Are serious insults illegal?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121042353#Comment_121042353

But obviously whether it's true or not in this case (likely not) is irrelevant. What's relevant is that it's insulting and cruel. Suspecting that people just don't want to hear truthful comments, based on opinions regarding this incident, is bizarre. It was a hurtful, nasty, humiliating comment.

Now if she was falling around the place drunk and someone said "you're plastered", THAT'S truthful.

Savetheplanet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121041221#Comment_121041221

Ah, yes. The thread you were quoted in post #25 of this thread where you said women who had cosmetic surgery were easy.

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121042097#Comment_121042097

Next time you want to mention me in your posts have the decency to tag me so I can respond. If you read through the thread you find far more than myself and 2 other posters who have an issue with what the OP is suggesting. If you are OK with the OP's comments posted here to show they are a hypocrite that's your choice.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043619#Comment_121043619

Ok, I was talking about the ladies I saw, one was wearing what looked like a bra in the pissing rain. get over it, I didnt go up to her and insult her, I mentioned it on boards.ie

Savetheplanet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043805#Comment_121043805

Yeah, your safe place to say things.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043654#Comment_121043654

For God's sake, I didn't hide anything - it's public. You saw it. Tagging is quite a recently introduced Boards tool. You and the others I mentioned have been the most vocal in downplaying what that guy said.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043521#Comment_121043521

You are entitled to your opinion. I have a different opinion.

I think being punched in the face is much worse than being called ugly.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043608#Comment_121043608

It is insulting and cruel. I have stated similar about the incident myself.

My point is, it wasn't and shouldn't be illegal and people who want to make this illegal are the types who want to shield themselves from things they find insulting and offensive, which would include truthful statements too.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043805#Comment_121043805

No you weren't.

"I always assume women with all this cosmetic surgery are easy."

Women read the internet too. So you have no idea if the women who read your words felt it worse than a punch in the face.

Straight to the gulag.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045396#Comment_121045396

I dont want to shield myself, I want people punished for acting like that.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045399#Comment_121045399

Well, that is what I meant.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045660#Comment_121045660

Well that isn't what you said.

You insulted an entire group of women. You have no idea what impact it had on people who read your words.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045657#Comment_121045657

Well as above, what punishment would you give to yourself for this? Or is what you said ok because....it's you.

If you truly believe that insulting people deserves punishment, perhaps you should donate €200 to a charity for your behaviour.

Otherwise, you seem a little hypocritical. One rule for thee...

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045657#Comment_121045657

So what punishment do you think you should get for insulting bursting and denigrating a whole section of women?

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045876#Comment_121045876

You are boring me now.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045929#Comment_121045929

Let’s be honest. In your head, you can say whatever you like about whoever you like because you have a right to your opinion and your opinion is always the correct one. If your opinion hurts someone’s feelings then they just need to get over themselves, and possibly change their ways.

But if someone else says something you don’t agree with, and you find it hurtful, that someone should be arrested and charged with something or other, to teach them a badly needed lesson.

think about that for a while, come back and tell us what you think.

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045954#Comment_121045954

im out. 😋😘

Remember this thread when what im talking about eventually happens. people being brought to court for verbally attacking people for no reason.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045929#Comment_121045929

You've been hoist by your own petard.

You don't live up to the standards you want everyone else to live by. When a mirror is held up, the white knight sees that their armour is just as dark as everyone elses.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046058#Comment_121046058

I've no doubt that people like yourself are working tirelessly to bring in rules and laws that protect themselves from being offended.

And all the while having the feeling they have carte blanche to say whatever they like because they are on the side of "good". Because you couldn't possibly be in breach of rules because you (wrongly) believe you are honest, virtuous and kind. It's the people who don't think like you that are bad.

You'd never call a woman ugly to her face offending and upsetting one person. That deserves a court appearance and a substantial fine.

But writing "I always assume women with all this cosmetic surgery are easy" for the whole world to see, potential offending multiple people and upsetting them is ok as long as it is coming from a good guy.

