Kowtowing to Muslim sensibilities

I'm in no way a Gwen Stefani fan, but this article caught my eye, particular coming a day after reading this article by Christopher Hitchens. I find myself agreeing with Hitchens. Why should we worry about offending these folks? Your gods (God, Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, or Flying Spaghetti Monster) and prophets are sacred to you, not necessarily to me. I was raised Christian (Catholic, actually), but I like to feel that I retain my sense of humor. Ralphie May does a hilarious comedy bit about Jesus and marijuana, and I laugh every time I hear it. But then, I can distinguish between humor and hate. Many fundamental (insert religion here)'s seem to have had a humorectomy. Or worse, they're just hypocrites. It's always interesting to turn the hidden video onto the supposedly "devout". My dad was raised Southern Baptist in Tennessee (he converted to Catholic when he married my mom). He always told me that the Baptist kids did everything that the non-Baptist kids did...they just hid it better.

Now, I'll grant that for her own safety, Ms. Stefani should probably refrain from doing anything that will get her arrested in a foreign country. But really, if the downside is that people won't come to her show, who cares? Okay, plenty of people with a financial interest in the show may care, but in the end, the reason a Gwen Stefani show would play (and sell tickets) in Malaysia is because she's Gwen-freakin'-Stefani! She's exporting the particular look and sound of a specific part of American culture. To change her show to avoid pissing off people who are likely enjoined from listening to her music anyway is just stupid.

Put another way, Ms. Stefani is directly aiding those who would decide what Malaysians may enjoy and what Malaysians may see. If it were Fort Wayne, IN instead of Kuala Lumpur, would she cave?

Now, before you get the idea that I'm one of those who wants to be able to yell "Fuck!" in a preschool, I am not. There should be certain standards for public behavior and decency. By public, I mean freely and openly available. Cable is not public. Satellite radio is not public (unless you're blasting it out your windows while you go through the McDonald's drive-thru). A concert that you have to pay admission to is not public. If you drag your children to an R-rated movie, or to a Gwen Stefani concert, you have no leg to stand on. Part of adhering to a moral code is to deny yourself access to those voluntary parts of the greater society which do not subscribe to your morals. If you choose to view them, and then choose to become offended, I have ZERO sympathy for you or your cause.