Man Gets Jailed For Three Years For Racial Postings (serious business)

A man who posted racist messages on a website in memory of murdered black teenager Anthony Walker was jailed for more than three years today.
Click to expand...

Reading that and I'm already disgusted.

HOORAY FOR HUMANS! :|
 
I understand that someone might be offended by that, but to get jail time for it is stupid.
 
They should lock up blatant racists in my opinion. They are a bane to society, even with freedom of speech. Especially since alot of them are actually involved in violent things.

Now... I'll read the article.
 
Raziaar said:
They should lock up blatant racists in my opinion. They are a bane to society, even with freedom of speech. Especially since alot of them are actually involved in violent things.

Now... I'll read the article.
Click to expand...

There's this thing called the 1st amendment which guarentees free speech. I might not agree with what this man says but I certainly will defend his right to say it. I don't agree with racists but the assholes who seem to be on some anti-racist crusade piss me off as well, spouting their self-righteous bullshit all the time, seeing racism in everything, but hey that's a whole other argument.
 
Freedom of speech is too highly overrated.
 
Where's the law that says you can't be racist?
 
Well, it's more of a basic human morality type thing.....
 
Zeus said:
I don't agree with racists but the assholes who seem to be on some anti-racist crusade piss me off as well, spouting their self-righteous bullshit all the time...
Click to expand...
So you don't agree with racists but you think anti-racists are self-righteous? Your statement's conflicting. What're trying to say here? Also, since you're in such defense of free speech doesn't that mean you'd also defend these "crusaders," despite the fact that you dislike them?

Numbers said:
Freedom of speech is too highly overrated.
Click to expand...
Indeed. Freedom of speech is a fool's ideal that's meant to guarantee a "basic human right," but all it ever ends up being good for is allowing stupid thoughts and stupid words to pass because hey, it's free speech. Censorship can be useful.

In before the bleeding hearts who say otherwise and/or come out with the, "If you start censoring things, where will it end?" argument.

CyberPitz said:
Where's the law that says you can't be racist?
Click to expand...
There should be one.
 
Alot of these people take it to a whole new level past freedom of speech. The KKK has been involved in who knows how many beatings, rapes, murders, mutilations, intimdations, etc.

And the police can only stop them once they commit their acts, which is a shame. Most of these ideologies are just thin veils for hatred and desire for purification violence.
 
15357 said:
Viral idealogies, dangerous information, should not be published to the public, ever.
Click to expand...
In certain cultures, equal rights for women would be considered a "viral idealogy".

To many Muslims in this world, the very idea of girls in short skirts is dangerous to society. The poor men will have no choice but to rape those tempting pieces of flesh and then execute them for becoming pregnant out of wedlock.

Some of you people are so narrow minded you only think about freedom of speech in the context of your own little worlds where you believe the concepts of right/wrong good/evil are stagnant, unchanging and consistent.

Move to China and start a pro-democracy movement and when you're about to face lethal injections as punishment for your crimes, consider that maybe freedom of speech isn't so OVERrated.
 
15357 said:
Viral idealogies, dangerous information, should not be published to the public, ever.
Click to expand...

Freedom of speech enables every person to be able to voice their opinion, regardless of how stupid, vile, and retarded they may be. Don't like it? Don't listen to it. If you can't avoid it, then just remember that you can disregard it.

Locking up people for prejudiced comments isn't going to make the world less racist. It's not going to stop hate crimes. So what's being accomplished here? A man's getting put in prison for nothing more than your emotional satisfaction. "I didn't like what he said, so I'm glad he's getting punished for it" is essentially what you're saying, and that is unbelievably petty. You should thank your lucky stars that the justice system generally doesn't function on such a shallow base.

Not to go down a slippery slope, but yes, this does leave me asking "Where does it end?", and with good reason. Racism is considered deplorable on a moral basis. Unfortunately, morality is not a concept universally agreed on. So while we may all agree that nobody likes racism, what happens when we reach out to other things? Homosexuality? Atheism? Marxism? Eating meat? It's all dependent on the specific brand of morality of those with the power to incarcerate people.

Actions are what should land people in jail. Not opinions.

Darkside55 said:
Freedom of speech is a fool's ideal that's meant to guarantee a "basic human right," but all it ever ends up being good for is allowing stupid thoughts and stupid words to pass because hey, it's free speech.
Click to expand...

The irony of this is delicious.
 
Actions tend to follow opinions. It just takes a person in the right kind of mindset to act on their opinion or the opinion of someone else to go from a free speech issue to a criminal act.

