[WikiEN-l] No more blocking people for who they are?

Tue Feb 7 23:29:33 UTC 2006

W. Guy Finley wrote:
> Umm, no.  Some things just aren't funny -- try going into an airport and
> joking about having a bomb and see how far your "I was just joking!" excuse
> gets while you're being cuffed and hauled to jail.  "Joking" that you are a
> pedophile is no different in my mind.

Joking about having a bomb in an airport or actually having one is 
illegal. Joking about being a pedophile or actually being one is not.

Still no difference in your mind?

Bomb 'jokes' are illegal because they create a risk of panic which could 
lead to injuries. Ditto shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater unless it 
actually is on fire. Likewise verbal plans or exhortations to commit 
criminal acts. Everything else is 'free speech' and allowed in most 
countries.

If we want to be TECHNICAL then Wikipedia allowing people to say 'I am a 
heterosexual' but not 'I am a pedophile' (or 'I am a homosexual'... as 
some of the anti-pedophile crowd were also advocating banning) is 
discriminatory under US law. Ditto allowing 'I am a Christian' but not 
'I am a Satanist'. Since we aren't getting government funding or paying 
people to work on the encyclopedia we're actually allowed to 
discriminate, but don't expect it to be universally popular.

[WikiEN-l] No more blocking people for who they *are*?

[WikiEN-l] No more blocking people for who they are?