Jailed for racist comments on a blog?

Question

I was shocked when I heard on the news that a man (I won’t say which country, for obvious reasons) was sentenced to jail (…for a few years…and/ or fined several grand…and had his computer confiscated, I think.)

Anyway...

*I'd like to know if you know of any similar Sedition Act (in your country, or any other place.)

+…And what’s your reaction to this?

[Sorry I won't give more details, but I'm sure you can Google the article if you want.]

Answer 1

well, id steer clear of getting angry quick, cuz some laws allow it, because its protected by the first amendment.

Answer 2

i think there is a line people cross which warrants action. thinking something and saying it are 2 different things.

treat others as you want to be treated. we are all people. we all put our pants on one leg at a time! there is good and bad in every culture and race so who are we to judge one another.

Jail may seem harsh but i dont know what was said...he may have crossed that line.

Answer 3

Good question!

It's hard to determine what should be right and what shouldn't be right in a situation like this.

At first I think that it shouldn't be a big deal. After all, this was written in a blog and not sprayed on the side of a public building.

Then I think about how it is here in the U.S.  We are allowed to have our freedom of speech, but we still needed to have some form of protection. We had to create laws prohibiting slander, or libel.

It's hard to please everybody, and there has to be a line drawn somewhere to keep the peace. The act was created because somewhere along the line it caused a problem so someone felt that it was necessary to prevent this problem from occurring again in the future.

I don't agree with the punishment though. As much money as it costs to detain someone, it seems that it would be better to put those people to work and save the space for someone who has committed a more serious crime who needs to be separated from the public.

Side Note: I don't know how things work in that country, but over here that act would make me a little nervous because our courts would love that because it would mean quick, easy money in court costs. It could easily take priority over other matters that affect people on a more serious level. But that's just my opinion.