That's racist!
 

Way to spectacularly miss the point ...

Could be seen as offensive by numpties - and I am sure the artist will be rushing to grace your seafront with something inoffensive and impossible to misconstrue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-29446232

This is the mural - clearly a dig at anti-immigration protestors - if anything it is anti-racist:

Do you think that it's possible an anti-immigrant person saw that it painted them in a bad light, so they called in the complaint so it would be taken down?

I agree glatt. I saw the image and before I read your comment, I thought, "what he's saying is 'I got mine, piss off.'" What I see here is "I'm offended that the hypocrisy of my position is being displayed in such an unflattering way! Take that down!". But the problem is, to paraphrase Undertoad, that doesn't fit in the checkbox.

The mistaken belief/bad policy that people have a legally enforceable right to be be free from being offended is the source of the problem here. I don't like being offended (though some clearly do), I don't like being offensive (though some clearly do), but since it's such a subjective condition, it's impractical if not impossible avoid. I like our First Amendment freedom, and I think it's a good model.

Unfortunately, freedom of speech doesn't generally run to grafitti - which this is. So the council are within their rights to remove any grafitti that appears on public property (in this case a council owned public convenience). I would imagine that grafitti isn't protected under the First Amendment either.

Most councils don't remove Banksy grafitti - and there are other artists whose graffiti tends to get left alone. In this case it was only removed because ofthe complaint - but legallythey could have removed it anyway purely on the grounds that it is grafitti.

You make my point.

Not really - you seemed to suggest that the First Amendment would have protected it? But it's there absolutely on sufferance of the owners of the wall on which it has been painted, without permission from that owner. Justbecause their reason for removing it is dubious - doesn't change their right to that removal for whatever reason.

Now - had it been hanging in a gallery and the council insisted it be removed - that would be an infringement of the artist's right to free expression.

You think that's racist...
 

THIS is racist.

It's kind of bizarre, isn't it? I can see the woman wanting sperm from a man who's skin resembles her own. But there are a couple of other remarks in the story that I find dissonant.

1 -- She's in a same sex relationship (Jennifer and Amanda, both might want babies from the same donor). Her concern about the negative reaction from her family to the parentage of the baby but there's no mention of their reaction to her same sex relationship. That's some selective enlightenment.

2 -- Speaking of her family, how can they be "often unconsciously insensitive"? I mean, I get that some people are dense *and* rude. But if you already know that, how can that stay the same? Certainly something can give there. Unconsciousness can become consciousness, often can become infrequent, insensitive can become sensitive. And if it can't, why pursue it unless you're Don Quixote?

3 -- She says she's experienced the sting of prejudice as a lesbian but is oblivious to the fact that she's doing the same thing because of skin color. ???

4 -- I rolled my eyes at the way she expressed her outrage: "they took it on themselves to make that [her] choice out of negligence." Oh boy. I think she's trying to shoehorn the word "negligence" in there; maybe there was negligence, maybe she feels it's important to her case. But that's not the same as actively taking away something. I note that the facility does not have electronic records, meaning that mistaking "#380" and "#330" is easier to imagine.

Almost certainly a mistake. Probably negligent. Understandably regrettable. Definitely prejudiced. Hardly fatal.

Let me try again.

Two points here, it's graffiti and it has a perceived meaning.

As graffiti, the content notwithstanding, the property owner has the right to remove it. The end.

As to the meaning, I believe in the freest possible range of expression. Not anarchy, not unlimited "free speech". Words have power and power should be used with control. What I *don't believe* should be a control is a legal prohibition from giving offense. I don't think there is a right to be unoffended.

This is not a simple situation. Language is complex, people are complex. We have reasonable laws against slander and libel and pornography and such. What I don't think is a good threshold for the exercise of state power is "I am offended, make that stop."

Now, to the mural.

I don't think the message of the mural rises to the level of pornography, libel, defamation, etc. I don't see anything objectionable, I mean legally actionable in the message of the mural.

I can see that someone might dislike the message, or dislike the effect the message would have on other people, sure. Not in an illegal way though. Not enough to justify taking it down. Imagine that same mural was painted on a billboard, a space specifically designed for a big sign, a deliberate, public visual communication medium. I would think it should be allowed.

Same message, down here on the side of my building? I can easily see that someone would want it removed. Even it it said "I :heartpump Kittens!!!", I might want that removed.

Bottom line: I think we agree.

Blackbirds hate Greenbirds.

Sarcasm is racist and therefore is illegal.

Is sarcasm a felony or only a misdemeanor?

Are there statutes of limitation for this crime?

Good thing one of those birds was not named Mohammed. Otherwise we would have religioius extremists bombing the town. And fatahs that justify such attacks. Then we would have to declare war on some nation on the other side of the world. All because of sarcasm.

"The awkward moment when your sarcasm is so advanced people actually think you are stupid."

(found online)

"The awkward moment when your stupidity is so advanced people actually think you are sarcastic."

:haha: