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ACLU Sues To Protect Your Right To Swear
The ACLU is suing the police in Pennsylvania for issuing tickets to people who swear. They argue that it is every American's constitutional right to drop an F-bomb. From the article: "'Unfortunately, many police departments in the commonwealth do not seem to be getting the message that swearing is not a crime,' said Marieke Tuthill of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. 'The courts have repeatedly found that profanity, unlike obscenity, is protected speech.'" This is a big f*cking deal.
This should be fun.
This will, I think, shape up to be a filthy comment section...
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
I was under the understanding that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had already shot down the "disorderly conduct" law that was used to disenfranchise people's rights. It would be nice if the ACLU could come to New York and do the same for our law.
I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
Sorry, I couldn't f-ing resist!
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
Do I understand correctly that I'm within my rights to suggest a cop "Fuck off.", but I can't advise him, "Go fuck yourself."?
-Peter
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An American rights group is suing the police in Pennsylvania for issuing tickets, which carry a jail sentence, to people for swearing.
...
One lawsuit involves an unidentified woman in Luzerne County in northeast Pennsylvania who was given a citation which carries a maximum penalty of $300 and 90 days in jail after she yelled an offensive word at a motorcyclist who swerved close to her in October 2008.
I think I speak for most people when I say: Fuck that.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
"This is a big f*cking deal."
No. It's a big fucking deal. Just print the U please, it won't hurt anyone.
Replacing the vowel in profanity with some other character doesn't fool anyone. Everyone knows still you're swearing.
Help I'm a rock.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FUCK YEAH!
FUCK YEAH!!!!!
That, that really grinds my gears!
Can somebody explain to me what exactly is bad about swearing?
Is it okay to yell "fuck" in a crowded theater?
http://www.suziqleathers.com/images/GSB279%20Fuck%20You%20Tshirt%20$14.95.jpg
__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
Roman Moronie might have put it best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv8tVxk6Nj4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON0iqz4ento
~ C.
In English, fuck falls into many grammatical categories:
As a transitive verb for instance.. John fucked Shirley.
As an intransitive verb... Shirley fucks.
Its meaning is not always sexual, it can be used as...
An adjective such as... John's doing all the fucking work.
As part of an adverb... Shirley talks too fucking much.
As an adverb enhancing an adjective... Shirley is fucking beautiful.
As a noun... I don't give a fuck.
As part of a word... absofuckinglutely -or- infuckingcredible.
And as almost every word in a sentence... Fuck the fucking fuckers.
As you must realize, there aren't too many words with the versatility of fuck...such as these examples describing situations such as:
Fraud: I got fucked at the used car lot.
Dismay: ahhh fuck it.
Trouble: I guess I'm really fucked now.
Aggression: Don't fuck with me buddy.
Difficulty: I don't understand this fucking question.
Inquiry: Who the fuck was that?
Dissatisfaction: I don't like what the fuck is going on here.
Incompetence: He's a fuck-off.
Dismissal: Why don't you go outside and play hide and go fuck yourself...
I'm sure you can think of many more examples.
With all these multi-purpose applications, how can anyone be offended when you use the word. We say use this unique, flexible word more often in your daily speech.
It will identify the quality of your character immediately.
Say it loudly and proudly: FUCK YOU!
If you live in PA this won't surprise you. We just started selling alcohol on Sundays and a handful of grocery stores have had the audacity to try selling beer/wine!
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits
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I had a friend flip off a cop once for cutting him off on a road in Erie. The cop turned around, put his lights on, and gave him a ticket for obscenity.
He challenged the ticket mentioning freedom of speech as well as the fact that the officer didn't even show up. In the end he won, but that doesn't excuse the fact that police officers in Pennsylvania can waste people's time like this on power trips.
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Comment removed based on user account deletion
Can somebody explain to me what exactly is bad about swearing?
Not really, no.
Apparently some people think certain words are evil, bad and offensive regardless of the context in which they are used. This argument is of course fucking absurd. Word have no meaning without context. I believe George Carlin addressed this issue at some length and expense.
What about words or phrases which are obscene, but not profanity?
I.e. "dildo", "douche" "anus", "jerk-off", "retarded", etc. Will they protect my right to use common language into obscenities?
of the inarticulate motherfucker.
Best Slashdot Co
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From The Onion.
What part of the fucking First Amendment don't you understand, motherfucker?
If ever I'm in Pennsylvania, I might spontaneously decide to sing "Killing in the Name" by RATM for no reason other than it's an awesome tune. Think of it as a free concert for anyone that wants to listen.
Yeah, well, Miller v. California...
-- (this is a sig) My Computer Programming Forumhttp://www.programers.co.nr/
You have to love a country where girls will let you fuck them up the ass to preserve their "virginity" for marriage, but it's illegal to curse in public or on TV.
Sorry, I couldn't f-ing resist!
Oh, that's fucking sad. You lose TWICE!
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
Slashdot. News for nerds. The "smart" news aggregator. So what does everyone do when this story is posted? Fall all over themselves to post the word "fuck"
Some police tend to write tickets, or even arrest people just to give a hard time. Maybe it is sometimes out of ignorance of the law.
I had a friend given a ticket for flashing his headlights, at 2:30 pm. The ticket was for using his high-beams at night when there is oncoming traffic. They just didn't like people being warned about the speed trap.
Even if an arrest is in violation of the law, to win a lawsuit on it, you have to show that it was not only improper, but that the cop knew it was improper -- a high standard to meet. In the meantime, you are still locked up, have to pay an attorney. But on the good side, you get to make new friends when locked up.
