Ugly Satire
Satire and ugliness together put powerful images in my head. I imagine the reality of free speech in the world. The dark reality. Where people die, silently, and their tyrants go uncontested. Places exist in this world where satire goes to die, however the desire for free speech is infinite. It is universal. Even in the darkest places, there are people that fight for the right to satirize, to criticize, to speak. No matter how ugly their situation.
Who is the man that is so effective in satire, that the Supreme Leader of Iran wants dead? Who has frightened so many with his satire that you can receive a four million dollar bounty if you kill him? Who has worked to end the ugliness of satire for decades, despite this risk of death? This man is Salman Rushdie, from India. Rushdie represented the prophet Mohammed in his book, and revealed autocratic theocracies to be so susceptible to criticism that they feel the need to kill a threat half a world away. Rushdie was in England when the fatwa was issued by the Ayatollah.
Salman Rushdie’s books and his satire show what the ugliness of satire can mean to some, but this man refuses to give up. Since 1988, Rushdie has risked everything to hold the right to satirize and speak freely. RUshdie shows that people throughout the world can rise and fight the dictatorships with satire, and free speech in general.
Now, Rushdie is a renowned author and his work has reached millions. Billions, even. In some places, satire is still ugly, but Rushdie demonstrates that this ugliness cannot last.
Perdidos en sus pensamientos 
In my imagination, this words “Ugly satire” provoke for something more horrible than death. Because sometimes (and it’s really bad way of thinking) death is better than live.
I really didn’t know who this guy is (really! I never heard about someone who wrote something like that) and it is quite interesting article about him. But I must be a little bit critic because in my opinion this is wrote a bit chaotic. When I stop reading I went to look on this man and find some information about his life and work. I never have some interest about problems in India and maybe it’s time to look at this in some “magic realism” way. I really like to know why you choose this man? Did you read something from him? And if you read something, was it really as well as it looks?
Thank you for commenting, I’m glad I helped you think about this topic and discover Salman Rushdie. I agree with what you say, it reminds me of the quote «give me liberty or give me death» by Patrick Henry. I recently read «Midnight’s Children», written by Salman Rushdie. That’s how I discovered him as an author. I really enjoyed the book, it offered an interesting view into India from someone born in the continent.
Thank you for commenting, I’m glad I helped you think about this topic and discover Salman Rushdie. I agree with what you say, it reminds me of the quote “give me liberty or give me death” by Patrick Henry. I recently read “Midnight’s Children”, written by Salman Rushdie. That’s how I discovered him as an author. I really enjoyed the book, it offered an interesting view into India from someone born in the continent.