Man goes to Jail for mocking handicapped girl

[Dezerte]

I actually have nothing against making it illegal to be a asshole, but I don't know if sending him to jail will help in rectifying his behavior.

[Kraenen]

I actually have nothing against making it illegal to be a asshole, but I don't know if sending him to jail will help in rectifying his behavior.

incredibly subjective and able to be made up on the spot not being a problem?

[Deleted]

In your opinion. Age doesn't matter.

What a horrendous thing to say.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Good, about time people realize freedom of speech isn't something to hide behind while you insult someone or try to bring them down.
"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." Words to live by.

The difference is that with speech, you may choose where to place your nose. Some people place their noses close to the fist than others. The law shouldn't be based off of something so subjective.

[Theodon]

It's clear that the media focus the mother of the victim placed on the man in question is why this has resulted in jail time. The case was made public enough to put that man on the public stage and serve as an example to others who act like arseholes with no consideration for others. This isn't some change in the way all judges are going to handle these situations - if they are even called on to handle them - and isn't going to result in the freedom of speech those from the USA are holding on to being trod upon. You can still act like dickheads if you really want to; don't panic.

His actions have been made public before they went to court and the judge used that to make an example of him. I would say that is all there is to it. The sentence is reflective of the severity of the crime, and the less-than-a-month jail time he's going to serve shows that it was barely a crime by law.

[caractacus]

incredibly subjective and able to be made up on the spot not being a problem?

The same can be said of physical violence, when does a tap on the shoulder, a poke in the chest, a spit in the face become illegal? yet we still have laws against it.

[Dezerte]

incredibly subjective and able to be made up on the spot not being a problem?

Never said it wasn't, it obviously would be.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

The same can be said of physical violence, when does a tap on the shoulder, a poke in the chest, a spit in the face become illegal? yet we still have laws against it.

Physical violence is directly measurable and unmistakable.

I actually have nothing against making it illegal to be a asshole, but I don't know if sending him to jail will help in rectifying his behavior.

Whose definition of being an asshole are we going to use?

[HungryHippo]

Poetic Fucking Justice

[fizzbob]

Good, about time people realize freedom of speech isn't something to hide behind while you insult someone or try to bring them down.
"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins." Words to live by.

but it is. that's exactly what it is. it's why you grew up hearing "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me"

disorderly conduct is one of those things that they use when they want to, to arrest and convict. call a cop a fagdaddy and boom, disorderly conduct. did you break a law? no. do you deserve a ticket or any punishment? no. are you a dick? yes

if we legislate people being a dick, we're all fucked depending on how much money we have. good lawyer gets this guy out of this. average person can't get a good lawyer

think about it, if it's so bad why the hell are the "victims" NEVER the ones complaining? it's always some unaffected person who does it. it's a straight guy who is offended by the word queerbait, it's a white guy who is offended by the word nigger, it's a guy with 2 good fucking legs offended by some prick acting like he's crippled

my little girl IS crippled, she DOES walk about like that and always will. she didn't give a shit

[Citizen T]

Your right to freedom of speech stops when it goes over other peoples rights.

Last I checked the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights laws applied to the United States. So no, you are no exception to this rule.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the US Constitution trumps all treaties or agreements for any domestic issues. Nothing the UN says, does, or threatens applies to any citizen in the US while in the US if it contrary to the US Constitution.

[Flatspriest]

Maybe the jerk should sue the mother for videotaping him without permission. Either way, just like her case against him, it is an unfounded claim and not against the law. See if the judge sentences her to jail for that.

[Elegiac]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the US Constitution trumps all treaties or agreements for any domestic issues. Nothing the UN says, does, or threatens applies to any citizen in the US while in the US if it contrary to the US Constitution.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.

Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution

Might want to actually read the Constitution before saying stuff like that. The UN Charter was ratified by the US and constitutes a treaty.

[fizzbob]

After watching the video evidence I think what that guy was doing should be absolutely illegal that was horrendous.

