Originally Posted by
pablo42
But that's Saudi Arabia. We're in England.
Free speech is banned in China and Burma, should we respect that law too.
I responded to this hours ago but it seems to have got lost in the ether.
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Pabs - totally agree, but I think Kev's rhetorical question in post 9 was his tactful why of suggesting we don't cause unnecessary offence. The best form of censorship is self censorship, thinking about how others may interpret what we say. However, that is a concept hard to follow when it is often a one-way street. We have to mind our language but others seem to have the right to say what they want, regardless of how offensive that may be.
I think the bottom line is that with free speech comes the responsibly to use it wisely. I know the theory but d a m n it is hard to follow at times!
Another one way street. I've seen pictures of Muslim demonstrators in London burning the Union Jack. It's a free country and we let them do it (I think it's a Federal offence in America to deface the Stars and Stripes). Just try jetting off to a Muslim country and burning their flag.
I guess what I'm saying is that we allow visitors and people who have settled here - maybe generations ago - the same free speech as we have, but do they use it responsibly? The answer has to be frequently no.
Starting to feel like I'm on a soap box now so I'm shutting up!
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