*insert mitchell-and-webb-are-we-the-baddies.gif

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046058#Comment_121046058

I will be looking out for the court case from your third hand account of something which might never have happened. If people are being brought to court, it will have to be by other people taking civil cases.

con747

Looks like the kitchen got too hot for the hypocrite whose mask slipped.

Large bottle small glass

I grew up in rural area in Munster.

I occasionally meet a man who never left area and his usual greeting is

"Jesus Christ Ryan you are some çunt"

It's actually meant as a friendly greeting and is taken as such.

"He's not a bad old ****" is another often heard comment

Potential-Monke

Jumping back a couple of pages to my "grow thicker skin" comment, I didn't mean that as a comment to say and forget about everything. I believe, in general, people are getting too "soft" and offended by everything they don't agree with. People need to stop letting the smaller things get them down, because in an ideal world no one would have anything bad to say about anyone, but that's a pipedream. We should be teaching kids in school how to deal with bullying, how to not get upset at everything. I wish I had some of that when I was in school, and maybe I would have turned out differently. I got the thicker skin comment for everything, and that's where it's useless. But I do honestly think some peoples skin is just too thin in general and we need to be able to dismiss random comments. I'm not excusing harrassment, that's different. There has to be a medium, but I feel the it is changing too much towards the soft side, and the world doesn't care about your feelings.

We need people to be able to help themselves and not rely on others for everything. I don't have the answers to how it could be done, but surely there's something that can be done in school to prepare/train kids to deal with strife/asshats. The current approach seems to be "make it illegal". It'll head towards Minority Report.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049292#Comment_121049292

The world isn’t changing one way or the other at all - people have always been taught to have manners, and there was always that tiny minority of people who imagined they should be able to get away with saying what they like. Provoking people just for the sake of it has never been socially acceptable. It’s employing double standards to say people need to learn to deal with insults as though it should be their problem, when the person who actually has a problem is the one who insults people cos they feel it’s their right, the ‘free speech’ types.

The people who are soft are those who think it’s their right to belittle others and claim that persons feels are hurt and they need to get over it or deal with it. Those people should be taught that they need to deal with their own issues rather than projecting that responsibility onto others. Everyone learns that much already from childhood onwards, if not at home, then in school, or in college or in the workplace. It’s basic manners.

89897

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121049715#Comment_121049715

This exactly, I dont think people are getting softer, I think they are getting better at speaking up when someone crosses a line. Its the people throwing out insults that suddenly cant deal with being spoken back to.

The 'you cant say anything these days' people are suddenly having to face up to the consequences of their actions and go straight on the defensive.

newmember2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121050174#Comment_121050174

nah...people are getting more aroused in general, ready to be triggered off the next thing that comes along. "You said that thing!!...ooooh"

Potential-Monke

Again, I'm not excusing those who say it, but we can't be reacting to every little thing. And we're not preparing kids for the strife of life. For your own words, the world isn't changing, well then that's more reason we need to teach people how to deal with this, rather than edge towards making singular comments illegal (hate speech laws). The world if full of pricks, and while people may think that getting this or that person to stop will make a difference, fact is that it won't. The utopia cannot exist, it's a pipe dream. I do agree there is a line, but that line is pushing too far towards "everything is offensive".

Just my opinion mind. I just don't think modern kids are being prepared for the realities of life.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121054201#Comment_121054201

I share that opinion.

The OP advocated that there should be a court appearance and a €500 fine for calling someone ugly and equated it to a physical assault.

Thats almost frightening in its insanity.

Nobody said we can't be reacting to every little thing though. People are talking about folk being more thin skinned than ever - and I think there's a case for arguing that too.

But what that asshole did was verbal abuse, which was bullying and humiliating. So to bring up truthful comments or innocuous comments is to be talking about things that are irrelevant.

To be topical: trans people being deeply upset by someone saying they disagree men can have penises is utterly preposterous. But trans people being upset if a trans person was verbally attacked and called a paedo freak on the bus or train: a completely different scenario, and their upset is totally understandable.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121043521#Comment_121043521

I guess you've never been punched in the face then.

