Photo courtesy Twitter/ @QasimRashid
Yesterday morning the first controversial anti-Muslim posters appeared in the NYC Subway system after a fight to keep them out failed. The Staten Island News explains:
The ads are sponsored by Pamela Geller, an anti-Muslim blogger (Atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com) who opposed the Muslim American Society (MAS) in its unsuccessful attempt to open a center in Midland Beach — although the MAS ultimately established its current location in Dongan Hills.
The posters feature the following anti-Muslim slogan: ““In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.”
Savage?
It makes me ill to think that there are people who feel completely justified in calling an entire population of fellow human beings “savages”. The only good thing about Geller’s use of this word is the fact that it’s trigger word for almost all racially-conscious Americans, evoking memories of the enslavement of African Americans and the genocide of the Native populations of the American continent, both of whom were systematically referred to as “savages”. Hopefully this word will help Americans quickly recognize exactly what Geller’s posters are: Pure, unadulterated hate speech.
So how did these posters come to be allowed in the New York Subway system? RBR.com has the details:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York initially refused to run Geller’s ad, saying it was “demeaning.” But U.S. District Court Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled last month that it is protected speech under the First Amendment.
“Our hands are tied,” MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan told the AP. “Under our existing ad standards as modified by the injunction, the MTA is required to run the ad.”
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, backed publication of the “patently offensive” ads: “More offensive would be their censorship because that would violate the guarantee of free expression of all ideas regardless of how distasteful they are,” she said.
And while I agree that free speech should be allowed, I must admit that I cannot blame protestors who have been putting stickers across the ads labeling them just exactly what they are: Racism and Hate Speech.
An organization called Jews for Racial & Economic Justice offers a guide for how we can all help defeat hate speech, including:
2. Get your own word out! Make a sign countering the ads with a message of your own, snap a picture of you with your sign next to the ad, and tweet it out with the hashtags #MySubwayAd and #antihate. Email them to marjorie@jfrej.org and we’ll post them on the JFREJ website!
Stations with ads up:
28th, 6 23rd, C, E
49th, N and R
42nd, A,C,E
42nd Grand Central, 4, 5, 6, 7
34th 1,9
72nd B,C
Rector 1,9
57th and 5th, 5
Note that this organization is not advocating defacing Geller’s posters, but merely placing another message next to it and snapping a photo. For more images of the “makeover” of the anti-Muslim posters, visit Mondoweiss.net.
What do you think of the NYC Subway ads presented by Pamela Geller? Should she have a right to spread hate speech and call an entire population names on the walls of a municipality?
Would the reaction be the same if, say, the KKK wanted to put up posters in the NYC Subway system that had slogans calling Black people “savages”?
About Joanna Schroeder
It’s the classic “Us Good, Them Bad” or “us human, them not human” propaganda style. Notice that it’s not the civilized man versus the “savage man,” just “the savage.” Just one more way that extremists want us viewers to think in binary terms. Ironically, very similar to some forms of militant jihad ideology.
By impulse, when someone offers me a stupid, false dichotomy, I always look for a third choice. Or fourth, fifth, sixth,….
Just a cursory glance at history will show you lots of ways that “civilizations” can behave quite savagely.
And, the paranoid side of me wonders if this sign is actually an attempt to discredit pro-Israel people. It sure makes the pro-Israel lobby look extreme.
That’s a very complicated conspiracy theory but possibly effective. It’s certainly hard to side with Geller on this one, that’s for sure.
There are many, many pro-Israel Jews speaking out against this, however.
And the thing is, these ads will be effective because they are supposedly “anti-Jihad” (in the way Jihad is used here in the West most often – to mean war or violence against non-Muslims, which is not the true or broad definition) and Americans right now are really scared. We’ve been scared a long time. Geller is just exploiting a fear that is already so high.
Just wait, you’ll get some comments here about things like, “Why shouldn’t I be afraid of Muslims?” and “You don’t see Christians doing stuff like this”… Ahh such short memories us Western Christians have of the atrocities committed in the name of Christ.
Putting a sticker across the advertisement is a classic example of the “Heckler’s Veto.”
The idea is to control speech by preventing others from being allowed to hear it in the first place (as a heckler will try and disrupt public speaking).
In the words of Justice Holmes, “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” The truth does not need to purposefully drown out its opposition in order to gain acceptance; the truth is self-evident.
It is the mark of someone who does not believe in their own argument if they think that the only way their ideas will be accepted is to block the speech of their opponent.
If you believe in what you say, there is no need to prevent people from hearing your opponent, your argument should still win out.
I sympathize with your perspective, but I have to note that the creative defacement of subway advertisements is one of the few conduits the average person has for entering that very “market.” Perhaps a moving target, such as the side of a bus, would have been a better venue.
I disagree.
We live in an age where anyone can have their own blog for free. If you feel that it’s hate speech, go ahead and blog about it.
Or stand next to a poster and hand out flyers. Frankly, who cares?
But don’t stop the speech of someone else.
It should be easy to make these ignorant posters disappear in the subways….
In the ’80s, Keith Haring’s chalk drawings on black paper would magically vanish almost as soon as they were put up!
But is it okay to take it upon yourself to silence another?
If pro-life groups systematically removed all advertisements for Planned Parenthood, would that be okay?
Just because you disagree with speech does not give you the right to censor it.
Personally I would interpret that as an anti-terrorism ad.
Where does it call an entire population savages? No really I don’t get how calling terrorists as savages is supposed to be racist or hate speech.
Or is this supposed to be about Iran? Even then it does not suggest nuking the entire population.
I’m confused over this lot.
1) Why are the posters supposedly an issue now and of great concern when there was so little comment when they were on buses in San Francisco? …. is there an N.Y. Bias in play?
2) Why is Pamela Geller being given any air time? Not only does she Paraphrase Ayn Rand (Showing Just how Unoriginal and Unimaginative Geller Is) she even blogs on the cheep and is so cheep she can’t be bothered to get a domain and some server space! So much for free speech – she evidently places such a very high value on it!
A few domains that Geller may wish to consider – and which are up for grabs – should she have the brains to work out how to enter into an agreement with a domain provider and get hold of them:
ImPamelaGeller.com
IBlogCrap.com
IQuoteAynRandBecauseImSoUnoriginalAndLackImagination.com
My Favourite is of course IProfitFromHate.com
and of course the classic – IGetPaidToHate.com
For those who are determined to defend Free Speech and Hate Speech they may want to get and edge in the campaigning and advertising – your domain is also free and awaits:
FreeToSpeakHate.com
Some peeps really do need to get with the 21st century.
Israel was not allowed to attend the Global Counterterrorism Forum because they don’t want to offend the countries that want to see Israel destroyed.