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THE QUESTION
The Love Guru: Faith and Humor
Hindu groups have protested that "The Love Guru," the latest Mike Myers movie, exposes their faith to ridicule. Where is the line between acceptable humor about religion and offensive disrespect?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on June 18, 2008 4:30 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Should Satire Require a Gun Permit?
Laughter can be a wonderful remedy to conceit and vanity. But laughter can also be a painful attack on the very core of the other. The difference can be very hard to see until the blow is delivered.
Posted by James Anderson, on June 24, 2008 7:35 AM
Sit Back and Enjoy the Show
If we all learned to laugh at ourselves a little more, we might not find ourselves living in a world in which people destroy churches because of cartoons, label as anti-Semitic any film that questions the actions of the State of Israel, or burn copies of The Da Vinci Code because it is “an offense to God.”
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on June 23, 2008 10:48 AM
No Love for The Love Guru
As a Muslim who grew up in a Hindu society and personally experienced the intricacies and complexities of the Hinduism tradition, I reject reducing this tradition to a simple caricature. I stand with many of my Hindu brothers and sisters. I will not watch this movie.
Posted by Daisy Khan, on June 23, 2008 9:00 AM
Hinduism and Christianity Wrongly Reduced to "Love"
I found nothing disrespectful about "The Love Guru," but I did find something offensive. It reduces Hinduism to a 60s love-in.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on June 23, 2008 8:58 AM
Humor a Gift from God
We true-believer types need to lighten up a bit, and take religious humor as a gift that enables us to take a critical look at our own formulations.
Posted by Richard Mouw, on June 23, 2008 6:33 AM
The Demise of Humor
As a Hindu, it makes me sad that some people have taken it upon themselves to destroy the tolerance that Hinduism was famous for so many centuries. The self-proclaimed protectors of Hinduism are actually destroying it.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on June 21, 2008 12:59 PM
I'd Rather Be Outsourcing
Why is Hollywood taking on Hindus and sex? Mostly because they can. And mostly because of sex. And fundamentally because the butt of these particular cinematic jokes is a dark-skinned immigrant character, hilarious if you're in the business of putting white butts in dark movie houses for the purposes of making money.
Posted by Andy Bachman, on June 20, 2008 5:10 PM
Silly Comedy is not Social Commentary
This movie exhibits the bodacious, repulsive, iconoclastic, sophomoric, insulting, stereotyping, and illogicality that has made SNL so overwhelmingly successful not only in the USA, but also globally.
Posted by Dwight Hopkins, on June 20, 2008 4:11 PM
Laughter is Healthy for Religion, Mocking is Not
If religion is taken too seriously without any laughter, people of faith can sometimes become too sure of themselves.
Posted by Jane Holmes Dixon, on June 20, 2008 2:56 PM
When a Line is Crossed
People who see "The Love Guru" might laugh, but might also walk away with horrible stereotypes reinforced. The line crossed, for those who feel the need to defend not only their faith but their very existence, is one of cultural respect.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on June 19, 2008 4:22 PM
Silly Stereotypes are not Sharp Satire
Studies show such stereotyping does negatively impact public perception of groups (such as Evangelicals and Hindus) who are subject to frequent, unbalanced social ridicule and stereotyping, so it is not as if there is "no harm done" in all the mockery.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on June 19, 2008 3:07 PM
How to Approach Religion: Laugh and Laugh Again
"The Love Guru" is a ridiculous farce, and it has offended some Hindus, but I'd wager it will do more good for people than a week's worth of sermons. More comedies should cross the line between vulgar lampoon and reckless disrespect.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on June 19, 2008 2:16 PM
"Love Guru" Ridicules Hindu Concepts
Religion can be funny, but mocking the faith of others and spreading misinformation about that faith is not.
Posted by Rajan Zed, on June 19, 2008 1:59 PM
Notes Of A Free-Speech Junkie
We can only be grateful to the framers of the Constitution that sharp criticism of religion, including satire, is permitted in movies, on pay television, and in books--none of which, I should point out, anyone is obligated to watch or buy.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on June 18, 2008 8:50 AM
Suppressing Truth Claims No Laughing Matter
Humor and satire are fair game -- reasonable ways to communicate in a free society -- but something which denigrates or belittles a believer or his convictions about the sacred is, at the least, bad taste and a needless offense.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on June 18, 2008 6:04 AM
In the Beholder's Eye
A certain deftness is required, a sensitivity to the matters at hand, not to mention an awareness of the cultural grievances, real or perceived, of the group being portrayed.
Posted by Gustav Niebuhr, on June 18, 2008 5:44 AM
FEATURED COMMENTS
Soja John Thaikattil, Sydney, Australia: Re Movie Love Guru on further exploration of the movie website:
I get the impression that the movie is not about a Hindu guru or Hinduism a...
LuvPundit: I'm a proud Hindu as you can get. I believe such hyper sensitivity to such slights as love guru and other symbols of Hindus are sign of wea...
Mohanty: It is just a stereotype of Hindu religion and India.
Freedom of expression and humor is not done by telling lies and nonsense. There should...
