You don’t have to be a student of either the School of Communications or the Department of Performing Arts to be able to point out the countless flaws in the 13-minute film the White House says is to blame for the deadly protests making headlines. The sequences tie together poorly, the acting is amateur at its very best and other aspects, such as the costuming and dialogue, are laughable.
It’s hard to imagine anyone getting up in arms about a video I personally found challenging to sit through.
But this is what the media and our government are pointing the finger to when it comes to the protests that have erupted in the Muslim world. Violent demonstrations in Benghazi and Cairo have led to several deaths, including the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. The New York Times reported further demonstrations occurring in Pakistan last Thursday as responses to ads released by American politicians denouncing the video.
The talking point of the media is that many Muslims in afflicted regions feel so offended, they feel the need to take out their anger on all things American, including lives. Protests in Cairo have been welcomed with rubber bullets, which has resulted in reported deaths. According to Fox News, this also includes attacks on American businesses, public flag burnings on American consulates and mock hangings of President Obama.
In light of these attacks earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Richard Gibbs said this was not a protest against America, effectively giving the White House endorsement for the media’s message. Further examinations into what actual protestors have said, and what they have called for, proves the contrary.
“Google did not ban the video in America,” complained Rao Zahid, a government employee in Islamabad, “If the American government wanted, it could have done a lot.”
Higher-level public officials reflected this sentiment in their responses. Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar blamed the American tradition of free speech for the violence. “Maybe we do need to rethink how much freedom is OK,” Khar said to CNN in an interview about the matter.
In the United States, citizens are afforded the right to the freedom of expression, a right that is ours to keep, and our government’s to protect. No matter how ridiculous it is, which the video in question certainly is, Americans have this right to enjoy. The deaths reported in the media are not the fault of the filmmakers. It is time to blame violence on those committing it, rather than sympathizing with the feelings of those who feel it necessary to kill to justify their radical views.
Of anything, the series of attacks that have been committed on American embassies and businesses should raise serious questions about our involvement in those areas. Why does our government feel the need to extend its hand to people who reward it with bloodshed? Egypt, Pakistan and many other countries seeing anti-American movements on the rise receive billions of dollars in foreign aid every year. Our taxes are going to support those openly advocating for policy measures going against our tradition of free speech. Is it really worth our money to support those that take issue with our freedoms?