New Law Could Make Gay Jokes Illegal

Originally posted by Niall197
By your logic I can walk up to the nearest black man and call him a n****r. And do that every day of the week too.

This is both the reason why the law is being proposed and why Rowan Atkinson is challenging 'the small print' of what is proposed.

The way you put it, as quoted above, I agree with your view, it is not acceptable. Yet one of my favourite films is Blazing Saddles by Mel Brooks and it uses that 'name' how many hundred times?

And that's where the problem lies with laws like this. When is it funny, and when is it not?

Originally posted by Irma


This is both the reason why the law is being proposed and why Rowan Atkinson is challenging 'the small print' of what is proposed.

The way you put it, as quoted above, I agree with your view, it is not acceptable. Yet one of my favourite films is Blazing Saddles by Mel Brooks and it uses that 'name' how many hundred times?

And that's where the problem lies with laws like this. When is it funny, and when is it not?

i agree with ya...change the movie title but you get the same thing...
i don't believe that racist or sexist JOKES are threatening or menacing or anything like that..

i don't know, i guess i just like to laugh.
give me all the white jokes, all the irish jokes you got...

telling a gay joke to your buds at work is a lot different than walking up to a gay coworker and just calling him a faggot in his face..
i can not get behind that action but does this law cover that?

this is where the interpretation starts no?

reply to post by SimiusDei


Yeah sure I know what you're saying.

But what you might consider a little chipping away here, chipping away there of your freedom of speech others might consider an extension to their freedoms ... their freedom not to be subject to malicious or threatening behaviour simply because of their sexual orientation.

The problem with this legislation is going to come in its interpretation. If your local church minister in his Sunday sermon said that homosexuality is wrong, will he be dragged through the courts ? I would hope not. But what if it were Fred Phelps and his church ? He's a different case altogether.

And there's going to be a problem too when it comes to the burden of proof ... one gay guy saying one thing, six bigots in the dock suddenly losing the courage of their convictions and saying something different entirely. Who to believe ?

Mm. You have to wonder how workable this'll be. But it's a start at least. Even if it changes behaviour by its mere presence on the statute books it's done a bit of good.

Parliament (Congress too) can remove every freedom you've got in an afternoon sitting. I used to serve in the RAF in a specialist role. The draft Emergency Powers Bill (and the accompanying Defence Regulations), to be enacted by Parliament in the event a nuclear attack on the UK seemed unavoidable stripped everyone of just about every human right you could possibly imagine. Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to property etc etc. Draconian wasn't the word for it. But that's just an aside and for another topic.

End of the day you're only as free as they want you to be.

reply to post by Irma


The scene where Cleavon Little (sp?) holds himself hostage is PRICELESS. Anyone who can watch that scene and NOT see the humor in it needs help.


"Another step and the ni**er gets it!"
"Better back off boys, I think he's serious!"



haha priceless!
Jasn

reply to post by Niall197


Whatever happened to people having a little backbone and just ignoring the idiots who feel the need to attempt to debase them?

A law should not be required simply because someone has their feelings hurt.

My god, hasn't this country gone soft enough already?

Hell, I use to catch the "fat" cracks all the time back in the day; It never bothered me. After all, it takes a "bigger" man to just walk away.

Hope you caught that poor joke.


Jasn

Originally posted by intrepid
I attended a funeral a couple of months ago for a coworker that killed himself. He had been the recipiant of slurs by a vocal few.

Gotta love Darwinism at work.


Sounds like more garbage pro-inequality legislation. Pretty soon the only group that won't have any special legal rights afforded them will be the "majority."

Extending any of this crap towards transsexuals is also moronic. Someone with issues decides to get cosmetic surgery and are instantly granted a stack of special rights.

WWIII can't come soon enough.

reply to post by SimiusDei


I agree 100% people need to get a backbone, there is so much stuff people do thats mean to each other and there is no way to stop it unless we jail almost everyone so its just stuff you have to deal with in life.

If you say a joke or insult someone once then no I dont think you should face legal consequences but if you harass someone on a regular basis with the intent to cause mental stress then yes you should get punished but thats a lot different then petty jokes.

These laws are getting goofier every day and I bet it wont be long until we have to get government permission to eat, sleep and drink.

I'm gonna post a few things here which some will no doubt find offensive, but they are not my views, I'm just illustrating a point that where humour is concerned, if people find it funny, they will, no matter how you wrap it up.

Mostly taken from a PDF file here......
www.scope.org.uk...


In the 70's in the UK, there was a charity called The Spastics Society which did a lot of good work for people with cerebral palsy. During the late 80's, due to the increasing usage of the word 'spastic' as a derogatory term, they decided that a name change would make the charity more acceptable to both those who needed it's help, and those who were associated with it at a professional level.

It was relaunched in 1994 as 'Scope' with the strapline 'for people with cerebral palsy'.

It wasn't long before a new derogatory term 'a scoper' (ie. one who is disabled) was being dished out left, right and centre, alongside the old ones.


