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Originally Posted by web_norah  It is a similar scenario |
Except that Imus wasn't directly supported by the government. Like you pointed out, the BBC show is funded by taxpayers, and that complicates things considerably.
You might remember (or may have read about) the furor over the Andres Serrano photograph
Piss Christ. Back in the late 80s, Serrano received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to produce the work, which many Christians still find blasphemous.
Personally, I'm delighted that Serrano is free to create such works, even if it offends people. I don't think that the government should be using tax dollars to support art that is plainly meant to provoke and offend members of a certain religion, however.
I can't imagine what sort of reaction there would be today if Serrano created a similar work using sacred Islamic icons.
At the same time, I doubt that anyone at the BBC would've bothered to re-write a script to avoid insulting Christians, Hindus, or Buddhists. They certainly don't seem to have any qualms about offending the delicate sensibilities of the ALF.
So, again - why the double standard?