NationStates Jolt Archive

Person A is a bigot, discriminates against a lot of things.
Person B is totally insulted by Person A. B publicly and violently expresses its unhappiness and anger.
Person A learns about it, then reports it to authority.
The authority punishes Person B.

What do you think?

Public expression is OK, violence is not. Everyone is entitled to their opinions whatever they are and they are entitled to express them. Person B does not have the right to assault person A because has a different opinion, and should therefore be punished, just as if Person A had got violent with Person B because of their opinions.

Public expression is OK, violence is not. Everyone is entitled to their opinions whatever they are and they are entitled to express them. Person B does not have the right to assault person A because has a different opinion, and should therefore be punished, just as if Person A had got violent with Person B because of their opinions.
I don't mean physical violence. I mean colourful use of language.

Well, given the pat and ever so cut and dried nature of your example, I'm suspicious of where this is going, but I'm going to say that, so long as person B did not incite others to violence with his public expression of displeasure and committed no acts of violence himself, then the authorities were most likely in the wrong for taking action against him.

Wouldn't it be nice if the real world were so black and white?

Wouldn't it be nice if the real world were so black and white?
This is the typical response from someone who knows something is wrong but wants to do it anyway. You can't throw someone in jail just for being racist.

Even if he incites others to commit hate crimes it is the criminals who should be punished and no one else. The devious "B" did not force them to commit crimes, they chose to do so.

The real world is black and white for those of us with the integrity to stand by our principles.