wonderful letters by writer deborah eisenberg to PEN’s executive director suzanne nossel. pls read. also, contrast eisenberg’s well-reasoned, eloquent and nuanced explanation of her objections to the CH award with salman rushdie’s huffy tantrum and name-calling on twitter – a mark of “character” in his bland, privileged world of feckless sloganeering.
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“Charlie Hebdo is undeniably courageous in that it has continued irrepressibly to ridicule Islam and its adherents, who include a conspicuously and ruthlessly dangerous faction. But ridicule of Islam and Muslims cannot in itself be considered courageous at this moment, because ridicule of Islam and Muslims is now increasingly considered acceptable in the West. However its staff and friends see it, Charlie Hebdo could well be providing many, many people with an opportunity to comfortably assume a position that they were formerly ashamed to admit. This is not a voice of dissent, this is the voice of a mob.” More here.