Salman "Fatwa" Rushdie

I wonder what would have happened if other books had been in print when Gutenberg started that whole best-seller-ever Bible publishing thing?

Because I bet a number of traditional theocracies would have really had a problem. Good thing there's no record of what they thought, otherwise we might have had to learn a lesson.

Everyone knows: sticking your fingers in your ears or eyes or nose is not going to just make it stop.

And by choosing to cut yourself off from unpleasant information and experiences, you thereby limit your own life experience, and the joy of knowing exactly who you are and what you think because even in those deepest, darkest moments of doubt, your integrity and beliefs come shining through as the only possible course of action...for you.

When the leadership of international governments demonstrates a complete inability to behave any other way, you must wonder how effective that social/political system can be.

So it would be really easy to look at Iran and Pakistan and think their traditionalism and religious beliefs are what make this behavior - collective and individual - possible.

But then, the US has its own system of avoiding negative feedback and incorporating criticisms into our decision-making. Banning books?! That's old hat.

What's more likely is a carefully constructed system of financial and social incentives, screened behind an "all-for-one-and-one-for-all" idealism. Rather than "fatwa", we call our campaigns "national security".

Same thing, different object.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Salman Rushdie, whose real message (not filtered by publisher representatives) is: Who the fuck cares?!