Teen arrested for 'blasphemous T-shirt'

Teen arrested for 'blasphemous T-shirt'

www.news.com.au

A GOLD Coast teenager who wore a T-shirt by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth that reads 'Jesus is a [SNIP]' has been charged with offensive behaviour.

Above the offensive slogan a nun is depicted masturbating.

A 16-year-old was arrested on Monday for wearing the shirt and was charged with offensive behaviour under the Summary Offences Act 2005 for public nuisance.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.
I know it was used in the news article, but to ATS standards the usage falls under Censor Circumvention, so to maintain fairness to previous offenders I had to remove it. This goes for everyone in the thread. Thanks.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

This is complete CRAP!!!

I am sick of this!!! Not long ago, a bloke was stopped from boarding a plane, as he was wearing a Transformers tshirt that had pictures of guns - so he was seen as a security risk.

Now we are arresting a kid for wearing a friggin tshirt on the street????????!!!!!!

I've been to quite a few heavy metal gigs in my life, especially in the past couple of years. It's a cool tshirt! There's lots more out there that are just like it!

Read more into the article and see how a Gold Coast lawyer highlights Australia's need for a Bill of Rights to protect freedom of speech. The only problem with this is that the USA is losing its freedom of speech!!! Just mention the word 'terror' or even 'potential terrorist' and rights go out of the window. Also read how a reverand states that it is a sin to use the lord's name in vain. CRAP!!!

Far out, what have we come to?

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Agreed tezza. Rights are going out the window.

However, I'm sure a lot of parents don't want to have to explain to their five year olds ....daddy? What a [SNIP].

Why does that nun have her finger.....?

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See my note in the first post.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

reply to post by jpm1602

Personally though, I find it more offensive to see priests, nuns, bishops, cardinals, popes, etc wearing the clothes that they do.

How am I expected to explain to my children that those people believe in something called 'god'?

However, I acknowledge their right to wear such rubbish, even though I think it's silly.

Ok, leaving aside the "freedom of speech and expression" issue, there is still common decency, or at least that is something that should be enforced.

Wearing a transformers T-Shirt is not offensive, wearing a T-shirt with that wording and graphic is most definitely offensive to a great many people and exceeds, IMHO, what should (or at least used to be) accepted levels of decency.

If the word that begins with C is the word that i think of, which is one of the most offensive words ever in my opinion then he should be made to take it off, not arrested. I don't care that it was Jesus on the t-shirt, its just that is one hell of an offensive words, one of the worst ever and if lots of people see that, including little kids...

I think that arresting some one for wearing a T-Shirt is crazy, but when there are highly offensive swear words on it, then sure. You cant walk around with highly offensive words on your T-Shirt. You do have to think of others you know.

Fox

Geez here we go.
Sorry, I thought this was a socially acceptable behaviour thread.
Not a religious rant.
My bad.

Like to see that lad wear that tshirt into the pub in Dublin.
I don't think they would find any shavings left for burial.

I think this one is going to come down to personal opinion.

I'm not religous in the slightest, however i'd find the nun t-shirt a lot more offensive and disrespectfull than most out there.

Police over here have been doing people for offensive t-shirts as far as i can remember if they are too bad. Not sure if i can find any evidence to confirm that, but i have personaly seen friends being warned over t-shirts they've been wearing.

I guess it's a case of what general society deems appropriate, which again is extremely varied. The transformers t-shirt was pathetic IMO, however i don't particulary want to walk down the road with my two young kids and see a t-shirt saying "Jesus is a [SNIP]" and a nun doing that.

A yound lad with attention issues if you ask me.

CX.

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See my note in the first post.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

Originally posted by ProTo Fire Fox
You cant walk around with highly offensive words on your T-Shirt. You do have to think of others you know.

Yeah, but not to the extent where you compromise your own beliefs. Ultimately, if some people can't handle the BRIEF exposure to this tshirt, then they are the ones with the problems, not the person wearing it.

It is the big [SNIP] word, sure. However, haven't we passed this taboo when it made headlines years ago, after being freely used in Sex and the City?

Post 9.30pm TV allows the word to be used.

Passing someone in the street and glimpsing the tshirt for a few seconds is no reason to infringe on that person's right to wear the tshirt.

jpm1602, yeah I'll try and avoid the religious crap. However, the tshirt had a fairly specific anti-religious message on it, so it's kind of relevant.

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.
See my note in the first post.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

reply to post by tezzajw


Isn't this breaking down the barriers of what is and isn't acceptable one of the root causes of what is wrong with society (certainly in the UK) today?
Let people say what they want, do what they want, no matter how offensive it may be to others?
Sorry, but if people get their jollies by going out of their way to offend, and are encouraged to do so as some sort of inalienable right, then it's a pretty damning indictment on society today.

I agree that the kid shouldn't have been arrested for wearing the shirt. While i don't agree with the message i believe in his right to his opinion.


I do however have a problem with the picture on the shirt. Not with the fact that it was a nun masturbating, but rather with the fact that there was a picture of anyone masturbating.