You say it won't make the world less racist. Let me ask you, how many people do you think have been indoctrinated into a hateful ideology through "just" words? Especially with the advent of the internet, proliferation of this material is easily accessed by anyone. You're seriously going to tell me people haven't been made racist by visiting sites like Resistnow? Or chatting with racists? People who bait you with ideas that you might agree on, a little bit at first like "Black people cause a lot of crimes," and pretty soon they're giving you the whole "those people should go back to Africa" rhetoric. And the person on the other end's thinking about it like, "Yeah...you know, you're right."

And when it gets to the point where people are fired-up enough to take action, you can't just, as you said, "not listen to it."
 
15357 said:
Viral ideologies, dangerous information, should not be published to the public, ever.
Click to expand...
If the public wants to follow the radical ideology, it's their choice. We can only educate society, it's not in our place to put a leash on others.

Where's the law that says you can't be racist?
Click to expand...
There are some unwritten rules humans must adhere to. If you can't, go to Siberia and leave the rest of us alone. A person has the right to express himself as long as he does not trample on the rights of others, like the right to some dignity.

Freedom of speech is a fool's ideal that's meant to guarantee a "basic human right," but all it ever ends up being good for is allowing stupid thoughts and stupid words to pass because hey, it's free speech. Censorship can be useful.
Click to expand...
Who will guard the guardians?
 
...posted racist messages on a website...
...
...pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to publishing material likely to stir up racial hatred
Click to expand...

So let me get this staight - if I, assuming I lived in the UK, posted racist BS in this very thread I could go to jail? Or have I misunderstood their use of "posted"?

officers also found 33 images of child pornography on his computer.
...
He was sentenced at Liverpool crown court to two years and eight months' in jail for the race hate crime and six months consecutively for the child pornography offences.
Click to expand...
That seems really retarted.
 
"Hitler started with an idea, slavery started with an idea, so it is good that this was stopped in time."
Click to expand...

Are they SERIOUSLY comparing his internet posts to Hitler's reign and the several hundred years of slavery in America?

I think its ludicris to jail a man based on words. People should be free to protest their beliefs whether it offends others or not. Its actions that should be judged, not words.
 
Darkside55 said:
Indeed. Freedom of speech is a fool's ideal that's meant to guarantee a "basic human right," but all it ever ends up being good for is allowing stupid thoughts and stupid words to pass because hey, it's free speech. Censorship can be useful.
Click to expand...

I doubt civil right activists back in the 1960's would agree that freedom of speech is "only good for allowing stupid thoughts and words to pass"...

If it werent for freedom of speech, their 'thoughts and words' would of been blocked out and forbidden. Their ideas did, after all, go against common law of segregation.

Edit: sorry for the double post
 
Yay! Bannana boat!
But I don't understand how these people get all this CP. Do they download it off a secret website? OR do they take them themselves?
Sick, Sick, demented peeps.
 
That's ****ed up beyond belief. WTF is happening to this country?
 
Darkside55 said:
Actions tend to follow opinions. It just takes a person in the right kind of mindset to act on their opinion or the opinion of someone else to go from a free speech issue to a criminal act.
Click to expand...

But, as has been said - who defines the criminal act? Where is the point that having someone else control what you hear and see becomes, well... sinister? Censorship is too easily subverted, I feel.
 
More evidence that the Guaridan don't have a clue when it comes to the internet:

".Neil Martin, 30, emailed at least six comments to the website - less than a week after Anthony was killed with an ice axe in a racist attack in Huyton, Merseyside, last year.
The site was set up by a school friend of the 18-year-old. Posting under the pseudonym Genuine Scouser"
 
Should've used a proxy, the silly goose.
 
Just wanted to point out, this is the uk. We do have free speech, but the first admendments not why.

As to the crime in question, it was behaviour likley to cause racial hatred (Or something close to that), which over here is now an offence. Its fairly specific, in that you can be as racisit as you like, as long as you don't insight others to commit crimes.

For example: Saying "I hate all the (n-word)s" is ok (legally I mean), but saying "Hey, I think we should go round beating up (n-word)s" is not. And given that it is already illegal to pay someone to atack someone else, this is an extention of that.

I would point out, to those who think this is an attack on free speech, that there are other words that can get you into legal trouble. "How much for a hand job?" for example, or "I will give you money to kill that person". There are certain things that you may not legally say, this is just one of them.
 
Anyone who says freedom of speech is overrated is a fool and should be completely ignored.
 
Yeah, I think the point of the jail sentence was due to incitement racial hatred, which is a crime.