Even when right, you should be nice to people who carry guns and give you a personal invitation to jail. Even if he/she/it is an asshole.
Fight Spammers!
Tell me you're trying to pull a joke on your non-american readers.... The country that mocks us about cease & decist letters for an open WLAN router is actually using the police to stop you from swearing? I sincerely hope you're just kidding.
They[1]'ll sue you to death and beyond with copyright claims.
[1] They being the record companies, of course.
The whole notion that there is "protected" and "unprotected" speech is ridiculous. Can you believe that whether speech is protected or not depends mostly on the judge's or jury's gut feelings and opinions about something? That art or communication can be judged by general people for its merits instead of just letting anyone interested in it decide?
This is not a free country, never was and never will be. Free speech is hilariously meaningless if free speech only means certain types of speech--it then becomes simply "allowed" speech. You can't -ever- claim that you have something called free speech if you're going to have committees of some sort vet the speech for content.
The obscenity and profanity issues, often like hate crimes (when the "hate crime" is nonthreatening") are really all the same thing--someone got conditioned to have a negative emotional reaction to some word or image, and thus they throw a hissy fit and start babbling on about "morality" and "greater good" blah blah blah blah.
This isn't a conservative/liberal thing. Both groups are equally fascistic when it comes to freedom of speech. If the ACLU is buying into the "protected speech" meme the courts have arbitrarily generated over time (that's the beauty of precedent, isn't it? You can create legal truths out of thing air!) then they're pretty useless too if they're going to just kowtow and toe the line of the judicial system's own bias and dogmas.
The whole idea of "protected" and "unprotected" speech should overturn in your mind COMPLETELY faith in the legal system as a whole. It shows that the legal system is full of ridiculous, moralistic dogma (often a different sort than your typical liberal/conservative slants, but a dogma nonetheless) and that you can go to jail for a long period of time without harming a single person. Who the fuck are geriatric judges to say what is and is not "offensive," and why should content be filtered by the state for whether it's offensive or not? And why does MY opinion not count, but a bunch of generic suburban imbeciles does? Nobody has the right not to be offended, regarding sex or politics or otherwise. If you find anything offensive enough to silence, the defect is with you, not the person making the speech.
Again, the entire notion of "unprotected" speech should shatter your entire view of the legal system and society in general, because it means you really are nothing more than a serf on some levels. "Free speech"--you're free to say what we say you can say. What a bunch of tripe. The legal system is a fucking cult, filled with priests (judges, in robes no less), dogmas (precedent), meaningless and arbitrary tradition, a holy text to interpret (the law, and just like any holy texts there are tons of interpretations of it), and even their own religious jargon (legalese, that only the priesthood is fit to interpret).
No.
You can get a pair of earphones and protect your right to not listen for yourself, without calling the cops down on me for exercising my first amendment rights.
Fuck you.
Changa hates change.
...oh wait
You're wrong. My fist's freedom of movement ends about half a foot up your asshole. Because you like being fisted by sweaty, hairy greek dudes, such as myself.
I never understand why people feel the need to limit my vocabulary based on some belief that a word is somehow "bad". What makes bitch somehow worse than scumbag, which has a much more disgusting and vulgar meaning?
I know "Think of the children" and all that nonsense, but you should really be more concerned with WHY your son said fuck than you are with his choice of words.
I'm just pissed off that the standard English language word 'fuck' is referred to as an 'F-bomb'.
Seriously, do we just use 'initial+hyphen bomb' for anything nowadays?
'F-bombs', 'N-bombs', 'H-bombs', 'A-bombs'.
How about 'S-bombs' for shit or 'C-bombs' for cocks or 'T-bombs' for tits?
Then we can degrade the entire language.
On one hand I very much stand behind total freedom of speech, on the other its not always a good thing to exercise it without care. I'm not a parent, but if I were, I would probably try to limit what profanity a young child hears. I swear like a sailor but in public I'm conscious of who is around me for this reason. Sometimes using an obscenity can escalate a situation, showing new severity that wasnt available with conventional words. Swearing at an officer may be exercising freedom of speech, but verbal assaults can be a dangerous thing as well and I'm not sure which side to stand on if an officer of the law makes a calculated decision to de-escalate you if you are perhaps in his face using extreme language. I see both sides to the argument, but again its not always so black and white.
I think the police finally had enough of people playing (loud mind you) a certain old song by NWA. Anyone else remember "Fuck the police"?
I have and know other people who got pulled over and everything was looked at by the police if they had that song playing. I asked the police for an inspection sticker since they basically just performed one. Word of advice, don't do that. The police keep you pulled over even longer. I never got a ticket. I was pulled over for the song being played. This was in NJ and Philadelphia.
And while you're at it, lets see if we can get Steve Jobs to jerk off once on his iPad.
"The iPad gets too much hype so I'm gonna bring it up in a totally unrelated thread!"
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Certain words have crept into vocabulary and are now used to the exclusion of other words. It seems young folks are unable, now, to express themselves without swear words. It seems that they are completely unaware that there are actual words that actually MEAN what they are trying to say; but since they don't know them, they attach the same word that everyone else attaches for emphasis. So we end up with sentences that include the same word, for emphasis, three times... when all they really mean to say is "I was astounded."
To me, people who use swear words for pretty much everything sound uneducated and ... well, the follow-the-crowd type... someone who is clearly influenced, in the way they talk, by whoever is around them at the time.
