Mike Ward: The right to defame

After the release From my Saturday column In the case of Mike Ward / Jeremy Gabriel, one reader wrote to me: “Laughing at others is not a joke”.

Sorry Liz, but saying so is like saying: “War, war, this is not a reason to hurt yourself.”

If we ban comedians from laughing at anyone, they will all have to change jobs …

We don’t have to admit

I have received numerous emails from readers who have been annoyed by my position as I look forward to Ward’s “success”. This is normal.

The Supreme Court ruling presents us with such a fundamental dilemma: Can we both argue the reason for free speech and see Ward’s humor as disgusting?

“It only makes sense to talk about freedom if it’s free to say what people do not want to hear.”

I was thinking of George Orwell’s quotes when I learned of the Supreme Court ruling on Friday.

When the majority of judges say that freedom of expression “presupposes the tolerance of society for expressions that are offensive, offensive or disgusting to the people,” that is what they mean: freedom of expression cannot exist. Stop when comments are shocking or disturbing.

In other words, the company cannot think as former Heritage Minister Steven Gilbold said. Everyone is talking about it : “Our right ends where someone else’s injury begins.”

The verdict handed down by the Supreme Court on Friday is very significant. When asked “How to resolve the conflict between freedom of expression and the right to protect one’s dignity,” most judges read in paragraph 82: “The right to innocence […] There is no place in a democratic society. ”

Wicked, shameful

Judges can only be thanked for reminding us of the fundamental importance of the three criteria to be entered in capital letters at the entrance of performance halls:

1. Environment. A joke on a stage is not like a commentary on a lecture or official statement.
2. First degree: The comedian’s career is based on his words taken in second place and not really.
3. Discrimination. Just because you make fun of someone who belongs to the X minority does not mean discrimination against the X minority.

Bad and bad comedy

In his book The hurtful book, Guy Nantel devotes an entire chapter to the Ward / Jeremy affair.

According to Nandell (who predicted Ward would win his case), the danger of this file is that “comedians have the right to make jokes, but their goals should not be compromised. Which would be absurd.”

Yes, in fact, The hurtful book Renaud-Bray’s best-selling Quebec book this week …

Perhaps, that means that many of us are bored with political correctness and permanent hurt.