Weird Story

[MineralMan]

Back in 1967-8, I was stationed at a tiny USAF base in Samsun, Turkey. In order to watch TV, I bought a little PAL TV set at the PX. There wasn't much television to watch in that town on the Black Sea, but...

Anyhow, at one point, a new TV station was under construction. Once they had their transmitter up and running, but before they had started official broadcasting, they tested their transmitter for about a month.

To do that, they ran "Crusader Rabbit" cartoons non-stop. In English. "Crusader Rabbit," in a country that is almost 100% Muslim.

At the time, I thought it was an odd choice, really, given the symbolism of the Crusades.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Maybe Rags (the Tiger) served as comic relief and blunted the

historical/religious reference.

In this episode, Crusader Rabbit is dispatched to wipe out the State of Texas. Tell me what's wrong with that?

[MineralMan]

2. I don't know. I do know that I saw every episode at least twice

while I was there. There wasn't much to do, really, most of the time.

[MineralMan]

26. No, I don't think so.

[guillaumeb]

3. It is an odd choice...............

for a discussion topic in this forum.

[Angry Dragon]

4. crusades nd Muslums..............religious blood letting

fits pretty good

[guillaumeb]

8. And this?

From the post:

To do that, they ran "Crusader Rabbit" cartoons non-stop. In English. "Crusader Rabbit," in a country that is almost 100% Muslim.
At the time, I thought it was an odd choice, really, given the symbolism of the Crusades.

The odd juxtaposition of the Crusades and a presumed majority Muslim audience?

I understand, but speaking of odd juxtapositions, what of a poster named the Atheist Crusader? Why that choice of names out of all of the DU names that could have been chosen?

[Angry Dragon]

10. A Crusader for Atheism perhaps

The catholics own the Crusades but not the word
Atheist Crusader has not posted in this thread and you could always ask him/her

I find your name stranger............guillaumeb

[guillaumeb]

12. But if the word crusader is associated with the Crusades,

and the Crusades were associated with Christianity, should an atheist even use the word in a DU name?

As to my DU name, Guillaume, it is my actual first name.

[Angry Dragon]

13. As I stated before

crusader
Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
cru·sade (kro͞o-sād′
n.
1. often Crusade Any of the military expeditions undertaken by European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover control of the Holy Land from the Muslims.
2. A holy war undertaken with papal sanction.
3. A concerted effort or vigorous movement for a cause or against an abuse: a crusade for literacy; a crusade against drunk driving.
intr.v. cru·sad·ed, cru·sad·ing, cru·sades
To engage in a crusade.

If one says The Crusades it is probably understood to be talking about the christian Crusades..however
The catholic church does NOT own the word. It belongs to anyone who fights for what they believe.
So the Atheist Crusader has a perfect right to the use of this name.

[trotsky]

14. You'll have to forgive him.

His posting history demonstrates some difficulty in processing words that can have different meanings, like "faith" and "belief."

[Angry Dragon]

15. It is 'be kind Thursday'

[MineralMan]

16. Why should one not use the word?

There's a nice irony in Atheist Crusader, I think.

In any case, nobody is in charge of deciding what screen names DUers choose.

Besides, Crusader Rabbit wore armor that resembled the Christian Crusaders and rode a horse, just as they did. The symbolism was very obvious.

I find it odd that you'd question my subject in the Religion Group, really. Why did you do that?

[guillaumeb]

18. What do you find odd about it? eom

[MineralMan]

19. Your erroneous conclusion that it had no religious connection.

I have since explained that to you, and have provided a link, which I'm sure you have read by now. Right?

The introduction of Christian symbolism in a Muslim nation that was the destination of some of the Crusades is a pretty obvious point of controversy. I don't know who built that television system in Samsun. It could have been an American company or even a religious, evangelical group. I did not investigate at the time. But their choice of test programming was distinctly odd.

[guillaumeb]

20. Do you feel that the intent of the station was to incite religious controversy?

If memory serves, Turkey was more secular at that time. And the Turkish Constitution guarantees freedom of belief, and, in theory at least, Turkey is and was at that time a secular country with no state religion.

[MineralMan]

21. I have no way to know the intent,

nor did I at the time, 50 years ago. I just remember finding it odd. I still find it odd.

[guillaumeb]

23. Understood. eom

[MineralMan]

22. Please a newer my question. Then I'll answer yours.

That's how discussion works.

[guillaumeb]

24. Screen names are personal choices.

As to the word crusade, given its derivation, the Latin word crux, an association with the cross is inescapable.

[MineralMan]

17. I don't believe that DUer is involved in this thread.

Why do you bring that up? It's my thread. I started it. It's about an odd thing that I observed 50 years ago. Do you not want me to bring it up for some reason? I'm puzzled.

[MineralMan]

5. The Crusades had nothing to do with religion?

For Muslims, crusader symbolism has a deep historical and religious significance. Think about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. I've had some people argue that very point.

The Crusades weren't about religion, they say. It was x, y, or z. Complete hogwash.

[MineralMan]

7. Wow! What a stupid argument to make, since they were

all about religion. At the time, religion and empire were pretty much inextricably linked.

We are ignorant of history, it seems, in general.

[Act_of_Reparation]

9. Or they have certain motivations.

The story I usually get is this: The Crusades were a war over land/resources/wealth. This is appealing to religious liberals in the way the Lost Cause of the Confederacy myth is appealing to Southerners.

[trotsky]

11. Nailed it.

This is appealing to religious liberals in the way the Lost Cause of the Confederacy myth is appealing to Southerners.