It's also interesting to me that people argue that words have no meaning out of context, etc., and typically argue that with someone who is offended by that kind of speech... and yet, then they use those same words specifically to offend or be abrasive. That's not out-of-context, that is a very specific context. If you are using a word specifically to offend me while claiming I shouldn't be offended because it's out of context, you're being rather rude.
I personally dislike swearing. I find it ... well, vulgar and uneducated :) Here's my actual "political" response though: as long as I am not allowed to use certain terms for people because it's "politically incorrect" or "offensive" to them, etc - for example, "black" or "gay" or perhaps saying that some act or sexual orientation is a "sin" - then I don't see why you should be allowed to swear and cuss under to offend someone under the guise of free speech.
Ironically, the f-word was self-censored in this article. Why? Because there are in fact decency laws which forbid profanity in the media. Why doesn't the ACLU sue the FCC about that?
Apparently you've never heard of earplugs or tuning out the person talking. I do it all the time, it is quite easy.
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
One right you do NOT have is to not be offended.
So fuck off.
... in Virginia Beach. You are not allowed to swear out on the boardwalk. http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherdale/23860378/ Picture of the signs they have posted up and down the board walk. I believe you receive a fine for violating it.
I won't be supporting the national ACLU anytime soon. Seems that they love every bit of the constitution except the Second Amendment. Even after the Supreme Court handed down its Heller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_v._Heller) decision, they had the audacity to disagree with them and spout all sorts of non-sense about "the militia".
So, we can drop F-bomb all day long, but I don't have the right to self defense? What good is that if the one's on the receiving end of the F-bombs have all the guns??
At least some states chapters of the ACLU have differing opinions: http://onemansthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/nevada-aclu-supports-an-individual%E2%80%99s-right-to-bear-arms-2/
Links:
http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice_prisoners-rights_drug-law-reform_immigrants-rights/second-amendment
It would be nice if the ACLU could come to New York and do the same for our law.
So...donate to the New York chapter of the ACLU, and send them a letter letting them know that this issue is important to you.
As of today, it is indeed illegal to use obscene language in PA, if there is INTENT to cause public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm.
This will be a test case, for sure.
5503. Disorderly conduct.
(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of disorderly
conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance
or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he:
(1) engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or
tumultuous behavior;
(2) makes unreasonable noise;
(3) uses obscene language, or makes an obscene gesture;
or
(4) creates a hazardous or physically offensive
condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose of
the actor.
(b) Grading.--An offense under this section is a misdemeanor
of the third degree if the intent of the actor is to cause
substantial harm or serious inconvenience, or if he persists in
disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to
desist. Otherwise disorderly conduct is a summary offense.
(c) Definition.--As used in this section the word "public"
means affecting or likely to affect persons in a place to which
the public or a substantial group has access; among the places
included are highways, transport facilities, schools, prisons,
apartment houses, places of business or amusement, any
neighborhood, or any premises which are open to the public.
You're confusing the right not to listen with the right not to hear.
I might have this backwards because copyright, etc. seems to be a morass - but I don't think the record companies can sue for you performing a song yourself. I think that is ASCAP that does that - the people representing the songwriters and composers. You know, the ones who don't want restaurant staff to be able to sing Happy Birthday. Generally isn't it ASCAP that hassles locations that hire cover bands and not the RIAA?
You don't have a right to not be offended. You have a right to not listen to him, to go elsewhere, and to not allow him on your property, but if you're in public, you get to fucking deal with whatever the hell some other asshole wants to say.
Remember Evelyn Beatrice Hall? "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
I'm offended by people proselytizing their God. Do I have the right to have them ticketed or hauled away, too?
My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
we are suppose to be nice to each other and not offend other people
certain words are swear words because they traffic in ugliness. for example, if i refer to women as bitches, i am comparing females of my own species to female dogs. if i were to do this, i am either: 1.ignorant that i might be offending a woman, and therefore that woman should rightfully avoid me, or 2. i am actually trying to offend a particular woman, in which case: i am hoping she feels a sting (even though of course she will naturally think less of me permanently)
finally, as a new yorker, guess fucking what: i like my fucking swears to be fucking offensive
but if we are to believe what you say, that words cannot offend, well then you've just neutered my ability to attack with words
if a guy cuts me off in the crosswalk, i want to be able to call him a cocksucking bastard and i want him to feel the power of those words. i don't like this idea that i call him a cocksucking bastard and, since according to you words cannot offend, that he feels nothing. i want him to pull over and get out of the car with a tire iron and go at me while i pick up a trash can and pummel him: i WANT my swears to be offensive, thank you fucking much, so don't fucking suggest otherwise
finally, you cocksucking twatstain, you fucking imply one more fucking time that swears aren't fucking offensive, and i'll wipe that smug fucking socially autistic ignorance off your ignorant fucking face, capisce?
alright then, i hope you learned something today. don't make me shove my fucking foot down your throat ;-P
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Does that mean you are only vulnerable if you swear in English? Is it OK to swear in Italian (complete with hand gestures) Japanese, or Spanish, French, etc.?
Republican leadership = Idiocracy
How about "Fuck the FCC" or "Jays Rap"?
do people make fun of the midwest so much when you have this on the coasts?
cocksucker, motherfucker and tits.
George, we fucking love you, you magnificent bastard.
WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
Mr. Garrison: OK, kids, let's start the day with a few new math problems. What is five times two? Come on children, don't be shy. Just give it your best shot. [Clyde raises his hand] Yes, Clyde?
Clyde: Twelve?
