Comment Re:tick tock (Score 1) 283
Why is it OK to legislate against a punch in the 'nads, but not against psychological harm? In what way is a brain any less a damageable organ of the body than a testicle?
A punch in the 'nads is perceived by every victim in the same way, and there is a clear intention on behalf of the puncher to cause pain and injury. This is not so clear-cut with trolling and griefing 'offences'. An insult or a taunt is perceived differently by different people, and the 'perpetrator' has no means of knowing in advance how their comment will be received.
Taking too much offence is as much of a problem as giving too much offence, especially when we as a society universally blame the giver not the taker. This gives over-sensitive people immediate 'victim' status, which some people enjoy and therefore court offence so that they can be victims. If we limit the ability to give offence without making some sensible rules about taking offence too, then we end up in a situation where no-one can say anything meaningful, just bland platitudes.
But morality cannot be enforced by laws, banning something doesn't prevent people from doing it, it just makes them criminals when they do it.
Like rape.
Indeed, and murder, and theft, and so on. We reject the fact that a minority of our community perform these acts, and the punish them if they do. But criminalise too many things (like alcohol for example) and suddenly a majority of our community are criminals, the word 'criminal' ceases to have any negative effect, and it becomes impossible for us to reject them. Then the rapists will have a field day because they're suddenly the criminal majority and aren't being rejected by society. If you really abhor rape, then you'll work hard to prevent attempts to legislate morality because it will dilute the social consequences of rape.