'We do not allow blasphemy of any sort'

You have probably never heard of him, but a man named Adam Duff O'Toole was burned alive in College Green for heresy and blasphemy. He was apparently ‘possessed by some wicked spirit of error’ as he dared to deny the existence of God. This happened back in 1327 so no need to flood the streets in protest but killings fuelled by anger stemming from the questioning of God continue to this day. The Charlie Hedbo massacre was the latest instalment of the ongoing battle between proponents of free speech and those who believe that any form of blasphemy is unacceptable.

I did not expect an enquiring email to the RTE Radio Drama Dept to bring this global debate to the forefront of my mind but that is exactly what happened yesterday afternoon. In an exercise in self-torture I have been trying to write a Radio Play for the P.J O’Connor Radio Awards that RTE run on an annual basis. I had started a script that included an occasional curse word and, as I thought about the demographic of the average Radio One listener, I wondered if it would be good idea to clarify what Radio One’s policy was on ‘inexactitudes’, as Bill O’Herlihy would call them. The reply I received from RTE surprised me.

The majority of the reply is what you might expect from a conservative, semi state organisation who still see Joe Duffy and his cavalcade of complaining callers as cutting edge Radio. I don’t have a problem with Radio One’s output, I merely point this out to illustrate their accepted level of conservatism when it comes to their content. I wasn’t surprised by their reticent nature with regards to bad language, it’s the price you pay for the chance to be broadcast on the country’s biggest radio station, I was however, surprised by the forthright and unsolicited statement on blasphemy.

In 2009 Ireland became the only country in Europe to introduce a blasphemy law in the 21^st century. This new law was tested with the sale in Ireland of the ‘survivors’ issue’ of Charlie Hedbo that featured the magazines controversial depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. More recently, Enda Kenny stated there would be no referendum on the matter during the lifetime of his government despite pressure from secularist groups such as Atheist Ireland. The punishment for breaking the blasphemy law is €25,000 by the way, so we’ve moved on from public executions at least.

Whether the response from RTE was due to a seemingly strict adherence to this archaic and outdated law is not clear as they have yet to reply to my follow up email. It does however, seem to run counter to their desire to position themselves as an organisation that fosters young, creative talent. On the contrary, they seem content to perpetuate a version of Ireland that’s stuck in the 1980’s, wherein religious doctrine must be followed above all else. There are many performers/writers/comedians who firmly believe in the idea that nothing is off limits when it comes to artistic expression. Any topic can be ridiculed and mocked without fear of persecution. Artistic integrity should be the No.1 one goal when it comes to the creative process. RTE does not seem to agree.

The most interesting part of this email is the way the statement about blasphemy is tagged on at the end of a sentence, almost as an afterthought. This makes sense as I made no reference to blasphemous content in my original email but it also speaks to a rather disturbing mindset. It’s as if the person replying thought it necessary, above all else, to make sure I would not write a script that disrespected any form of God. As if that’s the most deplorable thing a scriptwriter could do. They could maybe, possibly, at a push, tolerate some form of profanity but no poking fun at a deity of any sort. Which makes me think that any other controversial topic is perfectly fine. Bestiality, incest, genocide, torture, execution; all fine. Just no jokes about the big guy in the sky.

What a crazy way to run a department whose focus is dramatic output. I understand there are large sections of the population who might be offended by blasphemous content but since when did a fear of offending help people create new and interesting forms of drama. Would RTE accept a play written about the recent spate of beheading videos released by ISIS? Judging by their response, they probably would. Would they accept a play ridiculing the God these extremists worship and kill in the name of? Probably not. It doesn’t make sense that in the year 2015 after all this country has suffered at the hands of adhering to strict religious policies that RTE would prioritise not offending God over anything else.

It’s time for RTE cast off the shackles of religious oppression and truly embrace the concepts of free speech. Why worry so much about the people who might be offended by your content, maybe begin to think about the people who are more offended by your lack of content. Your mission statement specifically states your desire to connect with 'the lives of all people' (my emphasis) after all. Embrace the idea that people might be inspired, motivated or provoked in thoughtful ways by stories that other people find rude and offensive. It’s called diversity and it’s usually quite helpful when it comes to producing interesting content.