Mr. Garrison: OK. Now let's try to get an answer from someone who's not a complete retard. Anyone? Come on, don't be shy.
Kyle: I think I know the answer, Mr. Garrison.
Cartman: [mocking Kyle in high-pitched, gibberish voice]
Kyle: Shut up, fat boy!
Cartman: Hey, don't call me fat, ya fuckin' Jew!
Mr. Garrison: Eric! Did you just say the F-word?
Cartman: Jew?
Kyle: No, he's talking about "fuck." You can't say "fuck" in school, you fuckin' fat ass!
Mr. Garrison: Kyle!
Cartman: Why the fuck not?
Mr. Garrison: Eric!
Stan: Dude, you just said "fuck" again!
Mr. Garrison: Stanley!
Kenny: [muffled] Fuck.
Mr. Garrison: Kenny!
Cartman: What's the big deal? It doesn't hurt anybody! Fuck, fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck!
Mr. Garrison: How would you like to go see the school counselor?
Cartman: How would you like to suck my balls?
[everyone gasps]
Mr. Garrison: [enraged] What did you say?!
Cartman: Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Actually, what I said was: [picks up a megaphone] "How would you like to suck my balls, Mr. Garrison?
[Garrison stands rooted to the spot, frozen with fury]
Stan: Holy shit, dude.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
So, there have been various studies that have shown that swearing reduces stress. I'm not sure if a reason has been found but it's fair to assume it's about providing an outlet that helps. So, if you deprive people of that outlet it could be reasonably argued that you're potentially threatening their health - of course the degree to which you're doing so is difficult to ascertain but you can't ever prove that exposure to swearing causes any physically measurable negative effect...!
They're all evil, entertainment wants to be free. Anyone who expects to be paid for being creative simply hasn't had the right morals educated into them yet.
I wonder if the ACLU will show up to protect some smart mouthed punk before I ram my fist down his throat? Fuck the ACLU! The only right anyone actually has is to die. In the mean time, I do have quite a lovely collection of dental records embedded in my fists.
It doesn't work that way you fucking moron.
South Park did what I thought was one of their best episodes on 'curse' words. The moral was, they are curse words, they create emphasis when needed and shouldn't be part of every sentence. I tend to agree with that. When I hear people talking with every other word being a curse word, I think it is pretty lame. They are trying to look tough and evoke a reaction, and they just come off as morons.
Although I have to admit I thought 'Fuck the fucking fuckers.' was really funny!
If your city decides, proselytizing is a civil offense as the City of Philadelphia decided, swearing is, your city's police may ticket them...
I repeat my example of the FCC regulating swearing. Their power to do that was challenged, but continues to stand... Philadelpia's action is only more defensible, because FCC is empowered by Federal Congress to whom the First Amendment directly applies, whereas the locales have more freedom in enacting laws, even though we extended the "Congress shall make no law" to lesser governments too a while ago.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
The Supreme Court was pretty clear in the leading case of Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971), officially summarized thusly:
.Held: Absent a more particularized and compelling reason for its actions, the State may not, consistently with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, make the simple public display of this single four-letter expletive a criminal offense."
"Appellant was convicted of violating that part of Cal. Penal Code 415 which prohibits 'maliciously and willfully disturb[ing] the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or person . . . by . . . offensive conduct,' for wearing a jacket bearing the words 'Fuck the Draft' in a corridor of the Los Angeles Courthouse . . .
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=403&invol=15
Just as your fist's freedom of movement ends at my face, your speech's freedom ends at my ears, if I so choose.
You are right. Wanna borrow my icepick? Then you'll never have to hear people call you a fucking uptight fuckstick ever again!
...their head examined. Traffic court is already filled with bogus cases in defense of laws whose primary purpose is to generate income for the locality.
Fair taxation, please, not harassment in lieu of it.
"FUCK" isn't obscenity, which according to the article isn't considered free speech. Obscenities and profanity are different.
Do the policemen suffer any penalty for issuing bad tickets? Until that happens this will never end.
we are suppose to be nice to each other and not offend other people
Only to a point. There are times when offense is impossible to avoid or even intended. I have no objection to a well timed and well delivered insult. That can be high art when done properly.
if i refer to women as bitches, i am comparing females of my own species to female dogs.
You apparently neglected to actually read my fucking post. Bitch is only offensive in a context. If I'm talking about my female collie, the word bitch is completely appropriate, accurate and should offend no one. Anyone who is offended by its use in that context is a prissy moron for whom I have no respect.
Look at it this way: if a bird mimics the sound, is that still a curse? No. It has no context, no intent and no meaning. It's just a sound.
but if we are to believe what you say, that words cannot offend, well then you've just neutered my ability to attack with words
Words absolutely can offend you moron. There is a huge difference between me hitting my hand with a hammer and exclaiming "fuck" and me telling you to "go fuck a donkey". Context makes all the difference.
I remember this going to court in Calgary, Alberta, around 1990. Somebody had a T-Shirt that said "Fuck off and die" on it and was arrested. The judge's decision at the time was that "fuck" could no longer be considered obscene because it had become everyday use. He did say the wearer demonstrated poor taste but it was unfortunately legal. And this was 20 years ago!
.. while swearing: "With all due respect: Fuck you, Sir."
Lars T.
To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck
It doesn't work too well as a preposition.
Quotes from Star Trek IV The Voyage Home
Spock: Your use of language has altered since our arrival. It is currently laced with, shall we say, more colorful metaphors, "double dumb-ass on you" and so forth.
Kirk: Oh, you mean the profanity?