However I would say sending him to prison was quite harsh, obviously he is a bit of messed up guy who didn't really know or understand fully what he was doing. Lawful intervention was needed to set him straight and also stop a fight breaking out, I'm not sure how any adults present watching him do that contained themselves.

it's like you've never walked outside once in your life

1) crippled people don't give a fuck about this. it doesn't offend them. they just figure he's a prick
2) he knows what he's doing. we've all done it. we've all secretly made fun of other races, fat kids, skinny kids, ugly kids, christians, devil worshipers, crippled kids, etc

for fuck's sake, my crippled kid has made fun of crippled kids. it's how humans cope with things, they laugh at it. behind closed doors nobody cares, out in the open though, everyone but the person being made fun of cares

being offended for someone is gay. if YOU're offended then YOU do something about it, don't make it a legal issue that everyone else has to deal with

[Myci]

Wow you stop it only at violence? So impressed! Nothing terrible ever happened from simple verbal abuse!

maybe he just supports freedom of speech? or thinks id being rude is made illegal it is a slipery slope to it being illegal for saying things the gov / police dont want to hear?

[Elegiac]

being offended for someone is gay.

The irony is palpable.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

it's like you've never walked outside once in your life

1) crippled people don't give a fuck about this. it doesn't offend them. they just figure he's a prick
2) he knows what he's doing. we've all done it. we've all secretly made fun of other races, fat kids, skinny kids, ugly kids, christians, devil worshipers, crippled kids, etc

for fuck's sake, my crippled kid has made fun of crippled kids. it's how humans cope with things, they laugh at it. behind closed doors nobody cares, out in the open though, everyone but the person being made fun of cares

being offended for someone is gay. if YOU're offended then YOU do something about it, don't make it a legal issue that everyone else has to deal with

Quite a lot of assumptions to make. Not defending yourself against stuff like this doesn't mean it isn't offending you. There are many reasons that people don't defend themselves against stuff like this, one of them is not being offended for sure, but many are things like being afraid, not thinking it will do anything, etc.

[Kogoes]

This is ridiculous. Honestly I think it's my turn to play the appalled citizen around here and just state how INSANE it is that a person can be jailed for making fun of someone. Handicap or not, he didn't hurt her physically, he didn't threaten her, at the very most? He hurt her feelings. Now that tells you a lot about the direction in which society is headed. We can't hurt one another's feelings anymore? We can't be who we are, even if we happen to be assholes? It's my RIGHT to be an asshole so long as I do so within the confines of the law and I think its just AMAZING that somehow the legal system has been twisted to the needs of a bunch of emotionally crippled individuals who run crying anytime someone's feelings are hurt.

On another note? The mother of the crippled girl needs to take a step back and look at the attention shes bringing in on her daughter. The people who feel bad for her are also not the people who are going to stagger along behind her making fun of her. Know why that is? Because assholes DON'T CARE! Seriously, they don't care a bit. All she accomplished was making her child a spectacle while getting a man charged with a COMPLETELY BOGUS crime. He wasn't putting anyone at risk, he wasn't disrupting anything in a way that prohibited people from going about their daily business. Some self righteous moron judge clearly just wanted to 'prove a point'.

Well the judge DID prove a point.

Society is going to hell and taking our rights to be who we are with them.

[Rupture91]

Ok seeing the grown man doing it was just disgusting, but when i noticed the son was also doing it i kinda smirked... i know im a jerk

[Theodon]

This is ridiculous. Honestly I think it's my turn to play the appalled citizen around here and just state how INSANE it is that a person can be jailed for making fun of someone. Handicap or not, he didn't hurt her physically, he didn't threaten her, at the very most? He hurt her feelings. Now that tells you a lot about the direction in which society is headed. We can't hurt one another's feelings anymore? We can't be who we are, even if we happen to be assholes? It's my RIGHT to be an asshole so long as I do so within the confines of the law and I think its just AMAZING that somehow the legal system has been twisted to the needs of a bunch of emotionally crippled individuals who run crying anytime someone's feelings are hurt.

On another note? The mother of the crippled girl needs to take a step back and look at the attention shes bringing in on her daughter. The people who feel bad for her are also not the people who are going to stagger along behind her making fun of her. Know why that is? Because assholes DON'T CARE! Seriously, they don't care a bit. All she accomplished was making her child a spectacle while getting a man charged with a COMPLETELY BOGUS crime. He wasn't putting anyone at risk, he wasn't disrupting anything in a way that prohibited people from going about their daily business. Some self righteous moron judge clearly just wanted to 'prove a point'.

Well the judge DID prove a point.

Society is going to hell and taking our rights to be who we are with them.

I think you are very much overreacting. If future cases like this pop up and people are jailed for it, then your stand point might be justified, but until this is shown to be anything other than one unlucky douche being used as a whipping boy then I wouldn't think full blown outrage and protesting is uncalled for. At some point people seemingly need to be reminded that being that big a prick isn't going to go unnoticed.