In a move that only the United Nations could do and not see anything wrong with, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, unveiled the new poster to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. That red brick in the poster is a Lego, which is a Danish company, apparently referencing the political cartoons of Mohammed. We continue to remind people that a religion is not a race?
This year’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is today by the way, marks the 46th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre where 69 demonstrators were killed in South Africa demonstrating against apartheid. Now apartheid was racial. The cartoons on the other hand were not racial and, according to the Jyllands-Posten’s own reason for running the cartoons, was a shot against self-censorship.
The United Nations should be against censorship, but instead they are promoting the very self-censorship the cartoons were supposed to help eliminate. The UN should be promoting Democracy whose core values are a free press, free speech and free expression. Throwing in a Danish company, Lego, by suggesting that it is Lego that is racist forgets the entire free press, free speech and free expression ideas of a Democracy.
Oh, and another thing. A religion is not a race! How can these people be on a commission to end radical discrimination and not actually know what a race is? I look forward to hearing the UN’s action taken against McDonald’s for lambasting red-headed white males with their not-so-funny clown. I am deeply offended. After all, the UN has shown they are ready to take on corporations that are not even connected to what brought the controversey in the first place.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin
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Except, that the Lego is the piece being excluded. That doesn’t track with the interpretation that the poster is showing the Danes’ alleged racism.
Plus, the UN has used Legos in posters before.
Comment by Steven Taylor — Tuesday, March 21, 2006 @ 2:36 pm UTC
Good point, but it doesn’t exactly mesh with what the UN Human Rights Commission has openly said about Denmark and how Denmark reacted to the entire cartoon jihad. The Lego is certainly excluded from the larger puzzle, but I interpret that as meaning the rest of the world is trying to conform while Denmark is still on the outside.
Of course with advertising, it is the image that usually leaves the longest impression. That is why the image must be chosen carefully. I do not feel this image was chosen carefully at all, rather I believe it was chosen to ostracize Denmark. That message fits with the other messages that have come from the UN, and not just the UN Human Rights Commission.
Comment by Chad Evans — Tuesday, March 21, 2006 @ 4:12 pm UTC
There´s no reason to take messages of any kind coming from the UN too seriously.
Considering that 5 more or less arbitrarily chosen countries have a permanent seat and the power of veto in the UN, one of which is the greatest tyranny on earth at this moment, as well as the fact that recently, Ghadaffi was the official protector of human rights, the UN does not exactly lead by example!
Being danish, I (usually – noone is perfect!) just shrug my shoulders when I hear criticism coming my way from the UN. In most respects, my country is light years ahead of the UN on any issue concerning human rights or other legal subjects.
I too took offence at the poster, mainly because Kofi Annans criticism of Denamrk for upholding our own laws and protecting the right to free speech gave it an extra dimension. Normally I might have viewed it as described by Steven Taylor, but in light of recent events, I must confess to seeing it more like Ched Evans. Sad but true!
Comment by Adam — Wednesday, March 29, 2006 @ 9:06 am UTC