I Know, Let’s Ask the MCB
Old news, but why do they keep doing it? Why do the BBC keep rushing to ask Bunglawala what he thinks about the latest survey of Muslim opinion? Especially when they don’t ask anyone else? Why do they keep on treating the MCB as the go-to outfit for questions of this kind? Why do they keep on pretending the MCB is 1) representative 2) elected or chosen in some way 3) sensible?
Look at the article. Nine paragraphs devoted to Bunglawala. And no one else. Why? Why not talk to some scholars, or even one scholar? Why not talk to a (gasp) woman? Why not talk to a secular woman, or a woman scholar, or a secular scholar? Or several of each? Why instead talk yet again to fokking Bunglawala? Why talk to the MCB, which was founded, don’t forget, to organize opposition to The Satanic Verses?
And while we’re at it, as long as I’m in complaining and loudly-saying-why mode, why do they talk about a study of ‘Muslims’ on the one hand and ‘the West’ on the other? That’s stupid. They might as well talk about a study of Chicagoans on the one hand and sky divers on the other. They might as well talk about a study of Fijians on the one hand and short order cooks on the other. They might as well talk about a study of short people and liberals, or red-heads and anarchists, or Hungarians and violinists. Muddle muddle muddle. They should have asked what O would have done – but they never do.
Why do the BBC always use bungle?
Laziness.
Same reason the government deal with these people. So much easier than having to deal with the mass of individuals that call themselves Muslim.
Yeah. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could all shame them into cutting it out? Sunny is working on it at Comment is Free; other people are working on it; Rushdie has tried. Maybe some day they’ll pay attention.
But jeez – talk about bad journalism! They might as well be doctors handing out cough drops for every single ailment!
I suppose the best thing to do is for everyone to complain to the BBC, or whoever is doing it. Maybe – just maybe – if they get enough complaints they will eventually get around to doing something about it – one day… perhaps.
I’ve thought about complaining, but so many things they do on the news broadcasts annoys me, so I’d end up writing an essay for each bulletin, and… well, do you know how many BBC news bulletins I hear each day?
One of my friends was a member of a (nameless) sect that got many BBC interviews because it was willing to oppose *anything*; I think that one thing the BBC suffers from is that it believes that everything has two sides, so the lunatics and the sane people both get to speak …