Goodness!! Another Hypocrite Appears in the Blog

From Guardian Unlimited, tomorrow:
Isaac Hayes quits South Park after it satirises Scientology:

“…But the singer, previously best known for the soundtrack to the 1971 movie Shaft, drew the line at an episode in which a central character, Stan, is hailed as the successor to L Ron Hubbard, who started the cult in 1952. The episode was pulled in the UK. ‘There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends, and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins,’ Mr Hayes said in a statement. ‘As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.’

“‘This has nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist and that we recently featured Scientology in an episode of South Park,’ said Matt Stone, who created the series with Trey Parker. ‘In 10 years and more than 150 episodes Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show. To bring the civil rights struggle into this is just a non sequitur. Of course, we will release Isaac from his contract and we wish him well.…’”

It doesn’t seem Mr Hayes’ civil rights sensibilities were disturbed by this episode: “…in which Stan and friends try to build a ladder to heaven, where the US government suspects that Saddam Hussein (subsequently depicted having a gay relationship with Satan in hell) is manufacturing weapons.” Why would that be, do you suppose?

And then there’s the UK, pulling the episode?? Um, why that one, I wonder…


The Merc had a further comment from Matt Stone yesterday:

“…Stone told the AP he and co-creator Trey Parker “never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin.”


The Pitt News won’t be shy tomorrow, either:

“EDITORIAL - Isaac Hayes: Scientologist, hypocrite

“Isaac Hayes, you’re damn wrong.…

“There are a few things wrong here. If Hayes is so sensitive to religious issues, he should never have signed on to the show, which admittedly requires a bit of a thick skin to enjoy, in the first place. He did sign on, though, and has been dishing out various forms of satire for years — if Hayes can’t take it himself, he’s either a hypocrite, someone who isn’t completely comfortable with his beliefs or both.

Hayes also said that the show contributes to a “growing insensitivity toward personal spiritual beliefs” and cited the controversy over the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad as another example of this insensitivity. This is not only faulty logic, it’s offensive to anyone who was offended by the Mohammad cartoons.…

“Hayes’ Chef was a fantastic character; it’s a shame that he couldn’t stand the heat in the kitchen.…”