Spock: Yes.
Kirk: Well that's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word.
--------
[Spock is still learning how to use profanity correctly]
Spock: They like you very much, but they are not the hell "your" whales.
Dr. Gillian Taylor: I suppose they told you that.
Spock: The hell they did.
--------
Kirk: Spock, where the hell's the power you promised?
Spock: One damn minute, Admiral.
--------
Disgruntled guy in car: Hey, why don't ya watch where you're going, ya dumb ass!
Kirk: Well, a double dumb ass on you!
--------
Spock: Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?
Didn't Don Imus have something like this in his night time stand up routine many years ago? Something like reserving swearing for when no other form of expression can truely get the point across. I think he called it something like "Swear with Flair".
Fsck censorship!
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
see? the above cocksucker was trying to offend me with language. too bad he's too much of a limpdick to make much of an impression, but its the effort that counts!
words CAN offend, don't forget that
thank you lowiq (is that your sig?)
high five! (hugs)
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
there are so seldom any repercussions for them doing so
And for good reason: the more authority people are subject to, the more authority becomes a normal everyday part of life, rather than something to question or suspect.
At the top of the power pyramid, the goal isn't merely to subject people to authority, but to expand the business of government. What regular abuse of authority does is to help set the precedent for "big league" expansions of power and revenue -- exactly the kind the people who run the business of government are interested in.
If by "continues to stand", you mean "sorta, kinda, not really"
When a show bleeps out "jesus" 2 seconds before not bleeping out "asshole" I can't say much for the power of the FCC's regulation. And we're better off that way.
The irony of this is while the law itself is very much a 1st Amendment issue, the enforcement is almost certainly revenue related. Just as traffic enforcement is "driven" by revenue generation rather than public safety (in which there is no real interest), this situation has the feel of a localized sin tax designed to fill the coffers of the enforcing districts.
In English, it boils down to a legalized shake down.
"Man is nothing without the works of man" -- Helvetius
Shit! What small vocabularies you fucking cunts have!
I think the question is not that certain words are evil, but that profanity can be valuable. This value is lost from overuse.
Salt is wonderful. Brings out the flavor in most anything. But add just a bit too much and it ruins the dish.
Swearing can do the same thing for literature or movies. Some writers think that the right amount of salt is as much as the viewers can possibly stand. Censorship brings down the level to a point where everybody is comfortable, but limits flavor in the process.
Unfortunately, everybody has their own tastes. My personal rule of thumb is about one swear per 30 minutes ... YMMV. Too bad there isn't the equivalent of a salt shaker for movies: "Hmmm... this needs more swearing in this scene. [shake shake shake]."
Billy Conolly said it best:
Please show me the english equivalent of "Fuck off" and I'll *happily* use it.
It certainly isn't "Go away".
And it has its own kinda feel to it. You never read '"Fuck off" he hinted'.
America - F*ck Yeah!!!
...demolition man.
Punishing someone who didn’t hurt anyone, is hurting someone, and hence a crime.
Swearing can not be considered hurting anyone.
Simple as that.
Now physically it is completely possible for swearing to cause physical damage to someone. If his brain is set-up is a way that that input pattern triggers neurons that create the damage. (Either in the brain trough severe mis-association [or what the average Joe would call self-damaging irrational behavior], or in the rest of the body trough e.g. epilepsy, paralysis, etc.) But of course that can only happen if something previously set the brain up that way. (Usually a long process over multiple generations with at least one war and one abuse being involved. ;)
Some people who are unable to live in normal society anymore, or have some weird associations in their brain. But you can’t be expected to be cautious of everything that could damage them. Or you could never go outside anymore, since all people are different.
Imagine you walk down the street, and someone who got raped by someone in jeans sees you wearing them. This causes him to burst into tears, and he sues you for it. That’s the WTF that is the logical extension of making it illegal to swear.
I think the root of the problem is that the average Joe still thinks that there is such a thing as “the guilty one”. In science the concept of guilt is already thrown overboard. Because for everything that happened, you can say that it was caused by someone else, and that someone else is therefore the actual guilty one. And so on, until the beginning of the universe.
Things are just what they are. There is no good and evil. Asian philosophers knew this for a loong time.
So logically there is only one “punishment” that is morally acceptable: Separation. In case of a community with common rules vs. one person with other rules: banishment. Or in case of two sets of people with vastly different views in one country: Splitting up the country.
This is a good thing, as it allows everyone to happily live by his own rules. Because nobody should impose his rules on someone else.
This is even true for murderers & co: Put them on an island, and let them see how they survive with nobody wanting contact with them. If the manage to survive, and manage to do enough good to be accepted peers again, then they are officially forgiven. And after some generations, there will again be a normal society of good people on that island.
If not, and they die, or fail otherwise, then this is also a good thing.
I consider such a system 100% fair and the best thing for everyone.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
If I was an officer, rest assured I would not waste my valuable time putting up with the language especially if it's coming in a combative tone. It's "bring it on" time. Get in my face with your diatribe of explicatives, expect to be tased.
The law will adapt and adjust to be more narrow. Officers already make next to nothing to defend us. Take away their tools to work "constructively" with those that disrupt and then wonder why they won't respond to your calls for issues? This knife cuts both ways.
Expect this issue to get worse before it gets better.
The phrases are independent. The first expresses the *reason* for the second, it does not modify or limit it.
And yes, the security of a *free* state does depend, as the founders clearly understood, on an armed citizenry instead of a standing army. Most people that style themselves as defenders of the second amendment seem to miss that context, unfortunately.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
False dichotomies are lies.
