Political correctness gone mad

[Viking]

The Soviet Union had a far more enlightened constitution I believe. The real freedom was derived from people deploying common sense, eg. ignoring the rants of a drunken idiot for the irrelevancy that they are.

You believe right. There IS something called "common sense", which is a thing that Liberal Democrats have long lost.

What amazes me is that Liberals do this and still have the gall to say they live in "free societies" and chastize non-western countries that jail people for their opinions.

Apart from the pamphlet there is no such thing a common sense. If there is any doubt just look at the disclaimers on the products you can find at the store.

[Valmy]

So we in the US are free & clear to criticize non-westerners, then 

*groan*

[Sheilbh]

The real freedom was derived from people deploying common sense, eg. ignoring the rants of a drunken idiot for the irrelevancy that they are.

I think generally speaking that's still the case to be honest.  Actually reading the relatively important cases in various things makes you realise how sensationalist the reporting is. 

One thing that does happen, though, is that I think judgements are made to make a point and then the courts get worried that their point is being overinterpreted in wider society so they swing the other way.  So for example in tort law there's a stream of cases after the 70s that really establishes circumstances in which people are liable.  But recent cases, while basing their rulings on those authorities, are emphasising that accidents happen, sometimes no-one's liable, sometime's no-one should be liable and sometime's it's just not fair.  I think to an extent that's happened because the courts were worried that the wrong message was spreading.  That it was all 'health and safety gone mad' and this was being used as an excuse not to do things. 

I believe there's a number of cases recently which seem to be the CPS and judges making a point that in legal terms social networks are not special, or different, from the public sphere (there's been a few involving the riots - which also seem disproportionate to me).  I wonder if this is part of that.

Generally though, reading cases has been a surprise.  They're overwhelmingly in comprehensible prose and they generally do seem guided by common sense.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yes, you opened a thread about the Daily Mail, this is a quintessential Daily Mail story in many ways, Marti even gave the topic the right sort of headline 

ie most offensive tweets are not reported to the police, most that are are then ignored by the police, even if the police are interested the Crown Prosection Service may not be................and so on.

[Eddie Teach]

ie most offensive tweets are not reported to the police, most that are are then ignored by the police, even if the police are interested the Crown Prosection Service may not be................and so on.

Small comfort to Mr. Stacy.

[Martinus]

Yes, you opened a thread about the Daily Mail, this is a quintessential Daily Mail story in many ways, Marti even gave the topic the right sort of headline 

ie most offensive tweets are not reported to the police, most that are are then ignored by the police, even if the police are interested the Crown Prosection Service may not be................and so on.

Other than the headline (which is mine and was admittedly a play on a common trope but justified in this case, imo ), this is a BBC story.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed-off about this case, I think he must have got piss-poor advice from his lawyer.

[Barrister]

This story tells me more about how silly Brits are when it comes to soccer than it does about how politically correct Brits are.

[CountDeMoney]

This story tells me more about how silly Brits are when it comes to soccer than it does about how politically correct Brits are.

This.

[Valmy]

Between this and the British guy who got put on the Terrorism list for joking around on twitter I think the lesson is that people from the UK should just not use twitter.

[Barrister]

Between this and the British guy who got put on the Terrorism list for joking around on twitter I think the lesson is that people from the UK should just not use twitter.

FYP.

[Sheilbh]

Between this and the British guy who got put on the Terrorism list for joking around on twitter I think the lesson is that people from the UK should just not use twitter.

He was found guilty and fined £1000 and costs.  Though his appeal's gone to the High Court.

[CountDeMoney]

Meanwhile, back with the colonials:

It wasn't all good news for Team "Hunger Games" over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were upset by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. Never mind that she's described as having "dark brown skin" in the original book.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.

"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."

"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.

Of course, the occasion of "The Hunger Games" arriving in theaters isn't the first time some fans were upset with the casting. Last year, after the character posters for "The Hunger Games" debuted -- showing both Sternberg as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as stylist Cinna -- reactions on the Internet were equally harsh.

"I thought she would be white," wrote one fan.

"The Hunger Games" is out in theaters now. For more on the racist "Hunger Games" tweets, head over to Hunger Games Tweets, a Tumblr created to "expose the 'Hunger Games' fans on Twitter who dare to call themselves fans yet don't know a damn thing about the books."

[Eddie Teach]

Last year, after the character posters for "The Hunger Games" debuted -- showing both Sternberg as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as stylist Cinna -- reactions on the Internet were equally harsh.

"I thought she would be white," wrote one fan.

[Razgovory]

Meanwhile, back with the colonials:

It wasn't all good news for Team "Hunger Games" over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were upset by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. Never mind that she's described as having "dark brown skin" in the original book.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.

"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."

"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.

Of course, the occasion of "The Hunger Games" arriving in theaters isn't the first time some fans were upset with the casting. Last year, after the character posters for "The Hunger Games" debuted -- showing both Sternberg as Rue and Lenny Kravitz as stylist Cinna -- reactions on the Internet were equally harsh.

"I thought she would be white," wrote one fan.

"The Hunger Games" is out in theaters now. For more on the racist "Hunger Games" tweets, head over to Hunger Games Tweets, a Tumblr created to "expose the 'Hunger Games' fans on Twitter who dare to call themselves fans yet don't know a damn thing about the books."

Didn't know Derspeiss was a big fan of those books.