by Zach Bigalke

Created on: January 10, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Antagonism v. Journalism
(originally posted 17 October 2006)

Soon after moving to Eugene and starting my job with the University of Oregon, I was greeted with a controversy brought on by the publishing of lewd cartoon depictions of Jesus by a student-operated periodical called the Insurgent. Originally created by an art student for a final thesis, the crude depictions of Jesus were utilized by the editorial staff as a jab at the Christian-dominated platforms of the United States. Published in the same spirit that brought a Danish newspaper to circulate comic-strip depictions of Mohammed as a terrorist, the Insurgent drew the ire of the entire Religious Right. Fox News called for the heads of the students, and other editors of campus periodicals were forced to come to the defense of the cartoons.

Certainly, there is a right for freedom of the press that allows for the drawings to be issued. However, in a period of history where the mainstream media is becoming increasingly entertainment-driven with a devolution of substantive information, it is imperative that independent media sources utilize their position to provide hard, enlightening stories that challenge the company line. When the space is provided to plant the seeds to blossom this discourse, it certainly is a shame when that space is instead trampled by old windowless cars in a demolition derby. Sure, the orgy of destruction provides a modicum of fleeting entertainment; yet later that evening a dull ache for something more takes hold, and by then the soil is sterile and the seeds can no longer be sown.
And that is what the Insurgent has done by printing the sketches. Surely, the original artist had a higher purpose in creating this artwork. And, in a proper setting, it can stir startling feelings inside an individual. But, when mass-produced for a public primed simply to be outraged, it is space wasted. The initial flurry of reaction was about as level-headed as a cornered wolverine, and the provocation led not to an intelligent discussion on ways to improve relations across religious borders but rather a dogmatic dogfight between Christians of all denominations and devotional levels and the surprisingly-silent press that spawned the articles. The marketplace of ideas was overrun by gladiators, and the blood now stains the forum.
Is the love of the written word so dead that no one can be found to occupy that space with pertinent theses? Or, rather, is the public so apathetic and uninterested that the

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