Yale draws criticism for nixing Muslim cartoons

[CountDeMoney]

Yale's objection has proably much more to do with Yale being the favourite University of the Saud family, who are large financial benefactors to Yale.  The fear of loss of money weighted much heavier on them than the fear of violence from muslims.

I agree with the psycho right winger Obamahata.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Yale's objection has proably much more to do with Yale being the favourite University of the Saud family, who are large financial benefactors to Yale.  The fear of loss of money weighted much heavier on them than the fear of violence from muslims.

In that case I'd be tempted to say their excuse is a backhanded slap at their financiers.  But that's probably giving them too much credit.

[Sheilbh]

Being a publisher is a difficult thing.  At various points in American history it has meant suffering various significant persecution.  If you choose that profession, you take on those risks, as surely as choosing to be a sailor or soldier takes on the risks inherent to that profession.

If you aren't prepared to take that kind of heat from time to time, find a different profession and make way for those who are.

I don't think publishing has sold itself as a profession where you take your life in your own hands with your literary derring-do.  It's not exactly 'HARPER COLLINS!  Be the best you can!' with footage of daring publishers sneaking into the back of a London restaurant to meet Martin Amis's agent.

I think the difference is that historically the threat to publishers has come from the state.  That means you have recourse to courts and can wittle their opposition down.  In the past hundred years or two that didn't mean death.  Now this isn't a threat from governments but from some random Imam or Ayatollah riling up the world's extremists.  When the Satanic Verses was published no-one knew about that - one Indian publisher suspected it would cause inter-communal problems.  No-one knew books would be burned, Rushdie's life would be put under incredible strain and that the Japanese translator would be murdered.

Now I think people are, understandably, a bit more cautious.  I think that generally publishing makes a lot of sense because lots of offensive books are published and very few set off global protests or threats.  I also don't think this case necessarily would, but I can understand not wanting to take that risk.

If I started a career I would have done it in the hope of good expenses and interesting reading, not with the expectation that I would ever be in danger.

Yale's objection has proably much more to do with Yale being the favourite University of the Saud family, who are large financial benefactors to Yale.  The fear of loss of money weighted much heavier on them than the fear of violence from muslims.

This could be true.  But almost every prominent university gets a lot from the Saudis.  The first building you see when you step off the train in Oxford is the Al-Saud Business School.

[grumbler]

I don't think publishing has sold itself as a profession where you take your life in your own hands with your literary derring-do.  It's not exactly 'HARPER COLLINS!  Be the best you can!' with footage of daring publishers sneaking into the back of a London restaurant to meet Martin Amis's agent.

I agree with this, to some extent, and wouldn't have been surprised had the publishers simply decided that this book was too risky to publish, given the subject matter.  YUP isn't exactly a cutting-edge publisher anyway.

What surprses me, though, is that YUP wants to have it both ways - they want to publish a controversial book, but also want to emasculate the text to the point where publishing it seems futile.  Were I the author, I would remove permission for the book to be printed by YUP (given that they will not publish the author's text and its accompanying illustrations) and find another publisher.  Making the decision to emasculate the book after it is printed is even more bizarre.  Nothing has happened since the time they decided to publish the drawings and the release of the book to increase the danger of including the drawings that are the subject of the book.

Yale's objection has proably much more to do with Yale being the favourite University of the Saud family, who are large financial benefactors to Yale.  The fear of loss of money weighted much heavier on them than the fear of violence from muslims.

This could be true.  But almost every prominent university gets a lot from the Saudis.  The first building you see when you step off the train in Oxford is the Al-Saud Business School.
[/quote]Somewhat disagree with the original sentiment, given that, had YUP been concerned with offending the Saudis, they would never have agreed to publish this particular book.  Agree with you, though, that there is nothing special about Yale and Saudi money.

[garbon]

What surprses me, though, is that YUP wants to have it both ways - they want to publish a controversial book, but also want to emasculate the text to the point where publishing it seems futile.  Were I the author, I would remove permission for the book to be printed by YUP (given that they will not publish the author's text and its accompanying illustrations) and find another publisher.  Making the decision to emasculate the book after it is printed is even more bizarre.  Nothing has happened since the time they decided to publish the drawings and the release of the book to increase the danger of including the drawings that are the subject of the book.

Yeah that is a strange bit.