5 ms·

It would be hard to argue that a country where it's illegal to call someone a dick is particularly free, if that indeed is the case.

WastingMyTime89 5y ago
Then most of the world isn't free I fear. Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? You can't punch people in the USA. Does that make the country not particularly free?
- tomschlick 5y ago
  Insulting someone with words and punching them in the face are two drastically different things.
  - ms4720 5y ago
    And be very very wary of people and groups that try to erase the difference.
  - WastingMyTime89 5y ago
    Because as an American you put the border at physical violence but think verbal violence doesn't matter. You see that as freedom. I see it as a lack of culture. Far more than an ocean separates these two continents. Note that it is entirely play pretend anyway. I know for a fact that I can actually say and do far more here than the American society would tolerate in the USA.
    - zepto 5y ago
      It’s not much of a ‘culture’ if politeness has to be enforced by the government. For what it’s worth, having lived in both places Americans are less likely to insult you than the British, but more likely to take it seriously.
    - tomschlick 5y ago
      Because the line of physical violence is pretty clear cut. The line at which someone gets offended is not and can vary drastically depending on the person, religion, current events, etc. Laws need clear definitions.
      - WastingMyTime89 5y ago
        Insulting someone has an actual definition. It is not about being offended.
        thaumasiotes 5y ago
        Whatever definition you provide, there will be an infinite number of insults that don't match it, or an infinite number of compliments that do.
        hervature 5y ago
        Is calling someone fat when they are indeed fat an insult? It obviously depends on context, intent, and delivery. Any definition is going to be nebulous.
        yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
        > Because as an American you put the border at physical violence but think verbal violence doesn't matter. You see that as freedom. I see it as a lack of culture. Far more than an ocean separates these two continents. This, for instance, is clearly an insult; please report to the nearest detention center for your reeducation immediately. /s But seriously, no; insults are subjective enough to be a terrible legal basis.
    - yann2 5y ago
      Jesus Christ..European cultural "superiority" was used to justify colonization of people around the world by literally every European country.
- throwawaylinux 5y ago
  > Then most of the world isn't free I fear. I fear that too. Freedom has always been paid for with blood, so if it's just meekly handed back, we are robbing our grandchildren and passing that cost on to them. That said, what parts of the world are you talking about? If you look at the insults being freely hurled on twitter at politicians around the the English speaking western world, I'm not sure how bad it is here yet. Maybe it's only a problem there if you insult the wrong type of politician? > Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? How do you define an insult? Would it be insulting to call someone a nazi, white supremacist, racist, misogynist, Russian agent, heartless, senile? What if those things were true or you believed them to be true or at least a valid comparison to some degree? What if you call a religion or ideology bad or point out bad things about its teachings? Even if what you say is true, it can still be taken as insults by followers. Should blasphemy be outlawed? > You can't punch people in the USA. Does that make the country not particularly free? It does not.
- ogma 5y ago
  Because any criticism can be construed as an insult, which is plainly obvious. Honestly how did you become so naive? Are you American? What's wrong with you?
- zepto 5y ago
  Can you not tell the difference between physical violence and words?
  - WastingMyTime89 5y ago
    Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. Insults are unneeded. They are unnecessary to a discussion and they are a form of violence. Why should they be legal?
    - zepto 5y ago
      > Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. Only if you compare words with the most trivial of physical violence. > Insults are unneeded. They are unnecessary to a discussion and they are a form of violence. Why should they be legal? This is dismissive of my perspective and therefore insulting. I think you should be arrested. Maybe the cops and the judge will agree with me.
    - Levitz 5y ago
      >Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. I'm sorry but that only applies if you are thoroughly infantile. I don't mean this as an offense but that behavior is proper of literal children. If some random person says a word and that has serious consequences upon the mental health of an adult person that person needs therapy.
- PixyMisa 5y ago
  > Then most of the world isn't free I fear. Well, exactly.
- ALittleLight 5y ago
  Some states in the US allow "mutual combat", meaning that if both parties agree to fight you actually can legally punch people in the US.
  - syntheticcorp 5y ago
    I assume other countries allowing boxing matches?
- Levitz 5y ago
  >Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? I consider an insult to be an expression of an opinion and thus protected by the 19th article of the universal declaration of human rights. As far as I am concerned, ideally such blatant misuse of power in such an authoritarian way should land people in jail.
tpush 5y ago
It's actually very easy to do that, for example: Murder: People lose the freedom to murder people, but gain the freedom to not be murdered. American society considers taking the first freedom away to result in better society overall. Germany does the same. Insults: People lose the freedom to insult other people, but gain the freedom not to be insulted. German society considers taking away the first freedom to result in a better society overall. Americans take the opposite side here. See, it's actually not at all a naive question of "who has more freedom", because each side can be argued to be more free than the other. Ultimately, it comes down to what choice results in a 'better', more livable society. Germany and the US simply make different tradeoffs.
nautilius 5y ago
If you think the first amendment ensures your right to call anyone a dick, I suggest you go to the nearest cop you can find and start insulting him, his mother, his family, his children. I am sure if you tell him you’re just exercising your first amendment right, he will endure this for hours without batting an eye.

