Subversion trumps fear

My fear is all about not wanting to offend anyone's moral code. I'm not questioning or denouncing any culture, belief system or religion here.

The thing about fear is that it stifles all senses, it's limiting, it creates intellectual regression. A point of view is something to be grateful for - whether in agreement or not. Hell, I know this is obvious to many of us and perhaps I speak from a sheltered California bubble. Theo van Gogh was not only shot dead for his film, deemed "offensive," but his throat was slashed to near decapitation and he was stabbed several times, with two knives. That's the kind of anger a point of view, expressed through the mild art of Dutch filmmaking, can stir up, for example.

I don't want to make this into a linguistic exploration. Sure, Theo van Gogh's murderer was subversive and overcame fear in his act of overthrowing. But he overthrew a person in place of an idea or institution, and with violence rather than debate or other intellectual discourse for resolution. I don't have much respect for that.

Theo van Gogh's film was clearly subversive. Did Theo van Gogh know the consequences he would experience? Probably had some idea. Ballsy subject matter, explicit cinematography, absence of fear and disregard for extreme consequence, expressed through art. I can respect that one hundred times over. With glitter.