Brickbat: Street Corner Serenade

Bosquet / Foter / CC BY-NC

Officials in Basildon, England, have agreed to pay £2,500 to settle a wrongful arrest and false imprisonment claim by street preacher Rob Hughes. Hughes was arrested and held for 11 hours after a woman complained he'd made homophobic remarks. Hughes says he never mentioned homosexuality, though he did say the government was destroying marriage by redefining it. He says he recorded his sermon and offered to let officers listen to it, but they refused.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

He says he recorded his sermon and offered to let officers listen to it, but they refused.

Some people just don't want to be saved.

[Libertarian]

Is it just me, or has the very definition of "homophobe" changed? Seems it's gone from having a fear to having hate.

[Adans smith]

If you do not hold the proper views it's hate..

[Roger the Shrubber]

I believe that this has always been the way the term 'homophibia' has been used. Not just hate, but any expression of disagreement with the homosexual political orthodoxy is labeled as 'homophobia.' Labeling it as a 'phobia' lets them classify your opinion as a mental disorder.

[ColonelEngineer]

To some extent, I'm sure some lefty has argued it's "progress-phobia."

....assuming they own up to defining "progress" as shooting dissenters in the fucking head

[Roger the Shrubber]

Is it truly a phobia if the fear is rational? Did the Jews have Nazi-phobia?

[ColonelEngineer]

I think anyone with more than 3 brain cells - at that point - recognizes that it ceases to be a "-phobia" buzzword and it becomes "bruh... shit's goin down."

[Mickey Rat]

It is and always has been a term of bullying propaganda. It is an Orwellian attempt to control language.

[ColonelEngineer]

This.

Because FYTW. That's why so many go into academia. They become figures of authority and their instruction is taken as golden truth. "My professor told me... why would they lie!?"

[ColonelEngineer]

This.

Because FYTW. That's why so many go into academia. They become figures of authority and their instruction is taken as golden truth. "My professor told me... why would they lie!?"

[PapayaSF]

Which, of course, is what "racism" has become. It used to mean "a belief in the inferiority of some races." Eventually it became "anything that makes me uncomfortable."

[sarcasmic]

It used to mean "a belief in the inferiority of some races."

And now if you believe all races should be treated equally then you're racist. Tolerant people understand that certain races are inferior and unable to get through life without a helping white hand .

[Rich]

All races are inherently equal, but certain races have been held back by a white hand and so deserve a helping white hand.

[wadair]

And now if you believe all races should be treated equally then you're racist

Exactly. Now race and ethnicity relations is about Oppressors and Oppressed/Privileged and Nonprivileged. The former are racist by definition unless they become self-loathing progressives. Self-loathing progressivism is the only way to atone and correct for one's privilege.

[Tonio]

So much butt-hurt. Whine all you want, lads, but the oppressed get to define who their perceived enemies and oppressors are. You know, free speech and all.

[PM]

Hey, look, Tonio supports the rape and torture of language as long as the ends support his oppression narrative. Footage at 11.

[GILMORE]

So what you're saying is you're Islamophobic?

[Mr. Anderson]

It was always used that way, it's meant as an insult not as an accurate description. Nobody is really afraid of homosexuals. People just thought it made a clever insult to attack common masculine traits by charging them with being afraid. It's an odd mix for those that think gender is a social construct.

Basically, playing to the gender stereotype that men are supposed to be tough so your not a real man if you are bothered by homosexuals. But also rejecting the gender sterotype of men being attracted to women because gender sterotypes are made up or something.

[Copernicus]

At least everyone agrees that free speech is right out.

[Charles Easterly]

It clearly is in England, Copernicus: "But Mr Hughes... was arrested after police said they had received a complaint from a member of the public that he had used homophobic and offensive language"

a) The police didn't actually hear him say anything that was offensive
b) One person's word was sufficient to arrest him and hold him prisoner for 11 hours
c) The police didn't bother to listen to the available audio which would have proven his "innocence"
and d) if Mr. Hughes can be arrested for saying something, anything, he has no free speech to begin with

[Suthenboy]

"At least everyone agrees that free speech is right out."

In typical proggie fashion they agree to no such thing. This is what 'free speech' looks like in proggietopia. You are free to express approved opinions and any unapproved opinions are hate speech, which is not free speech, and strictly forbidden.

Ask any proggie and they will tell you that England is a bastion of free speech.

A fine example of demoralization.

[straffinrun]

What he said was much worse than yelling theatre in a fire.

[Charles Easterly]

You never - and I mean never - yell "theatre" into a fire. It transforms the existing flame into an entirely different type of fire.

"When this kind of fire starts, it is very hard to put out.
The tender boughs of innocence burn first, and the wind rises, and then all goodness is in jeopardy."

