2006年VOA标准英语-Controversial Danish Cartoon Sparks Debate

By Mil Arcega
Washington, DC
13 February 2006
 
watch Political Cartoon report

The violent outcry in the Muslim world over cartoon depictions of Islam's prophet is a reminder¹ of the power - good and bad - of political cartoons.  

Professor Walter Reich  
  
The angry protests reflect the outrage² over a perceived insult.  But Walter Reich, an international studies professor at George Washington University who lectures on religious rights, says the protests also demonstrate the power of a simple black and white cartoon to stir emotions.

"Obviously it has great power because it simplifies and focuses the person who looks at it to see an image; a reality that the cartoonist wants to portray³."

Political cartoons have used that power throughout history to provoke heated discourse⁴, often by poking⁵ fun at serious issues.  But some say the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten may have gone too far when it published cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Matthew Felling is with the Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington DC.  He says this is more a theological argument rather than political. 

 
Matthew Felling
  
"We are, as Western citizens, very used to having our sacred cows slain⁶ on the political cartoons in the Washington Post everyday, and we appreciate that, but this is not a political argument per se as much as it is a theological argument."

Media analyst⁷ Felling says publishing the caricatures once was insensitive, but he says doing it again, as several publications across Europe did, was a provocation⁸. "It just seemed like they were jabbing a stick in the eye of Islamists in the Middle East.  Should they be allowed to do so? Yes, they should, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
 

Ayaan Hirsi Ali  
  
But advocates of a free press say a democracy cannot survive long without freedom of expression.  Dutch lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a self-described Islamic dissident. "Shame on those papers and TV channels who lacked the courage to show their readers the caricatures in the "cartoon affair". These intellectuals live off free speech but they accept censorship."

 
Sajjid Karim
  
But British lawmaker Sajjid Karim says the issue is not censorship but a lack of judgment⁹. "What I find particularly disturbing is a lack of appreciation¹⁰ that such works would hand to a small pocket of extremists ammunition¹¹ with which to fulfill¹² their own agenda.  This is where the judgment to publish and republish has failed us all."

But poor judgment is one thing; to hurt, threaten and kill in retaliation¹³ is another.  Professor Reich says the violent protests reveal a medieval mindset in some segments of the Muslim culture that is intolerant of other viewpoints.

"This issue of tolerance¹⁴ is probably the most fundamental theme that emerges from this."

And from some media analysts¹⁵, the idea of thoughtful restraint. Mr. Felling adds, making insulting comments may go too far. "You don't have to offend people to get the point across is what I'm saying."

Political cartoons -- whether they offend, inform or just make us laugh, their impact cannot be underestimated, as this controversy¹⁶ has demonstrated.

1 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

2 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

3 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

4 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

5 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

6 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

11 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

12 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

13 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

15 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

16 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。