Not to mention I have no interest in an altercation caused because of a poor choice of words around someone's kid. It's just immature and stupid to not take into account your actions based on your surroundings.
A bunch of childish replies using the word fuck as many times as they can. Thats mature and shows just how rational of a discussion can be had.
Just for reference, this kind of stuff just makes rational people not care about your opinion.
Profanity, by default, is not obscenity. No argument there, but it most certainly can be. Just like the naked body is not obscene in and of itself, it certainly can be.
Context means a lot.
I really don't have a problem with stopping random people from standing around the park shouting profanity all day long for no reason. Its just dumb and annoying, but not just because of profanity, because its just rude and inconsiderate.
If Penn wants people to be 'polite' and not use profanity in public places, thats perfectly acceptable, IF they vote it into law. If its not a law then thats it, game over.
Regardless of the law, if you are a dumb ass who starts throwing profanity at a cop just to show how you can exercise your rights then I fully expect him/her to do something about it. You deserve to be spanked for being a moron.
You have a right to free speech, and with that right comes the responsibility to do it in ways that don't offend everyone around you. If you are the minority and those around you are offended, its rather silly to try and argue that you should be allowed to do whatever you want.
I use profanity all over the place, I often get asked to not do so in public because of many reasons relating to 'think of MY children' or simply because it makes me look like a douche bag. And you know what? I try to stop. Just because I have a right to free speech doesn't mean anyone else wants to hear it and they have rights as well.
Being irrational and arguing that its perfectly acceptable to do something any time any place just because its a 'right' won't ever get you anywhere.
Just like the Texas text book thing ... majority rules, if a community doesn't want people swearing in public then you deal with it. You don't always get to do what you want when it impedes on others, regardless of your 'rights'.
Rights only work when you respect others, the whole system falls apart when you show no respect for others. The majority WILL get its way, good or bad, regardless of what you want or think.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
Fucking idiots! Don't they know the "F" Bomb is as American as apple pie. Take my Chevy, but leave my fucking alone!
"My immediate reaction is "WTF? What kind of moron doesn't make things 64-bit safe to begin with?" Linus
Damn it...I really really wish George Carlin was still here.
Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits, Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits, Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits, Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits, Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits,Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits, Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits
It is rather simple. Free speech is fine and dandy until you try and harm someone with it. Calling in a bomb threats to airports is not protected speech even if you are using very civilized language. Swearing and cussing doesn't bring harm to another human being in itself, therefor that should be protected speech.
Only government authorized Goodspeak and Rightspeak is allowed. All other speak to be brain censored and removal warrants will be issued. Thought monitors will be installed on first offerenders as a corrective measure to save the children from being exposed to such filth.
I also hope the Court's decision is read like "The court finds for the fucking plaintiff, and orders Pennsylvania to fuck off!"
Consider the fact that is what is profane to one person is not profane to another. Worse it has absolute cultural reference and is generally not even translatable to a foreign language. If I swear at you in a foreign language are you as offended I did so in your own? If I called you Gilipollas or pendejo are you offended? How about if I translate it to meaning asshole? Although that is not exactly what it means.
The problem is all profanity is cultural. I fact there are plenty of British English profane words Americans do not understand. So it is even true that withing a dialect not all profane words translate.
Also consider many cultures do not have the same connotations for swearing. That is there are many who simply consider the person using profanity to lack the proper vocabulary to express their selves.
Being a Dad this is my definition: If I would be embarrassed to hear my 6 year old say it then it's a swear word. Until you've experienced your offspring banging their crayon on the table and yelling "fuckit!" loudly in front of other parents, teachers, relatives, clergy, etc. you'll still have an incomplete understanding of swearing.
Now if someone out there could suggest some way I might stop my self from all this Goddamn swearing so that I can reduce the, thankfully rare, occurrence of these embarrassing incidents.... shit, I'd be willing to give any-damn-thing a muthafucking try.
-- QED
. . . that such an advanced society as ours seems saddled with a small set of practically ancient expressions to express our contemporary feelings. Words that rhyme with duck and sit and hunt and tips for such profoundly emotional moments such as when the IRS sends you an audit notice or your ex-wife publishes video of her and your former best friend copulating while she moans "finally a real piece of meat" or when that hammer hits your thumb instead of the nail. These "lifetime memories" deserve something more than the same short guttural epitaphs used by 19th Century laborers. After all, we are in the Third Millennium, the age of Urban Dictionary and Wiktionary. Let's try to come up with something more original and, certainly, more profane.
This one usually makes liberal, anti-RKBA heads explode:
Lee Harvey Oswald shot John F. Kennedy to death in 1963 with a mail-order rifle.
One of these two men was member of the ACLU.
The other one was a member of the NRA.
Guess which one was which?
I'll bite.
You do not have the right to trample others' rights in an attempt to not be offended. Not being offended is a choice you can make about any given situation, not a right that lets you restrict the freedoms of others.
Not a sentence!
I think a certain man named George Carlin would disagree. Of course, Carlin also thought it would be acceptable for you to kill him if you didn't like what he had to say. Then of course, if people didn't like you killed George Carlin, it would be acceptable for them to kill you.
Probably not the best solution. But he did believe you had the right to get offended. And when I say rights, I mean he only believed in the previously mentioned right of "if I don't like something you do I can kill you."
Note this was of course in a comedy bit.
What's that supposed to mean? That I must be offended?
No, that's logically incorrect. Given any statement of fact "if A, then B" the only logically correct inference you can make is what's known as the contrapositive.