I'm an adult and i don't want to see something like that on someones shirt when i'm walking down the street, and i sure don't want my grandchildren seeing a picture like that.



If he believes what the shirt says then that's his right, the written words on the shirt fall under his freedom of speech, the picture however does not.

You mean you've actually WATCHED sex in the city!?
Now that is a brave admission in its own right.
I'd rather be lathered in lard, tied up, and planted on a red ant hill.
Now that's guts brother!


Really quite silly. Anyone wearing such a thing is asking for a whoopa$$.
While nursing a wired jaw for 6 weeks sucking broth thru a straw one might ask themselves...hmmm. ya, that was worth it. Definately.

[edit on 6/25/2008 by jpm1602]

Originally posted by jpm1602
I'd rather be lathered in lard, tied up, and planted on a red ant hill.

Now a picture of that on a T-Shirt would be acceptable.

Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

(adressed to nobody imparticular)

If you don't like the shirt, then stop looking at it and continue on your way. If you get offended and then try and do something about it (make him take it off, get the authorities involved, etc...) then you are an asshole and the world needs less of you.

If anyone uses the 'morally reprehensible' argument, then they should be drop-kicked. There are no laws against this, because everyone generally agrees these people could use a good drop-kick every now and then.

Getting offended at the shirt is one thing, but actually being arrested for it is ridiculous. So what? Maybe Jesus really was a big ol' [SNIP]. Or maybe it's just a t-shirt.

But then again, this is a world where a christmas tree can cause repulsed offense, and t-shirts are getting kids harassed constantly.

::puts on his "jesus did it for the chicks" shirt::

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.
See my note in the first post.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

Originally posted by jpm1602
You mean you've actually WATCHED sex in the city!?

Inside tip: The wife enjoys it AND they go topless in some episodes! It's called win-win.

Doesn't freedom of expression also extend to graphic cartoon images, as well as speech? So what if the tshirt has a picture of a nun doing what comes naturally???

Originally posted by chise61
I'm an adult and i don't want to see something like that on someones shirt when i'm walking down the street, and i sure don't want my grandchildren seeing a picture like that.

And I don't want to see those annoying 'anti-abortion' shirts with a bloody fetus splashed across it. Yet they continue to exist, and I, as an adult, ignore it and laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

This is one of those situations where out of sight, out of mind would seem to fit.

Also, I doubt your grandchildren even notice the person, let alone the shirt. Kids are like squishy Etch-a-Sketch's; if they start to ask about it...just give them something shiny and be on your way.

So, to those people defending the graphic nature of this T-Shirt using the argument of freedom of speech / expression, would they be so quick to defend a T-Shirt with nude pictures of children performing sex acts? If not then why not?

After all, it may offend them but not the wearer and, as some have pointed out, people don't have to look at it if they are offended and it's the offended parties that have the problem in not accepting somebody else's point of view / opinion.

Just what are the boundaries, if any do indeed still exist?

Ohhhhhh! The Aussie version. I get it. If you ever saw even a minute of the yank version you'd load the .38 with a round and start spinning.
Spines, I suggest if you feel so strongly about graphic art right of speech you don the most stunningly repugnant tshirt you can think of and go parading for the day. You know what Letterman says about Jersey.
'It's supposed to smell that way.'

[edit on 6/25/2008 by jpm1602]

Originally posted by tezzajw

Yeah, but not to the extent where you compromise your own beliefs. Ultimately, if some people can't handle the BRIEF exposure to this tshirt, then they are the ones with the problems, not the person wearing it.

It is the big [SNIP] word, sure. However, haven't we passed this taboo when it made headlines years ago, after being freely used in Sex and the City?

Post 9.30pm TV allows the word to be used.

Passing someone in the street and glimpsing the tshirt for a few seconds is no reason to infringe on that person's right to wear the tshirt.

There is a time and place for everything and out in public is definitely NOT the place for a picture of someone masturbating. If people want to see things like that they can go buy a magazine, or rent a porno.



Not everybody watches sex in the city, and i doubt there are very many children that watch it. If i don't like something on tv i can turn it off, but i can't turn off someone's clothing in public.



His right to wear the shirt stops when it infringes on someone elses right not to have to be exposed to vulgarity, especially children's.

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.
See my note in the first post.

[edit on 25-6-2008 by Gemwolf]

Originally posted by Britguy
So, to those people defending the graphic nature of this T-Shirt using the argument of freedom of speech / expression, would they be so quick to defend a T-Shirt with nude pictures of children performing sex acts? If not then why not?

Considering that it's almost a worldwide stance that kiddy porn is not tolerated, I doubt that person would be able to safely walk beyond their front gate. How would they screen print the tshirt without anyone alerting the authorities? Computers are seized on a daily basis to stop kiddy porn.

Kiddy porn trancends ALL other opinions. Sure, if they want to wear it, go ahead... They better be prepared for a beating though...

jpm1602 - yeah, the Aussie version shows it all, which does make it worthwhile. The four leading ladies aren't too bad, when they're ...