Online Bullying - A Dev request for a response and discussion

[Dorkula]

It's not just the UK: http://www.change.org/petitions/rele...cebook-comment

That's sickening. This whole idea of "your rights end where my feelings begin" is ignorant and shouldn't be tolerated anywhere.

[KiriA500]

That's sickening. This whole idea of "your rights end where my feelings begin" is ignorant and shouldn't be tolerated anywhere.

That thing you're doing right now? Yeah, it sucks, huh?

[Dorkula]

That thing you're doing right now? Yeah, it sucks, huh?

Not the same thing, but I could see how somebody who doesn't understand the point would think that.

[Diavolo]

That's sickening. This whole idea of "your rights end where my feelings begin" is ignorant and shouldn't be tolerated anywhere.

Agreed. That kind of stuff leads to an eventual lack of rights period. It makes me worry about some of the future adults that are being fostered now with this sort of sentiment. What are they going to do when life slaps them in the face? How are they going to handle any sort of conflict? Just call the police every time?

[Aegis]

Agreed. That kind of stuff leads to an eventual lack of rights period. It makes me worry about some of the future adults that are being fostered now with this sort of sentiment. What are they going to do when life slaps them in the face? How are they going to handle any sort of conflict? Just call the police every time?

Free Speech is not a black and white subject. There are shades of grey. Societies have to draw a line somewhere. It's perfectly legal to use a racist term, that's free speech, you aren't directly harming anyone. Caling someone that term to their face is still legal. Calling them that every time you see them is verging on illegal (harassment). Following them around and calling them that is very illegal (harassment). At no stage have you physically threatened that person. But it doesn't make it any more legal.

There are similar grey areas for incitement to violence (the speaker himself has never threatened to be violent), promotion of terrorism (ditto) and criminal negligence (shouting fire in a crowded theatre is the classic example, shouting you've seen a bomb in an airport would be another).

There are no obsolute freedoms in any society. Everything is restricted, and rightly so.

[Efrye]

That's sickening. This whole idea of "your rights end where my feelings begin" is ignorant and shouldn't be tolerated anywhere.

I completely agree that it's disgusting a teenager ended up in jail because of a stupid comment on a website.

However, the reason I posted it is to illustrate how these kind of comments are seen by people who are not familiar with this cesspool called internet. Just because you're used to it doesn't make it right.

Imagine I'd come to your house, do some unsightly graffiti on your doors, maybe write "dumbshit" on the front window of your car. Completely normal where I come from! And I'm not even physically hurting you or limiting the usability of your property, so what's the big deal? It's just some color after all. If someone did the same to me I'd totally just brush it off.

Does that give me the right to actually do it? Hell no.