RE: Freedom of Expression

Yet both cause fatalities. Death is death - no matter how you look at it. Both caused by different tools, both acts of man. If you take it from your viewpoint, then we may as well say that Bin Laden is an innocent man, because his incitement is only the media after all....

(and you neglected to respond to the mugabe point)

There are others who have done the same thing - as you call - 'sniping from the sidelines' - how comes you do not react to them?

Are we singling out individuals now, just because they dont happen to agree with you?

quote:

ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou

Dear egomaniac,

Why is it impossible for people to respond without posting personal insults and name calling. Whatever happened to adult discussion? Are we still in the playground - seriously...

I already did. You just refuse to accept and see it.

Yet both cause fatalities.

No. They don't. Again. Hopefully for the last time? A newspaper does not cause fatalities. You can't die from looking at a cartoon, only from what people do in response to that cartoon. A cartoon does not break into your house. A cartoon does not explode. A cartoon is not a gun, it cannot kill you. A cartoon is not Mugabe. It's print. In a newspaper. The only way to die from it is by someones violent reaction to it.

quote:

Death is death - no matter how you look at it. Both caused by different tools, both acts of man. If you take it from your viewpoint, then we may as well say that Bin Laden is an innocent man, because his incitement is only the media after all....

Bin Laden sends people out to kill others, where did the Danish newspaper do that, dark?. Bin Laden actively plans and sends his minions out to kill people. A Danish newspaper, on top of everything else you've likened it to, is not Osama Bin Laden.

quote:

(and you neglected to respond to the mugabe point)

No. I didn't. Look back.

quote:

Anyway, if he doesn't like it, maybe he shouldn't talk down to people.

I believe a few people could heed that little snip of advice, Need.

At last - you got my point - thank you.

I always do.... [:)]

At last - you got my point - thank you.

I always do.... [:)]

At last - you got my point - thank you.

I always do.... [:)]

Neither would be permitted in this house...[;)]

There are cartoons or articles that are intended to mock people. I am not speaking or refering to those. Then there are cartoons or articles intended to provoke violence. If someone provokes you verbally and you end up hitting them because of what they say - I see no difference in your act to the provoker.

This logic is used to defend quite a lot of physical abuse ... one party's words provoked the other party to violence.

The proper response to words, is words in return. The proper response to these cartoons, would have been cartoons in return.

You cannot put the burden on someone, not to "say or write" something that will provoke violence. How are you supposed to know in advance what the is? Even if intent is obvious, to go down this slippery slope is just to give any nut case a built in defense for doing the things that nut cases do.

If you don't like what someone says, then say something back. If you take it to the next level in retaliation ... that becomes your burden.

Just my opinion. [:D]

I completely agree caitlyn - there is no excuse for violence. But there is no excuse for inflamming violence either.

Have you read the entire thread? Of course there isnt any right to use violence - (how many times does one have to say it?) - but there is equally no right for someone to provoke violence - and admit it - either.

What I am finding more concerning throughout this thread, is the lack of understanding people seem to have about the power of words/and or pictures. Marketing and advertising play a huge part of our lives - and yet people do not seem to show the same respect to words as they would to a gun.

Without words, there would be people today who we simply wouldn't know existed - because they relied on the power of media to carry their messages. We are on a message board where people are typing - because the words, and the images, are passing over who we are... If words aren't so powerful, why even bother coming here ?

We participate in BDSM, where some of us thrive on words, on gestures of pleasure (like smiles, hugs, a simple spank etc) to know we are pleasing someone - some thrive on name calling - and some people participate on the message board knowingly trying to wind certain individuals up or to gain the response they want by manipulating conversations. Some use the forum, to advertise themselves - to sell what they have to give. And some do it to try and turn people off a certain activity, incite hate of a section of peoples whos kink isnt their kink.

If people really have no concept - no understanding of just how much power there is behind words/images/photographs/paintings - that to me is a more scarey aspect of society than a gun could ever be.

The pen is, after all, mightier than the sword...