> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- > Van: Erik Reuter [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Verzonden: dinsdag 28 mei 2002 1:28 > Aan: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Onderwerp: Re: Sexually explicit materials, censorship, and strawmen.
> > <begin long quote> Erik, you seem to want to allow cussing on-list > > because you want all viewpoints to be allowed. Cussing isn't > > necessary to achieve that, > > Of course it is. It is not. When I disagree with someone, I can say "I disagree with your for this-and-that reason". I can also say "You are wrong, you ass hole, but you are too fucking stupid to see that -- and this-and-that reason is why you are fucking wrong". How is the latter doing a better job at conveying my viewpoint on a particular subject? If someone would use the latter method while having a discussion with me, I would consider the discussion to be over, since the other person apparently is not capable of having a civilised discussion. > > The same holds true of any person of any age who finds cussing > > offensive. They and their ideas are going to find the nearest exit. > > That is their perogative. If people are not allowed to express > themselves freely, you are TAKING AWAY A RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. Even the right to free speech is limited. Assume you are invited to (and attending) a bar mitzvah, and one of the guests suddenly starts shouting anti-Semitic remarks. Would you remove that person for being disruptive and offensive, or would you let him stay and continue his behaviour, simply because he has a right to express his opinion? > > As I said earlier, restricting cussing does not restrict free speech. > > It does not exclude viewpoints, it merely encourages that those > > viewpoints be made in a polite manner. > > Bullshit it does not! Obviously, it excludes viewpoints that are not > considered "polite". Polite is not universal, it is opinion. But sometimes it is not just *opinion* but *consensus*. Cussing, inflammatory language and offensive language are commonly considered not polite. How many people do you know that see such behaviour as polite behaviour? Jeroen _________________________________________________________________________ Wonderful World of Brin-L Website: http://www.Brin-L.com Tom's Photo Gallery: http://tom.vanbaardwijk.com
