Censored! Bikini advert blacked out with spray paint by 'Muslim extremists who object to women in swimsuits'
Do you see them, those little inverted commas? They could mean anything, couldn't they? They could mean, for example, that those are the words used by police representatives to describe what they know has happened at the scene of this vandalism. But you know what? You'll never guess. They don't. No. Guess who said those words? Nobody. They're not directly quoted in the article. You know who said that it was Muslim extremists? People that work at the Daily Mail. You know why? Because they're not all that fond of Muslims. But it doesn't stop there; it's actually hilarious, the lengths to which the Mail will go to posture as a source of genuine news. In the first paragraph we're presented with the argument that:
this poster, in Birmingham, has been defaced in an act of vandalism blamed on militant Muslims who were offended by her flesh.
which, in case you weren't paying attention, is just the unfounded opinion of some guy, somewhere. But in case that isn't enough to convince you it was really the pesky Muslims that did it, the Mail have more evidence!
The freestanding advertising unit, stands in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, which has a large Muslim population.
Across the road from 'Muslim Students House Masjeed', an education centre, the poster is next to a busy main road.
Don't you see? They're taking over. They live in our cities now! It's practically a Muslim ghetto. Also, Muslim kids don't just deface posters for fun, you know! It's religiously motivated. Just take a look at this undeniable slice of anecdotal evidence from a veritable expert on the subject of religious extremism, Robert Tonkins, who in his capacity as a 45-year-old delivery driver is perfectly equipped to provide insightful analysis:
It's a bit worrying, I don't think it's up to other people to decide what can and can't be displayed on our streets, especially because we're a Christian country.
Testing my patience, now, buddy, because we're not a Christian country at all, but we'll let that slide because of your esteemed position as delivery driver and use your rambling bullshit to form the crux of our article and then pretend that it is objective fact. I can't wait to see the day when the Daily Mail just throw three sheets to the wind and go for:
'Muslims Did It'
in which the reporter relies upon the single indisputable testimony of an EDL member.
For all I know, the people that committed this everyday act of vandalism might have been Muslim. It's a shame I don't have the Daily Mail's infallible logic and reason to aid me in finding a more certain, and provocative, conclusion.
Pretty poor journalism but why do you feel the need to fully oppose its conclusions instead of just pointing out the flaws in terms of how they got to them?
ReplyDeleteand actually England is a christian country, both constitutionally and in terms of it being the largest religion.
ohh and as it turns out....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article504975.ece
To be fair, I don't fully oppose the conclusions they draw at all. I make it pretty clear in the last paragraph that my issue - as always on this blog - is with the rhetorical devices that the article uses to imply that a state of affairs is *so* when it's at best probable and at worst ambiguous.
ReplyDeleteCalling England a Christian country because it's the single largest religion is like calling the UK right-wing when a majority of voters prefer left-of-centre parties. But yeah, that was a dig from the secularist corner of my brain.
Also, I don't deny that it appears very possible that the posters were vandalised because of their 'explicit' content by religious people; as I say, my issue is with presenting as fact something that is not factual by using the comments of a random dude on the street as the basis for an article.