Just this morning I was reading a review of Prof. Stanley Fish's new book, How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One, and that suddenly reminded me of his book, There's No Such Thing As Free Speech, and it's a Good Thing, Too. The title of the book, if I remember correctly, is taken from an essay from this collection. I have always admired Prof. Fish's writings and some other academics and journalists who have written at length on the dimension of free speech and how it relates to modern society. In this age of political correctness, it is important how we write without offending the sensibilities of others. Political correctness does not matter in satirical writings or comedy acts. Stand-up comics, including the famous Indo-Canadian Russell Peters, often poke fun at ethnic people. Some liberties or "license" can be taken in certain writings, including screenplays. The outcry over N. Shivdas's poem, Cheddi, was unnecessary. Movies on Christ, including the Temptation of Christ, brought lot of criticism. Sikh movie makers have never depicted Guru Nanak on the screen. I talked once to a Sikh filmmaker who had made a documentary on the Sikh religion and he said that he dared not to have an actor play the role of Guru Nanak for fear that both he and the actor would be killed. I am not sure if any film shows an actor play the role of Prophet Mohammed. Fear of blasphemy as well as fear for life is what keeps filmmakers from not depicting Guru Nanak on the small or big screens. There were muted protests even against the play, Jesus Christ Superstar. The late Prof. George Mark Moraes, the doyen of Goan historians as well as a respected historian of Christianity, wrote a scathing piece on the play in one of the Indian newspapers when it was performed in Mumbai. I didn't agree with all his points but he did express his displeasure of creating a surperstar out of Jesus who, as we read in the Bible, led a simple life. (Sorry, Selma for bring Jesus into this debate because you care NOT to know Him ;-). There are "hate laws" in many countries. One of the oft-quoted remarks on free speech is that it does allow a person to shout "fire" in a cinema hall. I remember Mario Miranda's cartoon on the "hijack" phenomenon that hit the world after many cases of plane hijacking. His cartoon showed a cop drag a man by his collar for greeting his friend at the airport, "Hi Jack." My request to those who are caught in this debate to read Fish's essay if they haven't yet done so.
Eugene Correia Eugene Correia