Gag order?
Its that time of year again. The University of Cape Town is in RAG week right now. The UCT RAG raises funds for SHAWCO or the Student Health and Welfare Centers Organisation. The two big money raising events are the Float Procession and the sale of the RAG magazine Sax Appeal.
Ah the Sax Appeal! Last years edition caused a bit of an uproar with incised Christians complaining to the university, the major RAG sponsors, SHAWCO and anyone who would listen. I wrote about it here.
The free speech people also made a noise because the offended parties were asking for the ‘stricter controls’ over the magazine’s content.
In the end the Vice-Chancellor issued a statement (it was a very well considered piece of writing in my opinion) that amoungs other things had this to say:
Because no freedoms are absolute. The freedom of speech may be limited under certain circumstances. Hate speech is a recognised limitation. So is defamatory speech. In the case of these picture comic frames, they are not hate speech, nor defamatory – but they are gratuitously offensive; they insult people of a particular faith and they insult their God.
If these statements were made in the course of a satirical article, or a political argument, in the pursuit of ‘truth’ or for the benefit of advancing a view on religion in general or a particular belief system – the offence caused could still be justified. But if they are simply the stuff of a joke at another’s expense through ridiculing the other, making a whole group of people out to be stupid, it communicates intolerance of diversity, a lack of respect for every individual’s innate dignity which is the foundation of our whole system of equal human rights.
…and…
We will ensure that the editorial advisory board play their role appropriately. And we will ensure that our students understand that with every right – also that of expressing oneself – comes a responsibility.
I will probably buy the thing to support RAG’s beneficiaries, and this years edition is probably going to be squeaky clean, but I’m still not sure I will read the stupid thing – I did not really get student humour even when I was one.
But… Can you see the not too subtle statement the students are making with this years posters?
