Originally posted by RANT
It's illegal to wear high heels on the street in Birmingham Alabama without a license, so.....

I don't even want to know how you know that...

And SHADOW266, I agree with you. I think the issue has been firmly established that free speech was not infringed upon in this case. I was just curious about the legality of profanity in general.

As for the legality of owning and wearing offensive t-shirts, that is generally left up to the individual local governments to decide what is and is not offensive. No federal laws prohibit profanity. Most local governments (cities, towns) have laws on the books prohibiting profanity in public. Many laws are old (1800s) and are not generally upheld. In my State, it is a misdemeanor to swear in the presence of women and children. Do people get prosecuted for it? No. Disturbing the peace is an easier charge to stick.

Originally posted by hotsheets
This would never happen in Canada, England or Australia as I see it all the time...only in the good ol' USA.

[edit on 6-10-2005 by hotsheets]

Most defintely hotsheets, I get smiles of amusement or even laughs out loud when I walk through the malls here in Melbourne Australia wearing a tshirt I bought in NYC that says "Welcome to New York ... duck Motherf*****" ... especially when my mama is next to me in her full muslim dress (hijab etc...) lol

Surely we are not becoming anal about our right to wear what we want ?
If it offends U, look away, simple. Some people's kids offend me with their behaviour and cursing in public, shall we censor language next ?


pffft

Originally posted by SHADOW266
In my State, it is a misdemeanor to swear in the presence of women and children. Do people get prosecuted for it? No. Disturbing the peace is an easier charge to stick.

Oh my goodness, I'd love to know what state it is U reside in shadow lol because I have heard women and children curse so colorfully it makes ME blush and I do not offend or shock easily

o_O

Wow RANT I think that behind is better than the story.

Is this in fact freedom? I've seen some of of the most offensive shirts you can think of on the buses and subways in Montreal (and many places I've visited, in Canada and in Europe) and you know what? People will tsk or sometimes even get a little angry, but they will shake their heads and move on with their days and their lives.

It's called di-ffer-ent societies. People are more lax with that stuff in France than they are in the states...that's just the way it is. The Middle East, Asia, Europe/Canada and then the States......let's not forget Africa and South America, all have thier own little thing goin on.

If they were all the same when it comes censorship, the world would be a boreing place...umm something like that

BTW: Nice pic, she's hot



[edit on 6/10/2005 by SportyMB]

I don't agree. I think people in the US are just as lax as anyone in a Euro country (or Australia, NZ, Canada etc). It's just that your population being much larger would therefore have a proportionately large number of prudes (like flyersfan). And in a society where you can sue someone for just about anything, I don't see why these prudes wouldnt sacrifice their whole day stubbornly protesting letters on a persons t-shirt until they turn purple.

First of all, Southwest airlines was 100% right in how they handled the situation. "No Shoes, No shirt, No service". The business gets to call the shots here as they are a privately/employee owned enterprise. The woman really shows her ignorance of this when talking with the reporter saying "This is America...blah blah blah".

This shouldn't even be in the news quite frankly. I wonder how this lady would feel if someone was to wear a t-shirt with a picture of her and the female C word to her house, or even to a business she may own. She would probably angrily kick them out, but I'm assuming here. She may get a laugh out of it...but who knows.

They are just words after all. The F word being probably the most useful word in all of the english language. It can be used in so many contexts, with so many different meanings, its use is usually a good indication of a person's intelligence by showing their limited vocabulary or their inability to think fast enough to come up with the right word. Sometimes people are just lazy though, and using it is easier to get your point accross.

I wonder if the airline would have had problems with a shirt that said, Meet the Fornicators, or Meet the Fat Bastards.

When it's all said and done though, people just really need to lighten up, and realize they are just words. The things that are being accepted as offensive to people are getting more and more petty every day. My advice? Take a chill pill and roll with it. If you don't want your kids to repeat the words, then explain it to them. No need for a hissy fit.

peace


[edit on 6-10-2005 by StickyG]

[edit on 6-10-2005 by StickyG]

"only in america"

freedom of speech is just that...

the founding fathers knew what curses were when they founded this country...

freedom of speech is not freedom of speech when one is lying, like the "yelling fire in a theatre when there is no fire" example...

this is just my 2 cents...

