we must be allowed to insult each other

[Chris]

The Blackadder and Mr Bean star attacked the "creeping culture of censoriousness" which has resulted in the arrest of a Christian preacher, a critic of Scientology and even a student making a joke, it was reported.

He criticised the "new intolerance" as he called for part of it the Public Order Act to be repealed, saying it was having a "chilling effect on free expression and free protest".

Mr Atkinson said: "The clear problem of the outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such. Criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy, can be interpreted as insult."

Police and prosecutors are accused of being over-zealous in their interpretation of Section 5 of the Act, which outlaws threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour, the Daily Mail reported....

Here he is on topic funny as ever:






Edit: Forgot the citation's @ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ach-other.html

[Canadianeye]

I find it hilarious, as PCness gagged Conservatives for so many decades and was the life blood of liberals in claiming hatemongerers, homophobes, racists at anyone who dared to still speak...that liberals are now trying to grant some sort of bizarre societal permission to get back to free speech.

[patrickt]

We're half-way there. The left is free to insult anyone and any group and any institution they want.

[KC]

We're half-way there. The left is free to insult anyone and any group and any institution they want.

I've endured more than one insulting conservative in my day. Whether talking about politics with family, Fox or talk radio, let's not pretend that this doesn't happen.

[Chris]

Atkinson is considered libertarian by many. So his views here are consistent.

[Deadwood]

Here he is on topic funny as ever:

I have to agree, but as he points out, there is a thin, hard to define line, between hurtful and threatening and free speech.


I contend you lose the debate when you use generalized, deliberately hurtful terms like teabaggers when it is clearly inappropriate and such terms as 'Libtard' which is a slander against 'retards'.

A good rule of thumb is say anything you like against the idea of concept, such as the Obamaphone campaign is a stupid, inane and deceitful way of buying votes with taxpayers money as opposed to attacking the poster.

However a general attack on the idiots who do those things is fine and should be encouraged.

[Kizzume]

Scary that there's someone here on this forum (not in this thread yet) advocating making offensive speech a fineable or jailable offense.

[Deadwood]

Scary that there's someone here on this forum (not in this thread yet) advocating making offensive speech a fineable or jailable offense.

Must be a $#@! off, misfit, lying lefty with deep rooted emotional problems.

[Chris]

I draw line here: One if the insult is mere name calling and if it's personal, then it says two things about the speaker: one, he has no argument left and is resorting to ad hom, two, it exposes the speaker's flawed reasoning (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insult).

But if general and meaningful, as criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, then fine.

[GrassrootsConservative]

Must be a $#@! off, misfit, lying lefty with deep rooted emotional problems.

truthmatters hasn't been on in days, though.