Now I think this is where the whole PC movement doesn't really understand what society can be like in poking fun at those less fortunate. Some will joke about it whatever you call it and however 'wrong' it is.

People should be to say what they want, where they want, how they want, etc. If the person decides to beat you up, or saying things gets you fired, ect. then that is your problem.

NO speech should be illegal.

Originally posted by apc

Originally posted by intrepid
I attended a funeral a couple of months ago for a coworker that killed himself. He had been the recipiant of slurs by a vocal few.

Gotta love Darwinism at work.

Your compasskion is duly noted.

Extending any of this crap towards transsexuals is also moronic. Someone with issues decides to get cosmetic surgery and are instantly granted a stack of special rights.

Nope, they just are endowed with the same rights as you have. "Life, liberty....." Looking at some of the posts here it seems like this legislation might actually be necessary.

Originally posted by SimiusDei
reply to post by Niall197

 

I'm not sure how it is in Scotland, but, here in the states, if someone calls you a faggot at work (or any other slur with the exception of "white" slurs) it's immediate grounds for termination. A business, if they catch you, will let your ass go in a second to avoid the discrimination suit.


Jasn

Yeah, but they can't throw you in jail for it. Something could be against company policy and be grounds for a civil lawsuit without being against the law.


In defense of the propsed law, Jack Straw said that the law is meant to stop threatening speech, not speech that is merely mocking or abusive (although any law curatiling speech is a potential "slippery slope":

Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has told MPs that such fears are unfounded because he will shortly introduce an amendment to the Bill ensuring that cases can be pursued only when the offending words are specifically intended to pose a threat and are not merely humorous, mocking or abusive.

[edit on 11/9/2007 by Soylent Green Is People]

reply to post by intrepid



Sorry to hear about the unfortunate events. Chin up.

How the hell are they gonna differentiate between abusive and threatening?

If this goes through, the first few court cases will indeed be interesting.

Erm in most work places I know for years have had a no homophobia clause.
This is just the government using an already existing rule to remind us who is boss.

I don't need to be told not to call a homosexual a faggot, a queer or whatnot.
See I believe people have what they call a brain and self control and if they don't then that it's their own ignorance that gives the boss an excuse to fire them.

If a homosexual works in conditions where fellow employees are being discriminatory towards them then shouldn't it be simply a case of reporting it to the boss, and if the boss does nothing then sue the arse off the boss for allowing homophobic attacks to take place.

When this is put in place expect it to be abused by drama queens and expect people to get more homophobic, the best way to make something more appealing is to outlaw it.

Just another patronising rule put in place to keep us all dancing to the beat of the gangsters in power.

reply to post by Slickinfinity


EXACTLY! And there are already laws on the books that protect individuals from this. Harassment IS against the law.

However, the line is being crossed when the harassment of any one group over another is made practice.


Jasn

I think humaity has lost its sense of..humour..at the end of the day we are all different, humour helps to keep balnance ...with this legislation I think there will be far more damage done with this this sort thing..because it alienates the ones that just accept .....we are being told that we cannot look at humour...and enjoy the banter between human beings with diffferences!!

Yes there are homohobes...just seems that with the way things are being pushed it just sounds like every gay is getting bashed every day ...but from much I have seen most are quite happy with their lot...just getting on with their lives and of course they meet the odd moron...but not that many...



The more a minority make themselves different and impose...the bigger the baclash from the majority...human nature I think

This is my opinion only...and I am not a homophobe ( I did the test !lol )
Just seems things are getting silly !!

reply to post by intrepid


If someone wishes to call me names, they have every right to do so. Just as I have every right to be offended. But my being offended does not give me a right to deprive them of theirs.

Using a previous example, if a homosexual/"transsexual"/or ANY other able-bodied minority doesn't like their work environment, they should quit. They should then start their own business to compete with their oppressors, and work day and night to drive them into the ground.

That's how these problems should be solved. Through competition, not legislation.

You know, we'll never make it as a civilization with hate against a fellow human. It doesn't matter to me if they're gay, bisexual, black, white, spanish, Indian, persian, etc. To get to know someone for who they are and not what they are is much more rewarding. I'm not gay and never will be, but it just doesn't bother me if people want to be that way. In no way what so ever has people being gay hurt me or my family. People should treat people the way they would want to be treated and nothing less. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want and have no consiquences. You can't say your gonna kill the president and think nothing will be done about it, you will go to jail. You can't say you got a bomb at the airport and then say just kidding. You will still get takin' down hard and put in jail. This new law is just another consiquence added to ignorant people who have nothing better to do then to put down another fellow humanbeing. They should look deep into theirselfs first.

How about a law to make inventing stupid laws illegal?
I mean come on! People get picked on and called names every day. Big whoop! Sure its tragic if someone offs them self because they got made fun of. But you cant make everything illegal. Sometimes life sucks and the people in it. Deal with it!