The woman who was kicked off says this:

"I have always flown Southwest everywhere I go," Heasley said. "I will never fly with them again. They can disrespect somebody else."

they can disrepect someone else?!!!!

You mean like SHE did?...Wasn't she disrepecting the passengers on the plane?
the woman has mental problems...

I, on the other hand will always make sure to check if there is a SW flight available whenever I fly..If so, I'm buying a ticket

That told her spacedoubt!!!

I wasn't talking to her, cargo...LOL

I'm thankful, she found a car, and got her "tralier trash" butt out of my town.
We have enough TT here already..

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by LucyStoner76
"Bad" languange, regardless of your personal feelings towards it, is not illegal.

This is just another example of how twisted we have become in this country, that a stupid T-Shirt will provoke more of a response from people than many of the horrors going on in this world.

No. This is an example of how twisted this country has become that people think that they have the right to expose others to obscenity and profanity. In fact, the airline has the right to set the standards for behavior and are to be commended for having done so.

Hopefully, I'm quoting properly this time. For some reason, I don't have the option to edit my first post, but I promise to figure it out.

I fully understand that private companies have the right to be discriminating on certain issues, but that is not the only issue. Southwest could do that if they want, but it doesn't mean that their logic isn't flawed. We have to respect their decisions, but we don't have to agree with them. And as far as their having the right to set standards, perhaps, but only for conduct on their plane, but not for society in general.

What would be your take if you or someone else were wearing a 'Jesus Saves' T-Shirt, and someone on the plane found the image of Jesus obscene, and it made them so uncomfortable that they complained? Believe it or not, there are those that are just as offended by that as someone could be by this girl's shirt.

Or perhaps something with an American Flag with a slogan like "These colors don't run." What if that offends some international tourist from who knows where, and they complain?

Please don't assume I personally would be offended by these, and honestly I'm not, it's just a hypothetical question... Should these judgmental and controlling tendencies continue, it's a nightmare scenario we might face. And if it escalates into other areas, we might as well get the book burning pits ready again.

All I'm saying, is that obscenity is completely subjective.

I'm also not sure if it is realistic for parents of children to expect to walk out of their house and only have their child see that which they agree with. There are some things in this world you should not have to explain to them? Well, I wholeheartedly agree, but it still isn't realistic.

I should not have to explain war to my child, but it is out there.

I should not have to explain pornography to my child, but they might see it from a friend at school without my consent.

I should not have to explain why men in white sheets burn crosses on lawns based on race and religion, but it happens.

I also have to explain why they saw pictures of torture and abuse at the hands of a minority of soldiers they should be able to trust, and try to get the point across that it is not representative of all soldiers.

Sadly, I'm going to have to explain all of this to my child, while trying desperately to help get the point across that this behavior is not representative of society as a whole. It's MY responsibility if bringing a life into this world that it be prepared for what to expect, and have the knowledge for how to confront it, regardless of whether or not I agree with it.

To shelter my child, to hide all of the world's dirty laundry, would be a detriment to their development, and I would be leading them to enter the world as an unprepared adult that cannot understand or cope with what is going on around them.

To keep my child ignorant of sin is to open the door for them to be potentially corrupted because they simply don't understand or have a frame of reference.

I certainly would not opt to drop someone out of a flying airplane because their personal politics or appearance were a nuisance to me. That's violent, incorrigible and just as childish as the stupid shirt to begin with. I assume I didn't have to take that seriously, and I don't, but it's just an example of subjective reasoning. I don't think it's appropriate for someone to encourage murder on this site as a means of retaliation, even jokingly, but you won't see me sending a complaint to ATS about it, because it would be hypocritical of everything I just said.

Democracy is not perfect, but it's the best we have so far and we should appreciate that.

Commending them is your personal perrogitive, not a requirement for all.

Supression of free speach? This is a private company, Southwest, telling someone what is acceptable in their domain. That my firend is what is called free speach.

It becomes less and less subjective, when many people complain.

It became clear that people were offended...Now, do you take off, and fly, knowing you have a potential Mile High argument on your hands?

Or do you kick off the offender, and let people relax?

Airlines are businesses (some even make money).
I think they were trying to piss off the lowest number of people possible.