TLP, I've been thinking about your position on acoustic aggression (correct me if I got it wrong, or if you weren't serious). It's the first I've heard of it, libertarian or otherwise, so bear with me. It would seem at least extreme and possibly unlibertarian. Besides a freedom of speech defense, I would counter with this:
Breathing, and a whole host of other things people do in public places (without our consent, but that would not be considered aggression), present more sound and air movement (and other mild physical stimuli) upon us than talking. Breathing on us, walking by us, moving around us, sneezing, etc pushes much more air onto us than talking to us. Talking does not actually "push a column" of air as much as it gently vibrates it. Taking your position a little farther would seem to indicate that an individual in a public place has the right to control any and all sound (and mild physical stimuli) within that area. Besides, how would "talking to us" be physically different than "talking around us" (sans someone yelling in our ear causing pain of course)? So how could a line be drawn, and where would it be drawn: only on one-to-one conversations? For example: Is a candidate speaking to a crowd in a park required to obey as soon as someone from the crowd tells him/her to stop? I always thought the "physical" in "physical aggression" was literal; separate from "verbal". Talking to someone would not seem to be a physical force in terms of violating any of their rights. -Mark ++++++++++++++++++++++++ This may be a good time to talk of 'acoustic aggression' :) A column of air is physically forced against your ear in order for you to hear a sound. Consent in normally presumed, in most common physical areas, for people to start a conversation at 'normal' levels of intensity. In most such 'public' places it is an 'assualt' under even the law of the land if one continues to attempt to talk to you when you have explicitly withdrawn your consent. Formal work requires my attention now; More later :) -Terry Libery Parker http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
