Ban Everything That Offends?

This week we have a serious landmark court ruling take place here in South Africa, which sets a legal precedent that displaying the old South African flag amounts to hate speech. This is apparently not a complete ban, the judge said the ruling did not translate to a total ban, but said it was a prohibition from displaying the old flag gratuitously. He confirmed its display for artistic and academic reasons. AfriForum opposed the Nelson Mandela Foundation's application, citing freedom of expression, and asked the court not to ban the display of the old flag. The organization had argued that the Equality Act speaks of hate speech in words and not symbols.

"Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can't vent any anger against them; I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence" - Charles Bukowski

This is a freedom of speech issue, well expression in this particular case, and the freedom speak and share your opinion no matter how offensive it might be is the corner stone of freedom and a free society. To those who ask if my freedoms supersede their feeling on what offends them, yes my freedoms do supersede offense. And it goes the other way too, my feeling of what offends me does not supersede their freedoms, which is what we call human rights. This is in my opinion a ridiculous argument to even entertain, offense can not be quantified or calculated. Let me explain, does seeing something that you find offensive, cause you more offense than what I find offensive? Also how do we calculate hate? Is the feeling of offense stronger when it's due to racism than compared to when someone calls you stupid? So how do we hypothetically solve this problem, do we do so with mob rule, where the majority decides what is more offensive than something else? Well would that not be oppressing of a minority view point?

It's not the job of government the protect the feeling of it's citizens, it is governments mandate to protect their rights.

"Censorship is saying: 'I'm the one who says the last sentence. Whatever you say, the conclusion is mine.' But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word - even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper." - Ai Weiwei

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