posted on Aug, 11 2010 @ 10:18 PM
Originally posted by masqua
Yeah. Yelling 'FIRE' in a crowded theatre, joking about bombs in a suitcase at the airport or even picking on redheads are rights too, as much as
making racially disparaging comments in an ethnic community should be, correct? Go ahead and try to use those rights. It might be enlightening.
Unbelievable. That retiree needs his meds boosted a bit and that judge needs a refresher in civil law.
If you really think that inciting panic in a crowded room or airport is comparable to criticizing someone's skin tone/life style, then you may need
your head examined. However, I'll extend the benefit of the doubt and say that this post was a passionate one, rather than a rationally thought-out
one.
There are many racist, discriminating, and defamatory words in our world. Who gets to decide which ones are legal and which ones aren't? The word
"fat" and "obese" are used every day in society, thrown around as often as the word "and", yet while I might find these words offensive, it's
very unlikely you share the same opinion. However, what if I get 10 people to agree with me? or a hundred? or 20 million? Can we outlaw the word then?
Can we throw people in jail for saying "Dude, you're obese"? Where do we draw the line? Just because a word offends you, don't make the mistake of
assuming that it offends everyone else.
Further more, no word in any language, at least not in America, gives you the right to hit someone. You may personally think that because someone used
X amount of Y words to insult you, this gives you the right to hurt them. But I think a judge would strongly disagree, no matter your race, creed, or
sexual orientation.