You have rights (including freedom of speech) unless they infringe on the rights of others.
 
kirovman said:
Yeah, I think the point of the jail sentence was due to incitement racial hatred, which is a crime.

You have rights (including freedom of speech) unless they infringe on the rights of others.
Click to expand...

It's a moronic law passed by our moronic nanny state.
 
repiV said:
It's a moronic law passed by our moronic nanny state.
Click to expand...
Not really. Imagine if you an old asian lady and thugs were marching down your street demanding that all asians be killed.
 
Solaris said:
Not really. Imagine if you an old asian lady and thugs were marching down your street demanding that all asians be killed.
Click to expand...

I live in a cul-de-sac, no no doubt that would be covered by "disturbing the peace".
 
Darkside55 said:
So you don't agree with racists but you think anti-racists are self-righteous? Your statement's conflicting. What're trying to say here? Also, since you're in such defense of free speech doesn't that mean you'd also defend these "crusaders," despite the fact that you dislike them?
Click to expand...

Of course I support their right to say it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't piss me off though and that's all I was trying to say. For example when I've got my (white) teacher bitching at me that I'm "bordering on racism!!" and about to write me up because I was having a simple discussion about the jewish religion with my friend which involved no negative comments at all (actually all I said was "Jewish people don't believe in jesus right?" before she immediatly jumped into the conversation). While watching a video in class another one of my teachers (white) sitting there making fun of white truckers who have very bad english, yet at the same time singing the praises of a black man on the streets, speaking in ebonics and broken english while telling kids about how great it is to be a part of a gang. I don't like racists either, when they say (for example) how dirty mexicans are and blacks are smelly, because I have friends of those races and I know it's not true. I'm just saying it's usually the racists that get attention, when their anti-racist counterparts are just as bad/ignorant.

if it was an anti-racist going to jail for 3 years over something like this I would definitly think it's stupid as well.
 
This man brought a lot of grief into the lives of the already grieving family of the young man who was terribly murdered in a racial attack. He sure deserves some type of punishment, does he not? Also, he said the family should be burned. Given the insensivitity and hate in that man's words, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had carried through with his threats to burn them all.
 
Zeus said:
Of course I support their right to say it, it doesn't mean that it doesn't piss me off though and that's all I was trying to say. For example when I've got my (white) teacher bitching at me that I'm "bordering on racism!!" and about to write me up because I was having a simple discussion about the jewish religion with my friend which involved no negative comments at all (actually all I said was "Jewish people don't believe in jesus right?" before she immediatly jumped into the conversation). While watching a video in class another one of my teachers (white) sitting there making fun of white truckers who have very bad english, yet at the same time singing the praises of a black man on the streets, speaking in ebonics and broken english while telling kids about how great it is to be a part of a gang. I don't like racists either, when they say (for example) how dirty mexicans are and blacks are smelly, because I have friends of those races and I know it's not true. I'm just saying it's usually the racists that get attention, when their anti-racist counterparts are just as bad/ignorant.

if it was an anti-racist going to jail for 3 years over something like this I would definitly think it's stupid as well.
Click to expand...
I dunno but you have come across as semi-racist here before.
 
Yall are morons.

Free speech is a double-edged sword, as are most things.

Free speach allows ideas to travel, be it good ideas or bad ideas. Free speach has done a lot of good, more good then bad. Think about all the men and woman over history who have stood up, saying they will not stand for it. Martin luther king comes to mind.

However, it also allows bad ideas to be passed along; like racism. BUT, who is to decide what is a good idea and a bad idea? As someone else said, in the middle east woman wearing miniskirts are considered evil. Who is to decide who can speak and who can't?

So, overall, free speach is a good thing. We notice the bad things in it, but thats because we have never lived without it.
 
I cannot believe how many of you people are saying that we need censorship. Are you all ****ing morons? In absolutely no way, shape, or form is censorship a good thing. Free speech is the only thing we have that allows us to question thing we have been told. If governments start censoring us, then it will get worse and worse until we the citizens have no idea or opinions on anything other than what out government wants.

Now try and think of this event (the guy who got jail time) and think of it without bias.

What really happened? He was put in jail because he was expressing his views. Did he commit any acts of violence? No, or if he did, then he wasnt arrested for it, and in fact they dont even mention it. In this case it seems that what the guy was thinking was far more dangerous than what the guy had actually done.

This is worse than that girl who got in trouble because she put the "Kill Bush" thing on her myspace site. How would you all feel if she was arrested and given a couple years in jail for that?

