# Oliphant cartoon lampoons "speaking in tongues" ... out of bounds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 17, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049 "2008-09-17T21:38:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/21 "2008-09-17T23:44:47Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > Well since “speaking in tongues” comes from a mis-reading of the bible, I vote fair game. There are correct readings of the Bible? How would you know? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/22 "2008-09-17T23:48:02Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Palin does belong to a Pentacostal church that speaks in tongues. > > No religious belief or practice is out of bounds for satire. Check that – NOTHING is out of bounds for satire. People are entitled to free belief and practice of religion. They are not entitled to mandatory _respect_ for those practices, and there is no such thing as a right to not be offended. > > The people whining about this would not be complaining about a strip that ridiculed Muslims or Raelians or Scientologists or “liberals.” I more or less agree with this. I think there are some few situations where protection from ridicule or other undesired attack might perhaps be warranted - at a funeral, for example, but for the most part, yes - people just need to grow a frigging spine, ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/23 "2008-09-17T23:49:21Z")
Btw, thanks for the OP- I’ve seen complaints about this on a Pentecostal forum I belong to but I haven’t actually seen the cartoon until now. It’ll be interesting to see what the reaction is from black Pentecostal churches where the membership leans Democratic. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/24 "2008-09-18T00:03:19Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > Well since “speaking in tongues” comes from a mis-reading of the bible, I vote fair game. Speaking in tongues is not unique to Christianity. And dude, it’s a sending from God. If you’re getting the word right from the Man, it doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/25 "2008-09-18T00:07:03Z")
The complainers are a bunch of crybabies. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/26 "2008-09-18T00:08:38Z")
Yes, is was lampooning their faith. No, it wasn’t out of line. No, it wasn’t funny. Now, if he could have swung it so that it was ambiguous whether St. Peter was referring to Palin speaking in tongues, or referring to the stuff that’s been coming out of McCain’s mouth of late, _that_ would have been funny. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/27 "2008-09-18T00:22:47Z")
If you use your religious beliefs as a political weapon, you forfeit your claim to tolerance. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/28 "2008-09-18T00:26:23Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > If you use your religious beliefs as a political weapon, you forfeit your claim to tolerance. Who are you criticizing with this? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/29 "2008-09-18T01:30:04Z")
Mocking someone’s religion is just rude, so it was out of line. Perfectly legal, but really rude. And it doesn’t really have anything to do with issues, it just mocks people who speak in tongues as a religious matter. In a major newspaper nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/30 "2008-09-18T01:40:11Z")
Glorbo nar yerreth pakarr nai wa! Isoka binshai gestrikoth mworn! :mad: Kle va . . . zomba snir vetsto, flir kip, domah onza bardi glakhwar! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/31 "2008-09-18T01:46:13Z")
You’re missing it. See, “right wing politician spouting gibberish.” “They’re much given to that, sir.” The fact that she’s speaking in tongues is being used as a metaphor for the policies. Or lack of them. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/32 "2008-09-18T01:49:00Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > There are correct readings of the Bible? Yeah, there’s lots of them. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/33 "2008-09-18T01:49:27Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Mocking someone’s religion is just rude, so it was out of line. Perfectly legal, but really rude. > > And it doesn’t really have anything to do with issues, it just mocks people who speak in tongues as a religious matter. In a major newspaper nonetheless. The comic was intended to mock right-wing Republicans for spouting goblitygook. It also mocks speaking in tongues, yes, and recasts speaking in tongues to be speaking to God instead of God speaking through the subject, but Oliphant is no stranger to offending folks. I remember the furor when he likened forced expulsions of some Palestinians to the Nazis shipping Jews to concentration camps. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/34 "2008-09-18T01:56:58Z")
> **[Sarah Palin Likes Some Crazy Anti-Witchcraft Crusader!](https://www.wonkette.com/p/sarah-palin-likes-some-crazy-anti-witchcraft-crusader)** > > So once upon a time in a small town in Kenya, people kept having a lot of car accidents. A local pastor named Thomas Muthee of course blamed a "demonic influence" for this problem where people crashed their cars into each other, and some lady had to... Palin had a practitioner of witchcraft speak to her in church. That ,I think is what the stories are feeding off. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/35 "2008-09-18T02:02:30Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > …it just mocks people who speak in tongues as a religious matter. I’m trying to figure out why people who “speak in tongues” shouldn’t be mocked. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/36 "2008-09-18T02:03:29Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > You’re missing it. See, “right wing politician spouting gibberish.” “They’re much given to that, sir.” > > The fact that she’s speaking in tongues is being used as a metaphor for the policies. Or lack of them. Oh, I _get_ it. I just don’t think it’s funny. Too many unnecessary words, and the softening of “damn” trips everything up. It’s a mess. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/37 "2008-09-18T02:08:13Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > And as one of the few Dopers who does speak in tongues In the interest of fighting ignorance, I wonder if you could share with us (either here or in a separate thread) your understanding of and experience with speaking in tongues. What (from your point of view) is it, and what is it for? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/38 "2008-09-18T03:44:48Z")
The thing that’s weird is that the cartoon is saying nothing about whether or not speaking in tongues is a real thing or not. What the cartoon claims is that she’s faking it. It’s not that speaking in tongues is invalid, but that Palin doesn’t make sense to _anybody_ - not even St. Peter, who would have understood it had she been for real. Not lampooning their faith. Lampooning her. It is not out of bounds to not make fun of a religious group. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/39 "2008-09-18T03:59:50Z")
Pretty lame cartoon, but it’s not out of bounds. “You can’t make fun of that!” is one of those ridiculous statements people make when their ox is being gored. Tough noogies. And it’s not like Oliphant is the first person to ever make fun of speaking in tongues, for crying out loud. I think the satire is a little off, although taking aim at Palin for saying a lot of nothing is on target. Here’s what I don’t get: if this cartoon is to be believed, God himself refuses to say the word “Damn,” even though he himself is responsible not only for the word “Damnation,” but for the concepts of sin and damnation and hell themselves. To paraphrase the remarks of a cuckolded Mickey Mouse, that’s fucking goofy. It also screws up the joke. Props to **Thudlow Boink** for the Talking Heads reference. I love that album. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049/40 "2008-09-18T04:31:21Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > And everyone knows that a large portion of WaPo readers are Pentacostals who speak in tongues. > > They should be happy, actually - the cartoon shows that their words do get through to God. Maybe they’re pissed at the thought of God not being a Republican. Like I said, the newspaper should continue on this course of action. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oliphant-cartoon-lampoons-speaking-in-tongues-out-of-bounds/464049.md?page=3)