Shall we all be Charlie: a US-Europe comparison
- By Shen Dingli
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 4, 2015
This said, even "disrespect" of one's own values should not be responded with radical means including violence. That is why globally France has been sympathized with. Nevertheless, such comfort has to be properly received as it contains the message of tolerance. To the surprise of many, the Charlie Hebdo reprinted that issue which evoked the terrorist attack, and published a new issue that portraits the Prophet again. Legally this has violated no restriction, but culturally the French cartoon magazine, with many supporters behind it, contrasts a lot with the political code that many Americans have followed.
The aforementioned difference between American and European response to the Charlie Hebdo illustrates the boundary of freedom – the liberty of media may not go without a limit. At political level, the fundamental value of democracy lies in the essential assumption of mutual respect, as any minority or ethnic group has a right to express. But in terms of social and economic impact, any such expression has to be weighed against cost. An unchecked freedom could likely lead to social unrest, so one has to balance rights and obligation.
Such common sense actually applies widely. Many countries have adopted media censorship on certain substances such as anti-society, extremism, or pornography. But on culturally sensitive area, it is more up to an individual to allow self-censorship and the government needs to encourage proper balance of tolerance and freedom. A mature society has to be able to get the best of them, rather than to be harmed by unlimited liberty and unbalanced tolerance.
Thus, to be a responsible Charlie might be more important than to be a mere Charlie, which stresses an abstract concept of freedom. Appreciating the right of liberty, while being sensible of other's culture, brings more benefit but less harm than otherwise. The truth is neither "We are all Charlie", nor "We are not Charlie", but "We are not all Charlie".
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/shendingli.htm
This article was first published at Chinausfocus.com To see the original version please visit http://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/shall-we-all-be-charlie-a-u-s-europe-comparison/
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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