Free Press and insults

[CathyA]

Of course what happened in France is abhorrent. But.....is there a limit to being insensitive to another person's/culture's religious beliefs?
I personally don't care if someone insults/makes fun of my religion. It doesn't matter to me. Yes, it might be a little irritating and I might think the people doing it are obnoxious, but I wouldn't spend much of my energy being upset with them. I would just ignore it.
But.........I also wouldn't go to great effort to make fun of anyone else's religion (at least not publicly!).
I'm finding fault on both sides......(of course much, much more on the radical Islamists side).
But it does concern me that sometimes "free speech" gets taken too far.....especially when you know that you are targeting murderer's beliefs? I don't see NOT printing this stuff as being controlled by these radicals......I just see it as common sense/common decency. At some point, aren't you just asking for big trouble??

Just thinking about this...........

[LDAHL]

I don't see having free expression without an absolute right to offend. When you start giving authorities (however well-meaning) the right to establish limits through university speech codes or "human rights commissions", you are setting up institutionalized censorship.

[IshbelRobertson]

Charlie Ebdo was an equal opportunist lampooner of ALL religions, including popes/jews and politicians of all stripes, too.

I may not agree with their viewpoint, but defend their right to 'publish and be da mned'.

[creaker]

Maybe I'm wrong - doesn't France have legislation against Holocaust denial stuff?

[bae]

At some point, aren't you just asking for big trouble??


Better for women to wear a chador than any revealing clothing.... Otherwise they are just asking for it.

[ToomuchStuff]

Seems to me your mixing up free speech with decency and common sense. Decency is something that isn't agreeable by everyone, due to different religions as well as values. Common sense (I might have a fatwa against me), is still an oxymoron and in this country at least, we still have a right to be stupid.
Free Speech doesn't have to be either. Just look at controversial things like Playboy/Hustler (and the court battles), burning of the flag, the football players for Micheal Brown (in which I was surprised not to see an argument about how they as "idol's", at least educated public that wasn't being taught by family to listen to the law and don't attack them), etc.
Bae's rape point is spot on.

[catherine]

I have to agree with ToomuchStuff--well said.

For example, in the past I have:
--Censored Andrew Dice Clay in my home and would not allow my sons to listen to his records.
--Supported the right to burn the flag because that act is emblematic of the right to free speech (so it become a bit of a paradox, doesn't it?)

We can't outlaw insensitivity, stupidity, or crassness in this country, and I don't believe we should, but sometimes I think how nice it would be if we could.