In a hilarious scene from the now classic (i.e. old) film, Being There, Peter Sellers, as the simpleton gardener and soon-to-be U.S. president says, “I like to watch.”  And by that he means television.  The woman in the bedroom with him, however, assumes he means he likes to watch . . . sex.  The amorous female presumes the character Peter played had a peeper side.  In terms of the humor – maybe you had to be there.

Me, I like to read.  And not about sex.  Not usually.  I like to read about all sorts of things.  That is not to say, however, that I never seek and enjoy visual media.  Whether or not a single image is “worth a thousand words,” pictures, drawings, paintings, videos and even cartoons will excite brain regions that mere words cannot.

Consider this example, from the online cartoon, Jesus and Mo:

Although the drawings are far from artistic, and they vary little from pane to pane, the images really do add something beyond what the words alone convey.  In my opinion.

Speaking of the cartoon, you may have noticed that the title contains not the full name of the Muslim prophet.  Why?  I don’t know the author’s motives; but my guess would be there are at least two reasons.

1. “Mo” is funnier.  Jesus and Mo has a more cartoon-ish sound than Jesus and Mohammad.

2. If you couple Mohammad with an image you commit a crime.  At least according to some versions of the Islamic religions. The punishment for the crime?  It depends where you live.  In this country, potential censorship.  In others?  Death.

Yes, the cartoon is funny.  Mostly.  Humor provides a needed respite from the pain of living in an crazy world.  To censor and criminalize words and images . . . that’s insane.

Related Posts:

1. Heretical Cartoon Humor

Tags | cartoon, freedom of speech, mohammad