Your on the righr track. Actually its not so much about meaning as the power, versus the alleged power of language. We all live in a secular society and accept the fact that if you call me a bad name on this board, for example, and I tell you I will say your name and curse you with a word and a chicken bone ritual designed to bring bad luck...nobody will arrest me. We all accept that words cannot curse people.
Now...If on the other hand you call me a bad name here and I see you are going to the matinee tomorrow, I go to the matinee as well, when the movie starts I yell "Fire"!!!! I will most definitely be arrested. I used the power of words to incite an immanent danger to others. Mabe hoping someone would trample my antagonist.
What they have done is ascribed the same power as described above to words that insult bit do not cause immanent harm and this is VERY dangerous, it is a way to welcome censorship. Why? because society is giving a power to words that our constitution and way of life does not allow...we may as well arrest people who threaten the chickenbone ritual described above.
Now...If on the other hand you call me a bad name here and I see you are going to the matinee tomorrow, I go to the matinee as well, when the movie starts I yell "Fire"!!!! I will most definitely be arrested. I used the power of words to incite an immanent danger to others. Mabe hoping someone would trample my antagonist.
What they have done is ascribed the same power as described above to words that insult bit do not cause immanent harm and this is VERY dangerous, it is a way to welcome censorship. Why? because society is giving a power to words that our constitution and way of life does not allow...we may as well arrest people who threaten the chickenbone ritual described above.
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