[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Blasphemy

[Joy Vriens]

Stephen Hodge wrote:

> Actually, in my opinion the 12 Danish cartoons were fairly innocuous and 
> not even very funny.  But nobody here seems to have picked up on the 
> fact that a group of Denmark-based inams took a portfolio of 15 cartoons 
> to the Middle East.  The extra three cartoons are much more inflammatory 
> and it is has been suggested that it was actually these that initially 
> triggered the ME response.  Now why would these imans have, presumably 
> knowingly, taken the extra three cartoons with them ?

As part of their campaign to reinforce their market position in the 
perception of their target market? One of their greatest competitors, 
the Vatican Inc., has recently tried to widen its market niche by a 
strategic repositioning of its core activity (Deus Caritas Est). But the 
corporate image of love can have as an additional effect the perception 
of weakness, indulgence etc. which degrades the image of power, potency 
and wrath traditionally associated with entities called Gods. The Imam 
international trust ltd. lay their odds on that ultimately the 
perception of security and authority will be more attractive to 
prospects/consumers and try to achieve this by banging their fists on 
the table and having consumers soil their pants.

Joy