The Onion is known for their social commentary through humor and satire. The Onion’s French counterparts is Charlie Hebdo.
As most everyone knows, the Charlie Hebdo office was attacked by jihadists in response to Hebdo’s continued portrayal and mocking of Muhammad, whose depiction is strictly forbidden in interpretations of Islam.
The attack on Hebdo left 11 staff members dead and 11 others injured.
In response, the Onion posted the following image with the accompanying title: No One Murdered Because Of This Image
Well, I’ll let the Onion do the talking:
WASHINGTON—Following the publication of the image above, in which the most cherished figures from multiple religious faiths were depicted engaging in a lascivious sex act of considerable depravity, no one was murdered, beaten, or had their lives threatened, sources reported Thursday.
The image of the Hebrew prophet Moses high-fiving Jesus Christ as both are having their erect penises vigorously masturbated by Ganesha, all while the Hindu deity anally penetrates Buddha with his fist, reportedly went online at 6:45 p.m. EDT, after which not a single bomb threat was made against the organization responsible, nor did the person who created the cartoon go home fearing for his life in any way.
Though some members of the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist faiths were reportedly offended by the image, sources confirmed that upon seeing it, they simply shook their heads, rolled their eyes, and continued on with their day.
Though the intent of the image is high on shock value and will most likely be what people will focus on, the commentary that came with the cartoon said so much more. For such a “light” and silly cartoon, the words that come along with it, weigh heavily on us.
