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Hate speech can be a tricky thing up here. Much of it hinges on how true the statement is.
You can holler that you hate gays or feminists or Jews or Greeks all you want, but you can't say they smell bad or that they need to be imprisoned.
As much as I like Canada and think they have a good thing going on up there, I don't appreciate the fact that they don't have freedom of speech. I understand it's a "protected freedom" per their charter, but there are numerous restrictions that wouldn't fly here in the US
I'm sorry to burst your ballon but I have as much freedom of speech as I would ever need or want. The fact that it's illegal to promote HATE against any identifiable group is a very good thing in my world. It's no infringment on my freedoms in the least and if anything it's a great inhancement on the freedoms of those who are targets for hate and violent crimes commited against them all over the world just because of who they are.
One just has to look south of our border to see very clearly the results of unbridled hate preached 24/7 against who ever. I had a neighbour who was an immigrant from Bangladesh. He studied in the USA and became a Ph.D in engineering there. He could not stay in the USA after graduating so he moved to Canada. When I asked him how ofter he had experienced hate towards himself because of his race he said, "Never one single time here in Canada but in the USA it was a constant never ending, every single day thing.
So, you can keep your hate and racism dowm there. We Canadians don't want it and if you think that infringes on my freedom then you have a strange idea of what that is.
Why do people start these stupid threads? I'm not Canadian so I don't give Canadian freedoms (or lack thereof) a thought. Just like most Canadians don't give US freedoms (of lack thereof) a thought. If I ever do think of Canada, here are my thoughts...... Maple Leaf, Hockey, Cold.
Why do people start these stupid threads? I'm not Canadian so I don't give Canadian freedoms (or lack thereof) a thought. Just like most Canadians don't give US freedoms (of lack thereof) a thought. If I was to think of Canada, here's my assessment...... Maple Leaf, Hockey, Cold.
Stupid thread? Because you never think outside of your own little world you built for yourself? I'm sorry, but many Americans do actually study politics and culture outside of their own in order to better understand the events going around them and the world they live in, which is one of increasing globalization. I'm sorry that you are so willfully ignorant.
As much as I like Canada and think they have a good thing going on up there, I don't appreciate the fact that they don't have freedom of speech. I understand it's a "protected freedom" per their charter, but there are numerous restrictions that wouldn't fly here in the US
Here is a secret for you. 200 years ago, the right to freedom of speech was impressive. Today, freedom of speech is pretty standard in just about every country in the world except maybe China, Cuba, North Korea, the Middle East, and a handful of third world banana republics.
You are not going to impress people with your freedom of speech. The internet is a perfect example. You have people from all over the world expressing themselves equal. Freedom of speech today is like breathing air.
Stupid thread? Because you never think outside of your own little world you built for yourself? I'm sorry, but many Americans do actually study politics and culture outside of their own in order to better understand the events going around them and the world they live in, which is one of increasing globalization. I'm sorry that you are so willfully ignorant.
Very little intelligence is gained when the premise of the thread is designed to incite nationalistic chest thumping. Well done you.
Based on most of the responses to this thread, people aren't informed at all and are just spouting off nonsense on both sides. Very little intelligence is gained when the premise of the thread is designed to incite nationalistic chest thumping. Well done you.
Please tell me how the premise of the thread is designed to incite nationalistic chest thumping? Certainly there has been a fair share of that, but that certainly wasn't my intent. It was my intent to discuss people's concepts of freedom and how they vary from political ideology and geographical perceptions. Some people have actually had swell discussion about the topic. I don't believe in the doctrine of nationalism, but others do. When there is a thread comparing and contrasting two countries, there is bound to be nationalism, as it is pervasive in the world. Therefore, it is inevitable. Your accusation is thin on that ground, because you could make that accusation at any thread where two countries are being discussed. Actually, you could make that accusation about anything where two things are discussed.
In the US, you can't exercise your freedoms that would infringe on the rights of others. In Canada, there are far more restrictions including restrictions on offensive and hate speech.
Excellent point. The US is a better safe-haven for bigots and racists. Whether not thats a plus or not is debatable. I guess it depends on how important you think that hate speech is to you. For me personally, it's not important.
Hate speech can be a tricky thing up here. Much of it hinges on how true the statement is.
You can holler that you hate gays or feminists or Jews or Greeks all you want, but you can't say they smell bad or that they need to be imprisoned.
I think it's that ambiguity that would cause me some concern. I certainly won't pretend that there aren't First Amendment conflicts in The US, there clearly are. However, free speech in the US is generally viewed as a near-absolute right, even in the face of lending profound offense to others.
My impression is that Canada views free speech as existing on one side of a balance, with an abstract notion of "the public good" on the opposing side of that balance. Some of the provincial laws seem especially structured in that direction. If I understand correctly, in B.C. one can potentially be ordered to financially compensate another for having caused an injury to that person's feelings or their sense of self-respect.
Hate speech can be a tricky thing up here. Much of it hinges on how true the statement is.
You can holler that you hate gays or feminists or Jews or Greeks all you want, but you can't say they smell bad or that they need to be imprisoned.
When you tell someone that you hate them, you tell them your feeling without a reason. But when you say they smell bad, you insult them. I do see the difference.
What is more important is that hopefully Canadians are not and never will be as racist as US Americans to begin with. Canada has no slavery legacy etc. And when there is less inequality, people are not as aggressive towards each other, which often shows along race and ethnic lines.
If I am not racist, why would I even want to say something that hurts, say, Jews or blacks?
Canadians should also try to prevent that American extremism virus from spilling over the border.
But I am optimistic, I think for various reasons Canadians will continue to be different from their southern neighbors in a positive way.
Canada has other issues to solve, like the Francophone-Anglophone divide, a potential conflict with Russia over claims in the Arctic,...
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