Posted on 05/19/2017 1:24:57 PM PDT by John Semmens
Citing the "need to protect the more sensitive among us from the psychological damage of words that could be construed as offensive," the editors of the Washington Post urged that "we unwed ourselves from the notion that freedom of speech is a vital or even necessary feature of a civilized society."
"The right of freedom of speech does not have a meaningful quantum of value to the average person," the editors wrote. "The average person continually must refrain from saying things that would offend an employer, spouse, or friend in order to interact harmoniously with the people closest to him. Why shouldn't the government step in and enforce this same behavior as a general improvement of society?"
"There's an old saying 'that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.'" the editorial continued. "If everyone knew that insensitive utterances could result in substantial financial penalties or even jail time, it stands to reason that conversations would become more pleasant. Fewer feelings would be hurt. Fewer people would have cause to strike out at those who offend them. People would be happier."
In related news, Edgewood Middle School in Trenton, Ohio gave seventh grader Zachary Bowlin a 10 day suspension for "liking" a photo of of an airsoft pellet gun on Instagram. Edgewood Schools Superintendent Russ Fussnecker explained that "we have a 'zero tolerance' of inappropriate behavior by any of our students. The fact that Zachary publicly expressed his like for this dangerous weapon showed a grave insensitivity to his fellow students and manifested an intent to intimidate his classmates. The contention that the weapon is non-lethal, that the offense occurred outside of school grounds and hours does not excuse the behavior. We are going to stamp out incorrigible attitudes with as harsh a punishment as we can impose. Those who refuse to get the message will be crushed."
if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,262634.0.html
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