Now we can go to jail for mocking someone?
Yes, picking ona disable kid is reprehensible. No quarter given on that point. This guy deserves to get his butt kicked.
But jail? For hurt feelings? I am not sure that is a direction we want to go.
“But jail? For hurt feelings? I am not sure that is a direction we want to go”
This would not have happened 50 years ago. A man harassing a child would have been confronted by other men, and that man would have been dealt with. Knowing this, the harassment would not likely have occurred.
Our society has changed so much that anyone coming to the defense of the child may themselves have been attacked (verbally or violently) and with no assurance they would be backed up. Or, if someone did step in, they may have been arrested or even sued.
Society is slowly evolving to where the only real punishment available is being arrested and sent to jail.
We once had a social compact with each other, obey societies rules or the community will deal with it.
Civil societies can exist only when the majority understand and obey the rules of living together. We are no longer a civil society.
Unfortunately the law is a poor substitute for individuals not doing bad things.
Our popular culture praises and rewards bad behavior so we should not be surprised when people behave badly.