3 ms·

Anti-hate speech laws can lead to similar effect: first you ban most obvious things, like death threats or racism. Then someone comes up with the idea of bannin

by mamon 9y ago

Anti-hate speech laws can lead to similar effect: first you ban most obvious things, like death threats or racism. Then someone comes up with the idea of banning any criticism of abortion, because it might hurt feelings of women who had it. Then you ban Christmas trees in public schools, because it might hurt feelings of Muslims - the anti-hate laws become more and more prohibitive. Basically, it's a variation of the same problem that I would call: "the most intolerant lawmaker wins".

pjc50 9y ago
> Then someone comes up with the idea of banning any criticism of abortion, because it might hurt feelings of women who had it. Then you ban Christmas trees in public schools, because it might hurt feelings of Muslims None of those has actually happened, nor is likely to actually make it through any functioning legal system. (If you're going hunting for examples of the Christmas tree ban, check your news sources very carefully)
- mamon 9y ago
  Both of those happened: first is a part of "Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union", soon to be required to be implemented by all member states. Second is already happening in the UK, although, I admit, it's not a law, it's case by case basis (by school principals).
  - pjc50 9y ago
    You're going to have to give a reliable citation for both of these, especially given the current position on abortion in the Republic of Ireland, and the second one sounds like Daily Mail / Express misleading story.
    - dane-pgp 9y ago
      I don't know of a ban against "_any_ criticism of abortion" or why the "Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union" is supposedly to blame, but they may be thinking of cases like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41577129 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41577129 Also, there apparently was a school head who banned students from putting up Christmas trees, but he was banned from teaching after that: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/school-head-who-banned-pupils-7117848 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/school-head-who-banned...
gaius 9y ago
Then you ban Christmas trees in public schools, because it might hurt feelings of Muslims Here’s the thing tho’: a good observant Muslim knows perfectly well what a religious holiday is, and recognises Christianity as a fellow Abrahamic religion, and is no more offended by Christmas than if you wished him or her Eid Mubarak. The only people offended by Christmas are white left-wing atheists, and it is deeply problematic, and racist, how they use Muslims as a scapegoat.

by mamon 9y ago

pjc50 9y ago

> Then someone comes up with the idea of banning any criticism of abortion, because it might hurt feelings of women who had it. Then you ban Christmas trees in public schools, because it might hurt feelings of Muslims None of those has actually happened, nor is likely to actually make it through any functioning legal system. (If you're going hunting for examples of the Christmas tree ban, check your news sources very carefully)

mamon 9y ago
Both of those happened: first is a part of "Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union", soon to be required to be implemented by all member states. Second is already happening in the UK, although, I admit, it's not a law, it's case by case basis (by school principals).
- pjc50 9y ago
  You're going to have to give a reliable citation for both of these, especially given the current position on abortion in the Republic of Ireland, and the second one sounds like Daily Mail / Express misleading story.
  - dane-pgp 9y ago
    I don't know of a ban against "_any_ criticism of abortion" or why the "Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union" is supposedly to blame, but they may be thinking of cases like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41577129 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41577129 Also, there apparently was a school head who banned students from putting up Christmas trees, but he was banned from teaching after that: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/school-head-who-banned-pupils-7117848 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/school-head-who-banned...

gaius 9y ago

Then you ban Christmas trees in public schools, because it might hurt feelings of Muslims Here’s the thing tho’: a good observant Muslim knows perfectly well what a religious holiday is, and recognises Christianity as a fellow Abrahamic religion, and is no more offended by Christmas than if you wished him or her Eid Mubarak. The only people offended by Christmas are white left-wing atheists, and it is deeply problematic, and racist, how they use Muslims as a scapegoat.