News - A bad day for careless tweeters

[.havoc]

The problem is much greater issue with society

Not disputing this at all or your subsequent point. However thats a much more deep rooted debate –*my intention was to just skim the top. You are right but the point stands.

It's like a planet filled with 4 year olds, all pointing at each other.

Sounds like where i work.

Someone who blindly jumps off a cliff at the mere whisper of someone else, *wants* to die

Some are also just looking for help. Thats from first hand experience as well that I can say it's not as clean cut as you are also making it out to be. (Not me dont worry!) It was however more at your comment which directed at saying they DESERVE to die which has riled my case. To quote LOTR -

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.

and to get slightly back on topic, the actions of the fool on twitter could just be the catalyst.

I understand your points totally. But I also believe where as one has to be accountable for his actions, the blame is not always solely on one individual.

Him, honestly.

Wish i could get away with that for everyone –*would walk round with mike tyson in toe when im on the tube giving a short back lift when people block the doors!

[Noxvayl]

I enjoyed reading this thread, wish I wasn't working at the time so I could of been a part of the discussion.

[Robscure]

It wasn't the words which caused emotional/mental harm, it's the person who decided to take offence to them. Anyone who thinks words can harm you needs to have their heads examined. You are responsible for your own emotional state, just as you're responsible for your own actions.

Let's put this into a thought experiment.

Let's say I say Christianity is a lie. Should Christians get whipped up into a moral panic? Are Christians entitled to be outraged? Are they entitled to use violence in response?

No, no, and no, are the answers to those questions. It isn't the words which has harmed them, words can't slap them around, it's _their_ response to those words which has caused them harm. They have made the concious and voluntary decision to listen to, and *take* offence to words.

That's it literally. Lets further look at it practically. Lets say I call you poopiehead (silly childish example, just to point out how absurd this situation is), and you take offence and run crying to mummy (state, parent, whatever), you're granting me the power to offend you. If you do that, I'm liable to make use of that power again in the future.

We could go on, but needless to say, words don't hurt people, only people can hurt people, whether themselves, or physical acts by others.

Nobody has a right to not be offended, because it's a concious and voluntary decision by the individual to be offended. I have a right to free speech, because not having so is not a concious and voluntary decision by me, but by the state.

Please take note, I'm not a libertarian, however these principles were codified in law, centuries ago by such people who valued individual liberty after ages of oppression by monarchs. They are sound, and we should consider them strongly before letting ourselves get whipped up into a fervour just because someone said something outlandish on tv/the internet/news paper/magazine/etc.

We have much more important issues to be dealing with right now.

I'm pretty sure if you say to a Jew something vulgar with regards to burning or concentration camps that they will be insulted.

We don't always have control over our emotions, and there are many stimuli which can cause an emotional flux. This is well documented and hasn't the slightest grounds with which to be debated.