[Steve G]

If that a movie poster for a new Jeff Bridges flic? I wonder how many marbles are in his mouth on this one.

[AlmightyJB]

I wouldn't mess with him. He looks like a wizard.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

It's a file photo - a real photo of the preacher is in the article.

Not sure why they used a joke photo when a real one was available.

[Rich]

Got you to read the article, didn't it?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I would presume social signalling - "we're required to defend this guy's free speech, but we want to be clear we think he's distasteful."

[PapayaSF]

I wondered about that.

[Tonio]

Because all street preachers are inherently jokes. Eddie, I think you're overcome with incense; perhaps some fresh air is in order.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I better not see any boiled rabbits in my kitchen, Tonio.

[Charles Easterly]

I don't think that the choice of photographs is anything to get incensed over.

[AlmightyJB]

Speech is how we express ourselves. Killing speech is akin to killing the person. If you threaten to kill speech, those you threaten have a right to pre-emptive self-defense. For the children.

[Rich]

Hughes says he never mentioned homosexuality, though he did say the government was destroying marriage by redefining it.

Emphasis added. Well, there's your HATE SPEECH!

Seriously, YA reason to never set foot in the UK.

[AlmightyJB]

You mean they respect OUR culture?

[Rich]

*** wink-wink-nudge-nudge ***

[Charles Easterly]

I have the impression that the younger residents of England, and Europe generally for that matter, would look upon us as barbarians - especially most of us who post here - if we were to speak honestly.

"That's hate speech, Charles, and we don't tolerate hate speech in our town."

"What? Grow a pair and leave me alone."

"Oh! Did you hear that, did you hear that?! That's what I'm going on about: Hate speech."

[Heroic Mulatto]

They don't grow them like Pat Condell anymore.

[Charles Easterly]

Thanks, HM, I hadn't heard that one previously.

[AlmightyJB]

We need to ship all if the utes back to the 70's for couple months. Either their heads would explode or they would come back a little less anal.

[Heroic Mulatto]

they would come back a little less anal.

Considering the availability of Quaaludes, they might come back a little more anal...if you know what I mean.

[AlmightyJB]

I was like the cookie monster of qualuudes:)

[Rhywun]

he did say the government was destroying marriage

Perhaps he was referring to the rise of no-fault divorce and the overall increase in the number of divorces over the last century? What a heterophobe.

[PapayaSF]

At least you can now call a horse "gay."

[Rich]

I'm increasingly amazed people are still permitted to sing "Don we now our gay apparel".

[AlmightyJB]

Usef to go to this annual festival. Old timey stuff. Had a place supposed to be modeled after 1890's. Always had a banner that read "The Gay 90's". Today that probably be worth a boycott

[AlmightyJB]

The cop shoud have been charged with a hate crime for saying gay is an insult. Oh wait, arbitrary enforcement is the thugs signiture move.

[double ham fisted]

The liquor store in my town is named: Gay's Hops and Schnapps.

[Steve G]

Wait, arrested for homophobia? Can I be arrested for arachnophobia?

[Charles Easterly]

What's that on your shoulder, inching its way toward your neck?

No Steve - the other side.

[Rebel Scum]

Hughes says he never mentioned homosexuality, though he did say the government was destroying marriage by redefining it.

He probably also thinks you shouldn't murder third trimester babies. That loony, sick, fascist fuck.

Sarc aside, the government should not be defining marriage at all. Fuck England, and fuck that totalitarian whore that thinks she should be able to persecute people that offend her.

[GILMORE]

While I'm not a personal fan of streetcorner/subway-preaching,

(having experienced a great deal of it for ~15 years in NYC*)

that photo should at least be noted, "not the guy in question"

*on the styles of street/subway preaching = i actually most appreciate the ones who come and say, "You're all going to hell", because i get to use my one-liners like, "What!? We're not *there yet*??" The reformed homeless people who do it as a scam are a mild irritant, but the Jamaican ones who just tell you how much they love you in their unintelligible patois are just too fucking much at 7AM. Every new New-Yorker *should* at least once answer "yes" when the Satmar Hasidic guy asks them if they're Jewish, just to disappoint them later when you confess, "naw man, i just wanted to see if you were giving out free stuff". Also = no tour of Manhattan is complete without a Times Square performance by the Black Israelites, aka the OG LARP crew

[adolphowisner]

She is not a moderate. She is an amoral crap weasel that will say and do anything to continue to suckle on the body public. then check all report news this way.... http://moourl.com/gjftp

[AlmightyJB]

Used to have a local vand called Tge Gidz that had a song called Feelin' Fine on a seven one four:)