Hola mes amigos! Excuse me while I get my soapbox out of storage.
/stands confidently on soapbox.
/secures Hazmat suit.
Fucking listen to me, people, this is important. Due to the recent terrorist attacks in France, a lot of arguments regarding free speech have erupted ad nauseum on this website. In fact, in another window, I'm fighting for free speech to the figurative death. Valiantly, I might add.
As Charlie Hebdo wasn't exactly a non-controversial publication, easy analogies have been made between the French magazine and America's pathetic Westboro Baptist Church.
I don't hate many people or companies, or even churches, but I hate the Westboro Baptist Church with a fiery passion. I am not afraid to admit that because they are horrible, awful, no good, very bad human beings. They are. They repulse me and, if there is a hell, they are on the fucking fast-track to a really suckass afterlife.
While I completely agree with free speech, there are limits to all things. Always. There is always a stopping point somewhere, an end point, a wall that you come up against. We have laws and rules for a reason. We need to follow laws because it benefits all of society, right?
Right. So we, as a collective society, make laws against dickery. We have a number of non-dickery laws, don't we?
Yes, we do.
SO DON'T FUCKING PICKET SOMEONE'S FUNERAL WITH HATE SPEECH, YOU ABSOLUTE HUMAN ABOMINATION!
As a society, we are not necessarily allowed to be dicks to each other in harmful ways. DBAD is the golden rule.
It is illegal to litter on the street.
It is illegal to jaywalk.
It is illegal to smoke in certain places.
It is illegal to punch someone.
It is illegal to steal your roommate's iPad.
It is illegal to leave your kid in a hot car.
It is illegal to yell FIRE! in a crowded theater if there is no such fire.
It is illegal to not pick up your dog's shit.
Why, then, should it not be illegal to picket a funeral? Why is it not crossing the line by making a grieving family that much more upset? Why is this even an issue?!
This isn't about free speech. This is about respecting basic tenets of humanity. And I think there should be a law against picketing anyone's funeral with hate speech.
DBAD, goddamnit.
/gets off soapbox.
/secures helmet.