College students. Infuriating.

[JeannaT]

I would suggest you look into this story further, MontJoy. I do know more than I'm posting. And no, it's not about high school football rivalries.

And frankly, I'm a little distressed that you think we might have the freedom of our beliefs but certainly not to express them.

 

[Montjoy]

And frankly, I'm a little distressed that you think we might have the freedom of our beliefs but certainly not to express them.

Frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed to be in a conversation with someone who appears to think that s/he can express whatever s/he wants, wherever s/he is, regardless of whatever obligations she has to, say, her profession, her membership in an association like a university, or any other organization where s/he signs on to a code of conduct. Some people just don't get it -- and there is nothing in the constitution that says that everyone needs to understand anything at all.

 

[JeannaT]

Frankly, I'm a bit embarrassed to be in a conversation with someone who appears to think that s/he can express whatever s/he wants, wherever s/he is, regardless of whatever obligations she has to, say, her profession, her membership in an association like a university, or any other organization where s/he signs on to a code of conduct. Some people just don't get it -- and there is nothing in the constitution that says that everyone needs to understand anything at all.

Then I guess you're embarrassed by the Bill of Rights? I do recognize there are people who are embarrassed by the US bill of rights.

I am NOT one to make racial slurs, EVER EVER. But on the other hand, I am not embarrassed by the Bill of Rights. I am so grateful for them. Words to live by, forever.

 

[Montjoy]

Then I guess you're embarrassed by the Bill of Rights? I do recognize there are people who are embarrassed by the US bill of rights.

I am NOT one to make racial slurs, EVER EVER. But on the other hand, I am not embarrassed by the Bill of Rights. I am so grateful for them. Words to live by, forever.

Do you understand the Bill of Rights? It does not give anyone the right to say anything in any situation.

This is becoming a waste of time. Let me give you a very simple example that I've given before, just hoping it would catch people who didn't understand these things.

Let's imagine you were working at a McDonalds. Do you think that your boss could not fire you for exercising what you believe to be your rights to free speech by telling customers to go to Burger King?

PS--since you edited your post. I don't know or care if you've made racial slurs. But I am embarrassed to be in a conversation with someone who, for so far as I know, mainly cares about free speech with respect to the right of college students to make racial slurs to visiting inner-city high school students who are black.

 

[JeannaT]

Do you understand the Bill of Rights? It does not give anyone the right to say anything in any situation.

This is becoming a waste of time. Let me give you a very simple example that I've given before, just hoping it would catch people who didn't understand these things.

Let's imagine you were working at a McDonalds. Do you think that your boss could not fire you for exercising what you believe to be your rights to free speech by telling customers to go to Burger King?

PS--since you edited your post. I don't know or care if you've made racial slurs. But I am embarrassed to be in a conversation with someone who, for so far as I know, mainly cares about free speech with respect to the right of college students to make racial slurs to visiting inner-city high school students who are black.

Peace. Montjoy. You and I don't understand each other. I agree if you work at McDonalds and you are disagreeable for any reason, your boss can fire you.

This has nothing - whatsoever - to do with whether you can express your own beliefs in public, legally.

Peace. We don't get each other, and you don't understand the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

I won't respond to you again. Good night, and good luck researching truth.

 

[bluesneakers]

I would suggest you look into this story further, MontJoy. I do know more than I'm posting. And no, it's not about high school football rivalries.

And frankly, I'm a little distressed that you think we might have the freedom of our beliefs but certainly not to express them.

But why be distressed? It's the truth. You can go express whatever you believe - no one is forcing you to keep your mouth shut - but there can be repercussions, sometimes legally. Freedom of speech might mean you can't be arrested for what you say (depending) but it doesn't mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want and not have to answer for it.

 

[Montjoy]

Peace. We don't get each other, and you don't understand the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

Give me a break. My doctoral dissertation (oh, and it was from a top US university) dealt directly with the first amendment. What are your credentials?

 

[nrdsb4]

There are many, many limitations to free speech. Racial harassment of students or potential students to a public university is not a right worthy of protecting, and should not be protected.

The students responsible should be expelled.

Someone called the police for someone's words in this incident. In a free society where we treasure our freedom of speech, there should not be legal punishment for speech we find offensive.

Expulsion is an administrative function, so there should not have been police involvement. Telling someone to go back where they came from, while repugnant and offensive, is not illegal.

 

[nrdsb4]

Like racial slurs meant to intimidate and harass?

"Go back to where you came from" is protected speech in terms of legal consequences. So is the N word. Haven't any of you ever noticed that the KKK can march and say all those things and more without facing legal consequences because it is in fact protected speech?

If everyone who says offensive things is subject to LEGAL punishment (not talking about consequences such as being fired, or shunned, or expelled from a particular group or institution), our prisons would be overflowing even more than they are now.

 

[bluesneakers]

Someone called the police for someone's words in this incident. In a free society where we treasure our freedom of speech, there should not be legal punishment for speech we find offensive.

Expulsion is an administrative function, so there should not have been police involvement. Telling someone to go back where they came from, while repugnant and offensive, is not illegal.

If someone were speaking to me in a way I found threatening, frightening, or harassing - no matter what words they were using - I might call the police too. Were the police called for the words that were being said, or the way the words were being used?

 

[Trident]

If someone were speaking to me in a way I found threatening, frightening, or harassing - no matter what words they were using - I might call the police too. Were the police called for the words that were being said, or the way the words were being used?

And so would I, rest assured. Just this AM my attention was called to a stupid, threatening note on a wooden chair in a parking space on the public street. It threatened to break your car windows and other bits of nastiness if you dared park in that spot.

Well, hello! I tore up the note and threw the damned chair in the front yard. Now, come to my door and exercise your free speech and I will exercise mine - possibly in a call to 911 if anyone wants to get violent. This isn't the first time I've had to deal with this crap, in different neighborhoods. But deal with it I will because it is my right, and if I call something by it's right name, well, let the chips fall where they may.

 

[nrdsb4]

If someone were speaking to me in a way I found threatening, frightening, or harassing - no matter what words they were using - I might call the police too. Were the police called for the words that were being said, or the way the words were being used?

Well, we weren't there, but the police told the people who called that there was nothing they could do as this was protected speech. I have read nothing to suggest that there was any credible threat of violence. "Go back to where you came from," and racial slurs are not against the law (though certainly may be against school policy, which is in the Administrative-not criminal-realm). This appears to be the case of people being complete &*&^%, which is not against the law. Again, think of the KKK (who says completely outrageous things) and Westborough Baptist. They are 1000 times worse than anything I saw reported here. Yet, they do not face LEGAL consequences for their speech. Sometimes there are restrictions placed on where they can express themselves, but calling the cops on them because what they say is so incredibly offensive (and it is) will get you nowhere.