ARTS & CULTURE
Monday, January 19, 2015 13
Editorial
Film reviews
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dictate when you come forward. Sure, the international press coverage makes things convenient, but
I hesitate to think we should be going any further
than condemning terrorism after this attack. To
use the event as a gateway into the societal debate
over free speech is essentially allowing a terrorist to
decide when we discuss an important societal issue.
Personally, I’d rather we don’t base the timing of
this important debate on some murderous lunatic’s
rampage. Now is the time to give our sympathy and
support to the families of the deceased, to question
and review security policy, and to look into the societal causes for the terrorist acts. It is not the time to
promote our own moral superiority or outrage.
Don’t get me wrong, I admit that the extent (or
limit) of free speech is a societal cause for what happened. I have also seen reference to Western colonial
history as a cause for the attacks. However, I would
suggest that neither of these links should be grasped
too tightly. Looking at the societal causes for terrorism, should the focus not be on what drove the individual to a mental, emotional, and financial position
from which he thought an act of terrorism was a
positive course of action? Should we not concern
ourselves with what is driving individuals to this
state, rather than focusing on the reasonableness of
the demands they make once they’re there? As for
the idea that these acts of terrorism can be explained
through history, I would argue that looking at colonial history gives valuable warnings, but should not
be used as a vessel for Westerners to apologize for
every global event. Writing off terrorist attacks as a
result of colonialism does nothing to solve current
issues, and takes the lessons of history beyond their
value, turning them into a roadmap for all opinions
and analysis. Like the larger debate over free speech,
history is only one relevant factor in an extremely
complex issue.
Though it is always important to be reviewing
and improving social policy, it is equally important to vigilantly protect our established rights
and freedoms. Balancing between these two societal objectives requires careful thought, analysis
and evaluation, and a long-term commitment to
progressing democratic values. The aftermath of a
brutal and tragic massacre is, in my opinion, simply
not the appropriate time to put freedom of speech
through the socio-political wringer. When a tragedy like this occurs, I hope we can in the future
stick more closely to the things we can all agree on,
like that it should never have happened, and should
never happen again. u
If
you
have
vision.
Some people have long known what they want out of a career. They look beyond
their present and focus on their future: a future with in \