Whatever happened to our "Constitutional Right" of "Freedom of Speech"?

[Bobbie]

To deliberately hurt someone with words is wrong, but the banning of words when used in jest I think is a violation of our rights. When we were kids, the song was "sticks and stones will break our bones but names will never hurt us". Where is the toughness in today's society.........do we really need laws to protect us from words........is this really a control tactic to put us ALL under?

 

[Mirco]

To deliberately hurt someone with words is wrong, but the banning of words when used in jest I think is a violation of our rights. When we were kids, the song was "sticks and stones will break our bones but names will never hurt us". Where is the toughness in today's society.........do we really need laws to protect us from words........is this really a control tactic to put us ALL under?

I am sure that as long as you felt the need to ask this question you are intelligent enough to know the true answer.

 

[Cupajo]

I know that the belligerent fools that insist on littering the neighborhood with foul language have a "right " to do that, but when they do so without regard for the less inclined and children within ear shot, I take exception!!!

At what point does this abuse of the public sensibility become justified??

I recently was having lunch at a large and popular local restaurant and a man at a nearby table was peppering his comments to his male table mates with a heavy dose of foul expletives. I was the only diner within ear shot and found myself wincing at every word. Where and how I grew up (in rural Texas a long time ago) didn't allow for such disrespectful behavior!!! I don't however consider myself a prude!!

After 5 minutes or so of listening to this I was starting to feel abused, but reasoned that perhaps this misguided soul didn't have any other way to express himself!!

A family including mom and pop and a small daughter and son were seated a table away from the foul mouth and within his sight!!

I was dumbfounded to find that the air was suddenly free of all abuses and came to the conclusion that the fellow did have a sense of propriety after all!!

I wonder how things would have progressed if the family was seated where he could not see the children!!

I live in hope that respect and propriety will become the "norm" and yet understand human nature well enough to know it is a pipe dream!!

Yes these moral morons have a "Lawful" right, but what of our right to be free of such abuse???

Good Topic Folks.

Thanks for letting me vent my feelings about it.

Cupajo

 

[grumpyolman]

My wife and I were sitting down eating at a KFC on a road trip. Some young men came in and stood around talking loudly and every now and then, mixed with other profanity, they used the "F" word. I didn't want to hear anymore of that so I went to the counter and asked for the manager. The manager was too busy to come see me. I then walked over to the group and told them that I didn't want to hear anymore of their profanity. When I decided I was going to confront the group I was willing to take it as far as I needed, physically if necessary, to provide a reasonable setting to eat dinner. They must have sensed I was serious as they immediately stopped the swearing. They were still their when we walked out and as I passed the "F" worder I thanked him for his consideration.
Want to know about another thing I consider even worse. How about sitting in your car and some puke comes up along side with the bass on his in car stereo so loud it literally shakes your guts inside your own car? That's right in there with people smoking in the same area in the air you must breath.When someone elses behavior impacts you by invading your personal space, I think you have a right and an obligation to let them know. Their parents certainly didn't teach them. Jim

 

[Bobbie]

And the references I was making had nothing to do with profanity.............which I consider hurtful. And you guys are right.......if they invade your space with profanity then you have the right to say something to them........that is our "Freedom of Speech"

 

[Sandpiper]

This is one thing that gets me also, most of the time its rap mixed with profanity. How many times I've wished for air horn like that on a train or some way to explode their amp while sitting next to them.

 

[R-n-R Magnolia SpringsAla]

Your free to do anything you chose to..... Until you "invade" my space and or harm/exploit women/children. Hey, gators gotta eat too.

 

[grumpyolman]

R-n-R...You hit the nail squarely on the head. Sad bit true! With the rap crap on high..what if we all carried one of those portable air horns used by boaters when they don't have a permamnent horn and rolled down the window and blasted at the booming? If that happened more than once, even those dummies would learn that ther inconsideration will cause them comparable grief. Jim

 

[GaBeachsweeper]

n/t

 

[beernutz]

And the references I was making had nothing to do with profanity.............which I consider hurtful. And you guys are right.......if they invade your space with profanity then you have the right to say something to them........that is our "Freedom of Speech"

So your point is that freedom of speech is great unless that speech offends YOU?

 

[thinkin2]

Me thinks I've been away too long. What is this all about? Just got back and this is the first thread I've read so I have no clue. Anyway, hope all have had a great summer and now that school is about to start and vacations are wrapping up, the beach will once again become mine. Oh what a wonderful time of year. I know lots of you hit the beach in the midst of it all but I really like it all to myself.
Jerry