How about all of you guys who post how much you hate Bush? What if he were to have you all arrested because you are inciting violence against the bush administration? You guys post things on how you want Bush to die, or what you would like to happen to the administration. In what way is that different than this case? Instead of slandering and threatening a race, you do it to a different group. ITS NO ****ING DIFFERENT.

So by what you guys are saying... a bunch of people who post here should be arrested also, because they post hate messages about the Bush administration. But should they really be arrested? OF COURSE ****ING NOT! Just because you post stupid shit on the internet doesnt mean you are going to go out and actually commit the crimes.

You guys really need to rethink how you view censorship and free speech. I was going to make another point, but you guys have pissed me off so much that i cant think straight anymore.
 
Let me start by saying, I am not threatening you, I am just making a point. Now, lets say I asked a guy to beat you up. Wouldn't you want me to be punished for this?

What really happens in the above senario? I go to jail, for what I said. Its not about not being allowed to say anything you want, its about hurting others with what you say.
 
Dude, free speech has always been within boundaries, and i think thats pretty "ok". Although i agree sometimes its hypocrite listening to "Rap CD's" yell at stupid "white boys" or whatever :P yet if a white dude makes a text like that replacing "white" with "black" he can get charged with racism in my country.
All in all i wouldn't pay too much attention to all that crap, it only divides society, and stirs up trouble where there need not be any.
I firmly believe ignoring racists is a better way to get rid of them, than making martyrs out of them by chucking them in jail for what they say.
I never get angry when i meet racists, black or white, i generally laugh at them and move on -> they seem to be more annoyed at that than if you go into a discussion.
:P
 
Darkside55 said:
Actions tend to follow opinions. It just takes a person in the right kind of mindset to act on their opinion or the opinion of someone else to go from a free speech issue to a criminal act.

You say it won't make the world less racist. Let me ask you, how many people do you think have been indoctrinated into a hateful ideology through "just" words? Especially with the advent of the internet, proliferation of this material is easily accessed by anyone. You're seriously going to tell me people haven't been made racist by visiting sites like Resistnow? Or chatting with racists? People who bait you with ideas that you might agree on, a little bit at first like "Black people cause a lot of crimes," and pretty soon they're giving you the whole "those people should go back to Africa" rhetoric. And the person on the other end's thinking about it like, "Yeah...you know, you're right."

And when it gets to the point where people are fired-up enough to take action, you can't just, as you said, "not listen to it."
Click to expand...

When is the last time you changed your basic moral and ethical code based on something you read in a forum.

No one is going to be "made" racist by visiting a website. If they visit the site in a serious manner then obviously they had some ideas about it before hand.

You simply cannot limit free speech if you hope to have a free and equal society. Morality is not black and white and thus you cannot tell someone what they can or cannot say based on any specific moral theory, especially in a majority rule culture. First, racist remarsk are prohibited. Ok, but by whom? Namely, the government or the majority. Ok, great...no more racist remarks. Now let's see...what else offends the majority? How about anti-religious talk? That's pretty offensive...so that has to go. Pro-gay talk? Oh that's definitely out. Let's see here...the majority voted for bush so there obviously shouldn't have been any anit-bush talk allowed after the election.

Dissenting opinion, no matter how tame or extreme, is one of the underlying foundations of a free society. Censorship breeds conformity and creates an unchecked authority. I'm not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. Go read about censorship in history.
 
Freedom of speech is a very basic right which should not be infringed. It doesn't matter what a person's views are, they should be able to express them.

The only time freedom of speech can be a crime is if the statements made are blatantly untruthful (in which case they are considered seditious libel) say, for instance a newsgroup publishes a story that the claim to be factual saying a certain citizen is without a doubt a pedophile and a murder, when he has been proven through due process of law that he is not. The paper could then be sued for seditious libel, and a court of law would determine whether or not what they printed was factual. This is why papers always say "alleged" when describing a convict, and why trash-tabloids have fine print saying that the information is "fictitious"

Other than that, anything and everything can be said by anyone. And it ought to stay that way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

No Limit
Afghan Student Gets 20 Years In Jail For Downloading Article On Women's Rights
Replies
6
Views
779
DEATHMASTER
DEATHMASTER
thenerdguy
TheNerdNews: Christmas fun in Antarctica gets out of hand
Replies
5
Views
1K
theotherguy
theotherguy
Headcrab Pie
A Beginner's Guide to Making Terrible Unlockable Weapons
Replies
5
Views
1K
(SGA) Doctorwho
S
J
article on the internet
Replies
7
Views
688
Yuri
Yuri
Sprafa
The penalty for jumping off a building is death (dumb law collection)
2
Replies
55
Views
5K
15357
15357
Back
Top