Homophobia in a university newspaper, as well as other things!?
- Thread starter Zahri
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I thought the joke was funny. I am getting a little bit sick of the PC sentiments of most people, they need to realise that being funny is the way towards taking an issue, and making it a non issue.
Apologies for dredging up things that were already dealt with. However, I just might have something new to say about your stance on free speech.Vegosiux said:
I'm pretty big for free speech[footnote]in short, I HATE the Westboro Baptist Church, but support their right to protest as they do[/footnote], but I do think that there are certain things that need to be restricted. The basic two concepts I take umbrage with are 1: yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded theatre when there isn't a fire and 2: inciting others to criminal actions (for example, whipping a mob into a frenzy and setting them off on a racial or social group). Why do you think those forms of speech should be protected?
This is really no more offensive than the Escapist's own Apocalypse Lane in which a three legged cat called a gay sex robot a fruit, constantly made jokes about his sexual orientation and threatened to kill him. I didn't see anyone bitching about that.
Seriously, people need to learn to just chill out and climb down off of these moral high horses and not get so offended over every little thing that happens these days, it's getting ridiculous.
Seriously, people need to learn to just chill out and climb down off of these moral high horses and not get so offended over every little thing that happens these days, it's getting ridiculous.
I hate posting in these threads but, are you serious? This is homophobic?
I just, don't even...
This PC mind-set is really starting to become a joke/silly in on itself.
I just, don't even...
This PC mind-set is really starting to become a joke/silly in on itself.
*sigh* On one hoof I do promote free speech, on the other hoof the key to that is "acting in peace with others" as in, so long as no one gets hurt everyone should be free to say what they want. That's why they don't allow hate-speech to be protected under free speech.The Mighty Stove said:
You really have to consider how many gay's/transgenders/etc... have actually been hurt or killed by the very sentiment that this comic turns into a joke. I don't think the people who put it up were gay-bashers necessarily, they probably thought much the same as you do. However, they have a responsibility to promote better things than this. Making a joke out of a seriously horrible problem in the nation in a campus newsletter was probably not the best way to go about this.
This was a really terrible choice for everyone involved and probably legitimately caused a lot of pain to people who have suffered from bigots who tormented them based on sexual orientation. There is a line between being PC because it's expected by society, and remembering that there are real people out there whose pain this comic is essentially mocking.
They're allowed to print what they want, they're not protected from people getting pist off about it.
I'd say if it was a letter to the editor in the editorial section it'd be fine. I love to read the stupid, miss informed, and bigotted things people say in responce to articles. A picture/comic is a different story however, because it shows there was more work put into it and it wasn't an outside source.
I'd say if it was a letter to the editor in the editorial section it'd be fine. I love to read the stupid, miss informed, and bigotted things people say in responce to articles. A picture/comic is a different story however, because it shows there was more work put into it and it wasn't an outside source.
I just learned that Gay people cannot give blood.
That's like, really bad. It's shocking that a professional medical organization still believes the gay people = AIDS thing.
That's like, really bad. It's shocking that a professional medical organization still believes the gay people = AIDS thing.
I'm not mad because this joke was about killing someone if they turn out to be gay; I'm mad because the joke wasn't very good AND it was about killing a person if they come out to be gay.
But there is a sliding case of offensiveness and this comic ranks low enough that the cartoonist and newspaper staff should be reprimanded but they not necessarily need to be fired. Having them fired over one tasteless joke is perhaps an overreaction. Only if the staff isn't willing to apologize or make amends over the comic does taking an action like firing them seem justified.
These types of situations have to be handled tactfully so that this unfortunate incident won't cause a fear of an overzealous censorship on freedom of speech and it has to be handled so that neither party feels resentment and mistrust because of the actions taken to resolve this issue.
But there is a sliding case of offensiveness and this comic ranks low enough that the cartoonist and newspaper staff should be reprimanded but they not necessarily need to be fired. Having them fired over one tasteless joke is perhaps an overreaction. Only if the staff isn't willing to apologize or make amends over the comic does taking an action like firing them seem justified.
These types of situations have to be handled tactfully so that this unfortunate incident won't cause a fear of an overzealous censorship on freedom of speech and it has to be handled so that neither party feels resentment and mistrust because of the actions taken to resolve this issue.
A big "meh" from me. My university's newspaper ran a comic that essentially called all people who believe in religion idiotic assholes (technical school, lotta atheists [small]it's because they're smarter than everyone else, you see[/small]), and you don't see me getting up in arms about it. Just means I won't read it, they lose a customer, and it won't offend me anymore. Boom. Done. Same reason I won't watch Family Guy anymore, but I don't go around bitching about it.
That being said, this doesn't really offend me that much.
That being said, this doesn't really offend me that much.
I do not think that word means what you think it means.Devoneaux said:I wonder who taught you your fascist beliefs.
Besides, I'd prefer a lawsuit over a punch in the teeth any day. But excuse me if I'm not playing nice, I've been told that I should be beaten within an inch of my life in this very thread so I'm not really inclined to keep my gloves on, either.
Mick Golden Blood said:
I don't know why I am responding to you because you are patently being obtuse, difficult, and ridiculous.
Clearly I was simplifying the law.
Of course that wouldn't happen because if she was working and you asked her for a sandwich and she started shrieking about nothing of course you wouldnt be arrested.
Why? Because as contrary to what she is saying you aren't actually bothering her; and she would likely be arrested for Breach of the Peace.
If you are done perhaps we can have an actual and serious debate?
EDIT:
There is a fine line between funny and offensive.
If you guys are familiar with british comedians, then Jimmy Carr is someone who is often irreverent and "rude" but without crossing the line into actually outright offensive. And if you compare him with another irreverent comedian, Frankie Boyle, who IMO often DOES cross the line and say stuff that is just plain offensive rather than funny.
It's a hard act to balance, and obviously this cartoonist crossed the line so much with this comic that the line is a dot to him.
For me the problem is less that it was offensive, because as I said the aforementioned comedian Frankie Boyle often says just outright offensive shit, the problem was more that he and the paper didn't put their hands up to it and say "we are very sorry. we were aiming for irreverent unpolitically correct humour, and clearly got it wrong."
If they had done that, I'd totally be like "yeh guys get over it."
Unfortunately they haven't. They have released like 3 "apology" articles where they don't actually apologise or take any responsibility for their cock up.
We have all had moments where we said something that in our head was funny but when it came out was just stupidly rude or offensive. Everyone has done it. To me this comic was one of these moments for the cartoonist and the editing staff.
The key is owning up to it which they did not do.
Was the comic offensive? Yeh it was.
Was it a sackable offense? No I really don't agree that it was. That is had they apologised and took responsibility for their moment of stupid.
Not taking responsibility shows a lack of maturity and professionalism; and shows that these folk don't have what it takes to work in the field of journalism. And that is why the cartoonist and the editors deserve to be sacked IMO.
Not because of what they did (which was just stupid) but because of their poor handling of the situation and their blatant refusal to accept responsibility for, or learn anything from the whole thing. And that's why this whole situation is so offensive to me, and why I think that the cartoonist and editos of that paper have to go.