WastingMyTime89 5y ago

Then most of the world isn't free I fear. Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? You can't punch people in the USA. Does that make the country not particularly free?

tomschlick 5y ago
Insulting someone with words and punching them in the face are two drastically different things.
- ms4720 5y ago
  And be very very wary of people and groups that try to erase the difference.
- WastingMyTime89 5y ago
  Because as an American you put the border at physical violence but think verbal violence doesn't matter. You see that as freedom. I see it as a lack of culture. Far more than an ocean separates these two continents. Note that it is entirely play pretend anyway. I know for a fact that I can actually say and do far more here than the American society would tolerate in the USA.
  - zepto 5y ago
    It’s not much of a ‘culture’ if politeness has to be enforced by the government. For what it’s worth, having lived in both places Americans are less likely to insult you than the British, but more likely to take it seriously.
  - tomschlick 5y ago
    Because the line of physical violence is pretty clear cut. The line at which someone gets offended is not and can vary drastically depending on the person, religion, current events, etc. Laws need clear definitions.
    - WastingMyTime89 5y ago
      Insulting someone has an actual definition. It is not about being offended.
      - thaumasiotes 5y ago
        Whatever definition you provide, there will be an infinite number of insults that don't match it, or an infinite number of compliments that do.
      - hervature 5y ago
        Is calling someone fat when they are indeed fat an insult? It obviously depends on context, intent, and delivery. Any definition is going to be nebulous.
      - yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
        > Because as an American you put the border at physical violence but think verbal violence doesn't matter. You see that as freedom. I see it as a lack of culture. Far more than an ocean separates these two continents. This, for instance, is clearly an insult; please report to the nearest detention center for your reeducation immediately. /s But seriously, no; insults are subjective enough to be a terrible legal basis.
  - yann2 5y ago
    Jesus Christ..European cultural "superiority" was used to justify colonization of people around the world by literally every European country.
throwawaylinux 5y ago
> Then most of the world isn't free I fear. I fear that too. Freedom has always been paid for with blood, so if it's just meekly handed back, we are robbing our grandchildren and passing that cost on to them. That said, what parts of the world are you talking about? If you look at the insults being freely hurled on twitter at politicians around the the English speaking western world, I'm not sure how bad it is here yet. Maybe it's only a problem there if you insult the wrong type of politician? > Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? How do you define an insult? Would it be insulting to call someone a nazi, white supremacist, racist, misogynist, Russian agent, heartless, senile? What if those things were true or you believed them to be true or at least a valid comparison to some degree? What if you call a religion or ideology bad or point out bad things about its teachings? Even if what you say is true, it can still be taken as insults by followers. Should blasphemy be outlawed? > You can't punch people in the USA. Does that make the country not particularly free? It does not.
ogma 5y ago
Because any criticism can be construed as an insult, which is plainly obvious. Honestly how did you become so naive? Are you American? What's wrong with you?
zepto 5y ago
Can you not tell the difference between physical violence and words?
- WastingMyTime89 5y ago
  Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. Insults are unneeded. They are unnecessary to a discussion and they are a form of violence. Why should they be legal?
  - zepto 5y ago
    > Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. Only if you compare words with the most trivial of physical violence. > Insults are unneeded. They are unnecessary to a discussion and they are a form of violence. Why should they be legal? This is dismissive of my perspective and therefore insulting. I think you should be arrested. Maybe the cops and the judge will agree with me.
  - Levitz 5y ago
    >Worlds can hurt just as much if not more. I'm sorry but that only applies if you are thoroughly infantile. I don't mean this as an offense but that behavior is proper of literal children. If some random person says a word and that has serious consequences upon the mental health of an adult person that person needs therapy.
PixyMisa 5y ago
> Then most of the world isn't free I fear. Well, exactly.
ALittleLight 5y ago
Some states in the US allow "mutual combat", meaning that if both parties agree to fight you actually can legally punch people in the US.
- syntheticcorp 5y ago
  I assume other countries allowing boxing matches?
Levitz 5y ago
>Why should it be legal to publicly insult someone? I consider an insult to be an expression of an opinion and thus protected by the 19th article of the universal declaration of human rights. As far as I am concerned, ideally such blatant misuse of power in such an authoritarian way should land people in jail.

tpush 5y ago

It's actually very easy to do that, for example: Murder: People lose the freedom to murder people, but gain the freedom to not be murdered. American society considers taking the first freedom away to result in better society overall. Germany does the same. Insults: People lose the freedom to insult other people, but gain the freedom not to be insulted. German society considers taking away the first freedom to result in a better society overall. Americans take the opposite side here. See, it's actually not at all a naive question of "who has more freedom", because each side can be argued to be more free than the other. Ultimately, it comes down to what choice results in a 'better', more livable society. Germany and the US simply make different tradeoffs.

nautilius 5y ago

If you think the first amendment ensures your right to call anyone a dick, I suggest you go to the nearest cop you can find and start insulting him, his mother, his family, his children. I am sure if you tell him you’re just exercising your first amendment right, he will endure this for hours without batting an eye.