open their minds to strange, sometimes frightening, and definitely uncomfortable feelings.

That's a good and daring thing to do.

Of course it's purpose is to offend. Your posts are being naive at best.
Saying things are art or whatever, does not get anyone off the hook.Or any other slant is put on it.

Ana - you wont have missed what happened there.

I have probably said enough jingl.

Why is it supposed to offend?

Why would anyone want to mock people who have just suffered an earthquake? The premise that anyone would want to be cruel to people who'd suffered a disaster simply doesn't make sense.

Whereas, wanting to take the piss out of the main stream media for focussing on a few rich dudes and ignoring the majority of poorer people who've lost everything and in some cases everyone does make sense.

Why choose the option that's least likely? Just seems daft to me.

I am really pleased you sussed it, jings.

Why would anyone want to mock people who have just suffered an earthquake? The premise that anyone would want to be cruel to people who'd suffered a disaster simply doesn't make sense

sociopaths, psycopaths, those types of people wouldnt think twice. We all know there are people like that.

I am not saying that those who work there are that.

Obi put it another way.

An earthquake in Italy is likely to get more sympathy than one in, I dunno, somewhere in Outer Mongolia, where no one ever goes for their holiday, because of the things we associate with Italy..

Geddit?

Although the people in both places will have suffered equally.

I still don't know what 'there' you are talking about, obieone. But never mind...

This is a blog written by a Frenchman about French humour, explaining that it's something people outside France find difficult to understand. I think that's an understatement! I speak pretty good French, but I've never 'got' French humour and I think the French find it difficult to empathise with other cultures (hence some of the problems with burkinis, etc).

I think the blog (and there are others saying the same kind of thing) goes some way to explaining CH:

www.private-frenchlessons-paris.com/blog/cliches-of-french/1683-is-french-humour-difficult-to-export/

As a dyed-in-the wool Anglo-Saxon, I still don't find it funny.

@thatbags

It most definitely was intended to offend. That's the whole point.

Nope, I'm not convinced. Sheeplike as I am, I find the cartoon cruel.

It was published alongside other cartoons as "covers we didn't use". I believe the artist probably thinks it's funny.

We only have to look at cartoons of Jews in the Nazi era to be reminded that not all satire is on the side of the angels. And that cruelty doesn't have to make sense.

It was intended to offend those who need their attitude shaken up a bit. (The "shock horror! How could that happen to our Italy!" brigade) The ones who don't actually give a thought to the people the earthquake region really belongs to.

Ana the shootings in the Charlie Hebdo offices by the terrorists. Over the Mohammed cartoon.

I don't agree with your interpretation jingl at all.The well off family on holiday from Britain were talked about in the press because they were British, that's all.
I think it is just the rather sick sense of humour that CH go in for.

That is just your own opinion btw jingl as you don't speak for the mag.

The article in the Times about the well off people, was elitist, concentrating as it did upon one well off group of Brits, with no mention of the native victims.

Plus I think that most people feel sorrow for all the victims, wherever they are from.