The UK needs to implement Free speech laws like in the US
- Thread starter BusterCusto
- Start date
I'm definitely in favour of freedom of speech. Let all the hate-mongers of all hues - left, right, racists, whatever - be able to speak. I don't want their nastiness to fester underground. I want to judge their statements with my own eyes and ears. But equally if they have something valid to say, I don't want them prevented from saying it because an opponent says so. Sometimes truths can be unpleasant to hear. Churchill in the 1930s is the obvious example.
Without freedom of speech, the only speech allowed is what whoever has enough power mandates.
Calling all disobedient speech "hate" doesn't actually make it so, but it's an extremely useful political tool for advocates of authoritarianism. It's even better than previous versions of the same thing such as calling it unpatriotic, enemy of the people, heretical, etc.
Calling all disobedient speech "hate" doesn't actually make it so, but it's an extremely useful political tool for advocates of authoritarianism. It's even better than previous versions of the same thing such as calling it unpatriotic, enemy of the people, heretical, etc.
What is it then?
Soldato
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Can't do it like that, unless you also allow concealed carry firearms like in the US, too.... and while I am a complete gun nut who would need an entire wing of his mansion converted to an armoury just to house all the guns he'd want to buy.... even I still think arming the British populace is a monumentally retarded idea!!
If no-one can talk about it, how do you know, eh...?
The problem with that is that they'll always shout the loudest... and we're currently seeing what the comparatively harmless vocal minority can achieve with just a few placards and cry-bully tactics. Now imagine what someone with serious intentions could achieve!!
The freedom to voice an opinion without fear of repercussions from the government. It says nothing about what other people might do to you, though...!!
As Bloomberg found in America, shouting the loudest doesn't necessarily translate to support, let alone votes.
It isn't the inexorable right to be an arse to people you don't like because they are different. If, like the person in question, somebody feels immasculated by whatever inferiority complex they suffer from that they feel the need to troll transgender people on Twitter they should probably seek professional help, or at the very least not be butthurt when the police show up to their workplace.
I understand to a certain degree that people feel that there is an undercurrent of hyper political correctness and that they can't say what they really feel for fear of repercussions, but is it really a great loss of liberty that some idiot on twitter or Facebook can't post mean things about somebody for no reason?
None of that is in defense of the police turning up to his place of work, but he was posting his opinions under his name on a public forum. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
What? How do you figure.
To be clear, in the US the 1st amendment covers free speech. The second covers RKBA.
It's entirely possible to have one without the other, though I'm glad that's not the case.
Soldato
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It's no guarantee of success, no... but the amount of gender-flux-fluid non-binary non-CIS neutral-pronoun decrees going around shows the level of insanity society is quite capable of adopting without much complaint and in a very short space of time.
I was being irreverent. I'm just jealous of you guys...
Generally though I think the British public is stupid, dangerous and irresponsible enough without the freedom to say what they like, and without the ability to carry weapons. The two usually come up in the same conversations, for some reason.
RKBA... Isn't that the reactor they used at Chernobyl?
Since the 1st only stops government from restricting people, and even then that freedom still has certain limitations, I agree it's very possible.
Caporegime
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Hear hear.
Soldato
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Free speech isnt freedom to say what you want?
Do you dress yourself in the mornings?
Soldato
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Because you're a perpetually offended virtue signalling apologist, people should be free to do that kind of nonsense if they want. Being offended is entirely subjective and the Government should not impede on anyones right to say or Express anything they choose. Who are you to say they shouldn't or they can't?
Any issues he had would be because he's got you in his pocket, intellectually speaking.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
Ahh... got it.
RKBA... Isn't that the reactor they used at Chernobyl?
Yes!
The bolded indicates that you are clearly smarter than almost all the posters here when it comes to discussing 'American Rights'.
Soldato
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And where does his comment fall on your list of no-nos? Is it food labeling?
On a forum so heavily moderated as OcUK it is refreshing to see you so full-heartedly supporting the right to say whatever you wish without repercussions. Just remember to fully star out those swear words and not mention any competitor businesses.
Soldato
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To be fair, I do discuss the matter with a lot of Americans. More the RKBA than free speech, but there's a lot of interlinking across such subjects.
Entirely?
So if I pass comment in a thread about trans-people, anyone getting offended is just being subjective and no-one has any right to arrest me or tag me for "non-criminal hate speech"...?
What if I choose to deliberately speak things that I know will cause other people offense? Is that still entirely subjective?
What has that got to do with your statement that freedom of speech is the freedom to say anything, when I quite blatantly proved you were talking rubbish and it doesn't give you that right at all?
But, if you want to tie this back to the case the thread is discussing, and not the specific point I was making sure you were clear you were absolutely wrong on, it'd probably be dignity or something. I'd like to think your guess at food labelling was an attempt at sarcastic wit, but with you I'm not so sure.
All of these 'rights' people have can be taken away. So, therefor, they are not rights but privileges!
If the crap hits the fan you will sit back and watch everyone of those 'rights' get taken from you by someone/thing threatening with you harm or violence - usually the government.
You used to be able to say what you like when I was in school/university, but now it's been eroded to the point of silliness. People used to be better educated, more balanced and more thoughtful of others - not any more. People are now self censoring more than ever before because the don't want the puritans to de-person/platform you. It's normally the vocal minority that sets the rules for the rest of society, the 'can't be bothered's', the 'ain't got timers'.
To me offense is taken, not given. You have a choice to either not listen or watch who 'offends' you(block them, turn over the TV, another radio station etc..), but that is not good enough for some - they don't want anyone else to be able to listen or watch you based on their own ideologies. These are the same people that can't argue their points, usually, and revert to insults almost instantly - it's happening more and more on this very forum these days.
If the crap hits the fan you will sit back and watch everyone of those 'rights' get taken from you by someone/thing threatening with you harm or violence - usually the government.
You used to be able to say what you like when I was in school/university, but now it's been eroded to the point of silliness. People used to be better educated, more balanced and more thoughtful of others - not any more. People are now self censoring more than ever before because the don't want the puritans to de-person/platform you. It's normally the vocal minority that sets the rules for the rest of society, the 'can't be bothered's', the 'ain't got timers'.
To me offense is taken, not given. You have a choice to either not listen or watch who 'offends' you(block them, turn over the TV, another radio station etc..), but that is not good enough for some - they don't want anyone else to be able to listen or watch you based on their own ideologies. These are the same people that can't argue their points, usually, and revert to insults almost instantly - it's happening more and more on this very forum these days.