Squatman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121036789#Comment_121036789

i think you missed the point. i could try and explain it, but I don't have the time nor the crayons.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121076818#Comment_121076818

But isn't your point that pgj was being hypocritical for calling the guy a loser?

If so, I disagree. Because it's not comparing like with like. Telling someone they're the ugliest person in the world is obviously a much harsher insult than loser. Also one isn't provoked, the "loser" one is... by the guy's very own behaviour. And finally pgj is an anonymous member of a discussion site whose comment more than likely won't be read by the guy.

Squatman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121078784#Comment_121078784

yes that is my point entirely.

ok so we are not using logic today. so if you call me a loser (illegally) i can call you a loser back (legally).

I also love the way you have tiered these insults. (notably have correctly identified both as insults) but due to the level of the insult, one is deemed legal, but the other, in the exact same stroke is illegal... go figure... - and this is why insults should not be illegal.

I didn't say anything about anything being legal or illegal?

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121079377#Comment_121079377

So when does an insult become illegal?

Who decides what constitutes a "serious" insult is? Because each person is different, how a perceived insult affects them changes with every individual.

You have already decided that calling someone a loser is a lesser insult than calling someone the ugliest person in the world.

Once again, I... didn't say anything about anything about being legal or illegal.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121079453#Comment_121079453

Have you checked the thread title?

Do you believe serious insults should be illegal?

The original poster says they should, and then has been shown to have no issue insulting people (calling someone a loser, stating that people who look a certain way are easy etc)

You have said you deem certain insults as more harsh. So what metric are you basing that on?

Oh I'm not talking about what the OP proposes. Just insults in general. And it takes such dishonesty to claim the severity of insults is subjective, or that a provoked mild insult based on behaviour is the same as an unprovoked harsh insult.

Become Death

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121083370#Comment_121083370

I don't see it as dishonest to claim the severity of insults is subjective.

It is often contextual and completely dependent on how the person being insulted perceives it.

One person could be called the C word and laugh it off, while another person would be mortally offended.

With regards the insult "ugliest person in the world", I personally think that it is quite a tame insult, compounded by the fact that it is so hyperbolic. If a person said "wow, you are remarkably unattractive", I would find that more insulting as it sounds more heartfelt.

Francis McM

To answer to OP's question, "are serious insults illegal?"

I doubt it, not in these islands anyway. Recently we witnessed a crowd of thousands shouting what must be the biggest insult of all, "Uh Ah Up the RA", considering there are hundreds of thousands of people around on the island who had family and friends, disappeared, bombed. murdered, maimed, tortured etc by the 'RA. Inc our Gardai and Irish army. To the people with life changing injuries, legs blown off etc, what an insult. I would say the same if anyone chanted about the Loyalist paramilitaries.

maccored

is this a real thread?

A accusation from someone only turns into an insult when YOU lend it some truth. Basically you are choosing to let words hurt you, so the only person doing something illegal would be yourself.

And F Mc M - have you no shame? Coming into a thread just to whinge about what other people sing along to. go ring joe duffy (oh wait ...)

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121032532#Comment_121032532

That's because that was always a BS saying. I distinctly recall children chanting it as they were on the verge of tears after being on the receiving end of some terrible mocking that clearly cut them deep.

GSBellew

How is this still going?

Are we really going to go to the point that people are in court for thinking someone is ugly?

We would have a full court lineup every week after a Saturday in a night club in every town.

Think every girl that has rebuffed a fella's approach in a nasty manner and likewise the other way round, we would never be finished.

mazdamiatamx5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058310979/are-serious-insults-illegal

"I think he should end up in court for something like this, do you agree?"

No. Also, I don't believe this actually happened.

bejeezus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121091333#Comment_121091333

We know where keeping a stiff upper lip leads you. Not talking about feelings, leading to denial of depression and anxiety, and seeing it as weakness. And what happens then. It was always bs.