Original statement: If A, then B.
Contrapositive: If NOT B, then NOT A.
To go back to the original statement:
"One right you do NOT have is to not be offended."
The contrapositive would be:
"The right to be offended is one right you DO have."
It's basically like the word "Smurf" as used by the [url]ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs#Smurf_language[/url].
I love it! It's not often you see two unrelated link-posting mistakes in the same link here. 1 - using bbcode instead of html, and then leaving the "h" off of "http".
To create a link in a Slashdot post, you should have done the following:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smurfs#Smurf_language">The Smurf Language</a>
which would produce the following link:
The Smurf Language
Most hilarious.
There is a great brief filed by a Colorado Public Defender addressing this issue (specifically the word Fuck and its history and uses).
The brief can be found at: http://scofacts.org/The-F-Motion.html
--AC
No one is disputing your right to not listen. In fact, that's the only workable course of action here.
That's pre 7-11 thinking....
What's that supposed to mean? That I must be offended? You bet I am...
You decided to take part in this conversation. If the topic offends you, perhaps you should have left rather than express your outrage at being offended in a discussion that you obviously don't want to take part in.
It's like choosing to walk into a rave club and then start expressing outrage at the loud music and bright flashing lights. The people already there enjoy the atmosphere and you do not have a right to ruin their time; instead it is up to you to leave the situation you find offensive.
The irony of this post is that ideally, you shouldn't read it since, if you were a reasonable person, you'd be ignoring this thread and posts from it.
... it was about detecting sarcasm and irony. Might want to check that one out.
May be apocryphal, but the story went like this: the British Navy warrant officer, when asked what the problem was with his non-working engine, replied "fuckin' fuckers' fucked". Of course, being a RN warrant officer, this came out more like "fookin' fookers' fooked", but you get the idea.
I would have certainly loved to post Mods all over this Fucking Thread...
There probably won't be one Fucking person who reads this Fucking Post because there are so many Fucking Posts already. God Dammit!
PROTECTED FREE SPEECH! YES!
Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
Walter in The Big Lebowski said it best: "Oh please, dear? For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint."
For example, while the word "fanny" is a perfectly acceptable word in the US to refer to one's posterior, it's my understanding that in the UK, using that expression is frowned upon in polite society (and I believe has a somewhat different meaning). Same deal with "bloody", which isn't really used in the US except among people trying to sound British, but in the actual UK is considered borderline obscene. Or at least used to be.
Swearing in the presence of a law enforcement official in Texas is considered an act of resistance. Therefore resisting an a law enforcement official (misdameanor), where you will be thrown in jail for a least a minimum of 72 hours (at least until bailed out). When you get out you still have to go to your local court and fight (and still pay court costs), where you will then be free to be picked again if you foolishly try it again. RULE 1: MAN WITH THE GUN: Yes sir.... No sir.... RULE 2: DISRESPECT IS NOT APPRECIATED: refer to RULE 1
...is dead and rotting in hell now.
I remember reading something about how swear words activate a different part of your brain than the traditional language centers. Ah yes, a link: http://people.howstuffworks.com/swearing.htm
Pretty fascinating stuff, I think! Words have power, and swear words can be pretty magical in their power. I mean, just look at the tizzy they get people in, a supreme court case about it! Amazing.
You're kidding, right? Find me one example where anyone has taken offense at the use of the words "black" or "gay". Those terms are totally PC.
Totally different animal. This isn't about using a word that someone finds offensive in itself. This is about insulting people. If someone got in your face about how you were a sinner for eating pork because the Prophet Muhammad said so, you'd no doubt be offended, and rightly so. No one should have someone else's religious beliefs flung in their face.
I think the police finally had enough of people playing (loud mind you) a certain old song by NWA. Anyone else remember "Fuck the police"?
I have and know other people who got pulled over and everything was looked at by the police if they had that song playing. I asked the police for an inspection sticker since they basically just performed one. Word of advice, don't do that. The police keep you pulled over even longer. I never got a ticket. I was pulled over for the song being played. This was in NJ and Philadelphia.
So by pulling people over for doing something that is not illegal, they wish to demonstrate that the song is not entirely fictional and there are reasons why someone might not like the cops? "Hey, they're playing a song suggesting they don't like us because we're cops. I know! Let's make sure they have a good reason to feel that way. Let's hassle them!" I bet cops wonder why they're not as highly respected as they once were.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
Mee Krob!
Fuck yeah! Fuckin' A! Fuck, fucking, fuckity-fuck! Fuckin' etcetera!!
Okay, I've reached my quota for today.
Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*
Holy meekrob, don't they realize that the Knights of Standards and Practices exist to curtail swearing?
There, I've said it. Lets see those wankers in Pennsylvania do something about it.
Have gnu, will travel.
Of course they won't get it until the courts order them to. Modern city police have NOTHING to do with law enforcement, they are simply revenuers.
One right you do NOT have is to not be offended.
Unless of course you're gay, belong to an ethnic minority and so on...
Sorry, I was thinking about something else, what were you saying?
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
I bet cops wonder why they're not as highly respected as they once were
Because they can't slap kids upside the head and take them home to their parents (where they would probably have received another slap just for being brought home by the police) for disrespecting them these days?
Now get off my lawn before I give you a reason to sue me!
Do not meddle in the affairs of geeks for they are subtle and quick to anger
..., because nothing beats sitting in a restaurant with a table full of teenagers behind you trying to show how grownup they are because they know all the big swear words.
