The Student Union at Southbank University has removed a poster removed from an AHS stall at (yes this again) a freshers’ fair, on the grounds of (yes this again) “religious offense.” The poster was of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The SA displayed the well known image of the FSM on their pre-prepared stall the day before the freshers fair this week but when they returned to the stall the following day found that the posters had been removed. When they went to print some more to replace the missing posters they were stopped by union representatives who said that the posters had been deemed offensive and that it was the union that had removed them. The image parodied the Sistine Chapel painting of God poking Adam. The initial justification was that the posters show Adam’s genitals but when Cloe Ansari, Southbank Atheists President, offered to censor them, they then said the problem was religious offence, because the image was based on religious art. The next day their stall had been replaced with that of another society.
What the hell is wrong with students in the UK?
AHS President Rory Fenton said, “This is beyond parody and it is not the first time one of our groups have had similar problems with Southbank University, who were last year told not to criticise religion. We are very concerned by the tendency to censor our member societies for fear of offending religious sensitivities by overly zealous union representatives. Universities need again to be reminded to recognise our members’ right to free speech: the same rights that also ensure freedom of expression for religious students, adherents to the Flying Spaghetti Monster included. Universities must recognise that their duty is to their students, not their students’ beliefs”
Southbank University Atheist Society President Cloe Ansari said, “I felt harassed and intimidated – it was not aimed at protecting other students from harm, but rather an attempt to sideline and restrict our rights; perhaps perceived as the easier option rather than standing up to the (much bigger than us) “religious societies”. Rather than included, we have been made to feel as an unwelcome minority of secularists”.
It’s grotesque.
So to keep from offending the religious Southbank University has the policy of offending atheists.
This is political correctness gone mad. This is giving preference to cultural sensitivity over something that is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration Of Human Rights. This is what happens when being offended is given respect and a determination to redress that imbalance. Which is all very well now except that it is the subjugation of all views in favour of one. Someone is going to have to explain that offence cannot be given and that in a liberal democracy like the United Kingdom freedom of speech is sacrosanct and not something that can be conveniently disregarded because some have thin skin. Which one finds somewhat ironic to say the least now for they are supposed to be in possession of absolute truth. Though all that aside this nonsense needs to be stopped and stopped immediately. Because those engaging in it will not stop themselves until they have got their way and by then it will be too late
No, the BREAD worshipers. Obviously.
(And by “bread” I mean “unleavened crackers”.)
I’m confused. Is this pastaphobia or christophobia? Parodyphobia?
Lurking behind the arras here is the eminence grise of mind control: the very antithesis of what the universities have been working for since the 11th and 12th Centuries, when higher learning ceased to be the exclusive province of the monasteries.
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To paraphrase the bard: banish the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and banish all the world.
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(Sorry, Bill.)
My response would be claim anything as “offensive” which involves the promotion of religion in the university, to ask that all religious material be kept in private (e.g. chapels, meeting rooms).
If the ruling goes one way, it HAS to go the other. Expose the hypocrisy or make the stupid rulings apply to everyone and find how much the christians and muslims like it.
Sorry if this is a duplicate; tried to post but not showing up?
Here is an email address for the London South Bank Students’ Union:
su.general@lsbsu.org
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I just emailed ‘em. FWIW: (oh, and I nicked a little bit from left0ver1under, hope xe doesn’t mind!)
me
No matter what the secular group does, the school finds some excuse to shut them down and cut them out. Surely, I’m not the only one seeing an emerging pattern of harassment?
They had to do it. It is the ‘one black swan’ demonstration that they aren’t completely enslaved to Islamist intimidation. I wonder were there any ‘offended’ Xians threatening murder?
Oh, this is so confusing! Is that the TV University of the Sarcastic Cartoon? Or was it South Hook? South End? South Bend? South Bark? Bark Park?
Stark Ark? Hot Soukh? Bare Horse? Pale Mill? Moulin Rouse? Rice Flies? (No, that was Eleanor Rigby.)
Let’s ask Al Dente, the coolander person.