Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Rowan Atkinson on freedom of speech
There is more to this question than just the freedom to insult people - there are some kinds of speech that should be prohibited in a civilised society. Still, Rowan Atkinson is right on the ludicrous consequences of Section 5 of the Public Order Act and it is entertaining to hear him put the case.
H/T to LifeSite News
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Would you care to mention what it should be forbidden to say in a civilised society?
Short of the traditional example of "Fire" in a crowded cinema I am hard put to it to see what the law should forbid me from saying.
It is right to have laws against making public statements that are untruthful and ruin someone else's reputation.
Aggressive and obscene language used without provocation towards an innocent person is a form of violence.
etc. (including shouting "Fire" in a crowded ciinema)
I think that the distinction is between what is a genuine act of violence and what is merely politically incorrect.
All societies have had sanctions against some forms of speech.
All right, Father, to the specifics/
The Satanic Verses?
Mein Kampf?
"The Holohoax is a lie"?
"If they're black, send them back"?
"Cromwell was right"?
"Gays will rot in hell"?
Yes, that is a good list for discussion. It is of note that while Hitler made Mein Kampf compulsory reading for all Germans, the German bishops placed it on the index.
Post a Comment