"Dude, I was like, that's so fucking awesome, I mean SHIT!!!"
"I know, right! Fuck yeah!"
Some guy had a jacked that said "Fuck the draft" on it and walk into a court room. He was arrested. This went to the Supreme Court where it was ruled free speech, since it was most definitely political speech.
I'd assume we'd stick to precedent here.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=403&invol=15
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
Parent is right on this one. This is the court precedent and anyone else on here is playing beige cubicle lawyer (it's like arm-chair quarterback for nerds).
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
I find the best way to shut up people who object to the word "fuck" is to point out that they are merely perpetuating a c.1000-year-old policy of ethno-cultural cleansing instituted after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
After the invasion, the language of "proper society" was early Norman French, and Anglo-Saxon speakers were essentially restricted to manual labour, which is why the majority of Saxon words remaining in the english language are agricultural in context - pig, horse, mud, etc.
It really puts people on the back foot when you point out that their demonisation of the word "fuck" all comes down to making the French feel good about themselves..
Swearing can disturb the peace. And swearing in front of a man's children just might meet the mark of fighting words. Fighting words as a recognized concept in law may or may not be common to various areas of the nation. I'm not so certain that profanity is something that we must allow everywhere at all times.
You used a fucking "*" instead of a fucking "u".
This may be a little off topic, but does anybody know where I could get a list of profane words (for filtering content)? I read that Wikipedia used to have a list before it was taken down. A standardized list of profane/offensive-matching regular expressions would be the best.
The FCC gets to control broadcast language because the government retains ultimate ownership of the electromagnetic spectrum and issues licenses to TV and radio stations. They get to make the rules in that case since they own the medium. Notice that they only choose to regulate certain transmissions. Satellite airwaves have no shortage of profanity, for example.
The government does *not* own sound waves, so their ability to arbitrarily censor audio communications are much more limited. They have to prove that the sound created is causing actual harm to some victim in order to put constraints on your natural right to make sounds. Running a jackhammer in the middle of the night so that nobody can sleep is an example of actual harm; someone overstepping your overly delicate sense of prudishness is not.
ASCAPRIAAMPAABSA
Swearing is a right. When you are pissed off you have the right to show it somehow without having to resort to violence.
Perhaps you could use some more fun swear words like the ones used in Quebec. I would challenge anyone to call those profanities, specially fundies considering that swears words like Tabarnac, Calice and Ostie are words from the church.
How quick would the ACLU be to defend the phrase "That's so gay" and other similar phrases? What if people started using "nigger" in a completely unrelated sense, for shock value? "What the nigger just happened?" Carlin said something about context, right? So that would be cool I assume.
Mod this troll if you like, but I hope you'll think about this first. Where is the line?
Fuck.
Honestly. I never quite "got the idea" that I am supposed to attribute the values of other people to specific words and phrases and then have some kind of a fucking shit fit about it...... OMG they said the "C" word!!!!
.
What you mean crevat? NO! cockroach? NO! coochie? NO! cock? NO! cunny? NO! cat? NO! clitoris? NO! cunt "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my ears are bleeding - they said the C word...!!!!!!!!
.
Hail Mary, Hail Mary, Hail Mary - grovel profusely at the magic sticks on the wall.
.
Make the evil spirits go away - or I will surely die..... Ohhhhh Ohhhhhh the C word......
Profanity is the inevitable linguistic crutch of the inarticulate motherfucker - Bruce Sherrod
You post that article and yet, you are unwilling to say "fuck" due to some weird morality; emphasizing the word in the process.
string fixSwears () {
return string.Format ("f{0}cking", "u");
}
I suggest we add this to the slashdot backend?
K.
In insulting someone is much better than just swearing at them.
The pause as they try and figure out if something said is more fun than the insult in the first place- not to mention it's much more work safe.
Isn't that right Boss.
New slashdot layout sucks.
When someone is offended it is because they choose to be offended. If the offended party chose not to be offended then there would be no issue. When teaching my children about swearing I have tried my best to teach them that the words are not bad/evil, but that the intent behind the words is. I don't care if they say fuck, shit, damn, any of that as long as they realize the intent behind it. I've also had to teach them about the appropriate use. Mixed company for example or at school were it is against the rules. In those cases the use of those words is inappropriate because the party that chooses to be offended by such language has the authority to enact punishment.
You are right, it's fucking shitty.
Retarded asswipes
There is a subtle nuance that people making that comparison often miss.
Those cops that used to "slap kids upside the head and take them home to their parents" they did it for the kids' benefit (or so they sincerely believed), often as an alternative to arrest/charge/criminal record. Even when prompted by show of disrespect, the message commonly was "learn to temper your blatant contempt of authority before it gets you into *real* trouble".
It is precisely this attitude -- not the uniform -- that commanded respect, even from the punks that got "slapped upside the head" (although they would not admit it).
Today, it's mostly about power trips of sociopathic assholes.
Yes, I know that not everything was peachy "then" and not everything is shitty "now" but on the aggregate things seem to have gotten worse.
Compare and contrast this with this and tell me who deserves more respect.
IMO if you act like a fool over something you did wrong in the first place, maybe you deserved to be hauled off to jail.
No. You deserve to look like a fool.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
"The" is not just a filler word. Articles "the" and "a" serve to determine the specificity of the noun they precede. "The girl" is a known, specific girl who has already been identified within the flow of conversation. "A girl" is an as-yet unspecified girl who is newly being introduced to the conversation. "Girl," with no article whatsoever, is likely to be interpreted as a proper noun of some sort.