Decline in Civility and Increase in Hypersensitivity (and Political Correctness)

[Raeghin]

The problem is that many are too caught up in making a political statement to understand that freedom of speech does not mean freedom of the consequences that might follow by citizens/peers.

I understand that, which is why I stated the above. Far worse and far more vulgar has been advertised on Tshirts without it's wearer being charged or convicted of treason. The repercussions do not come from the government but rather regular civilians and vusiness ownders that view the content.

[Lokrian]

Originally posted by Raeghin
Wearing shirts like that in public, rude (I agree it is rude) or not, is a constitutional right. (Note I said in public). Rights that many of us have defended or are defending....Land of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave.

Something about this disturbs me. I tried to look up the concept of local standards of decency, and while they still exist they seem to have been stamped into the dirt from 1935-1965 or so. Still, if people wanted it bad enough, that sort of thing could be reveresed. Point being I wasn't really all that concerned with defending people's right to wear vulgar tee shirts when I was in the Navy. It's not the end of the world, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if things got back to the point where the general outlook of the public on vulgarity was once again so universally dismal that it became practical once more to have laws concerning that sort of thing. I don't think there is an absolute right to vulgarity even in public.

It's an "evolving standard of decency"! LOL

[Grantref]

Originally posted by Dalaena
The t-shirt the lady was wearing was "Meet the Fuckers" not "Meet the Fockers". Why do I have a problem with this? Because I don't want to be forced to look at profanity all day. If I saw this kind of profanity on a company's billboard, I would be raising all kinds of hell with the company. I honestly don't think that the average citizen should be allowed to inflict that on me in a public place either. When my children learn how to read, I do not want to have to explain to them what that T-shirt means. I do not want them to go around calling ANYONE "fuckers".

Well, see now the original article didn't exactly make it clear that this was the phrase.

"a phrase similar to the popular film, Meet the Fockers."

Let's say I glossed over the 'phrase similar to' bit.

[Raeghin]

Originally posted by Dalaena
Actually, this is the popular, but very incorrect, interpretation of the freedom of speech amendment. You do not have a RIGHT to be vulgar and rude in public. You have a right to speak your mind and not be thrown in jail by the government for it. You are allowed to speak out against the leaders of a nation without being worried that you'll get tried for treason for it. (Yes, this is something that still happens in other countries.)

I started to think more about this last night and thought maybe society...ok..lets narrow that down to -I- am desensitized to the word FUCK as vulgar or obscene when used in certain contexts. To me, its just a word, a rude one, but its so over used for just about everything that her shirt became "Meet the Idiots" to me. Too me, wearing that shirt is within her rights because I have practically negated the vulgarity of that word in the context it was used.

Which brought me to this question. Where do we draw the line on vulgarity and decency today? Has anyone else looked at this and said "Big freaken deal...lighten up?" because they are basically tuned out of the vulgarity of certain words? Have we, as a society, made certain vulgarities more commomplace and acceptable?

[Lokrian]

I don't know if that's the point or not, whether or not people are getting used to more and more vulgarity. I think the point is that most people have a limit if some sort, somewhere deep down in there, of how much of that they want to be confronted with day in and day out, and that there used to be something of just common decency and courtesy that people knew not to be vulgar at the very least in certain company.

Now, people have a RIGHT to be vulgar as a form of self expression, which triggers a RIGHT to be incensed by it as a form of self expression, which triggers a RIGHT to get all defenseive and combative over any little thing you may have done that made others, even the vast majority of others, angry, thus a RIGHT to sue and a RIGHT to tie up the courts defending your RIGHTS.

The right to wear "Fucker" on your tee shirt.........

Guh

[Raeghin]

Now, people have a RIGHT to be vulgar as a form of self expression, which triggers a RIGHT to be incensed by it as a form of self expression, which triggers a RIGHT to get all defenseive and combative over any little thing you may have done that made others, even the vast majority of others, angry, thus a RIGHT to sue and a RIGHT to tie up the courts defending your RIGHTS.

RIGHT on!