Giving the finger is a "God-given right," rules judge

I don’t really know. Like you, I’ve absorbed a lot of American TV. Certainly the Second and Fifth Amendments don’t apply, and free speech is a bit more limited.

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giphy (3) (1)

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Nice one @anon87143080!! I’d forgotten that one.

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Good article! The (PE) Trudeau Salute was a big deal in Western Canada then and the sentiment remains strong; probably on both sides.

“To critics, it became the defining image of a Quebec elitist exhibiting his contempt for the West.”

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I actually don’t think speech is more limited here, it’s just defined differently. I mean I guess it’s more limited in the sense that we don’t define speech in insane ways like saying a dollar spent by a corporation is speech (thanks Citizens United). Americans limit speech in a lot of ways, just different ways. Worse ways, IMHO, but that’s a conversation for another thread.

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I was thinking of the fact that Canada has clearer definitions of hate speech, but you are right that we haven’t got to the point of saying money is speech. Yet.

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Yah, Canada has much stronger definitions there. The US does actually have some laws around inciting violence and such, notably Brandenburg v. Ohio which actually overturned a more restrictive decision, Schenk v United States which was the famous “you can’t shout fire in a crowded theatre” case that most Americans still think is on the books. Someone upthread said Canadians probably don’t really know what rights they have because of American culture, but amusingly I don’t think most Americans know either. You absolutely can shout fire in a crowded theatre, since 1969 anyway.

Anyways, this is all flirting with a thread derail so I’ll leave it here. I’m personally quite fond of Canada’s stance on hate speech but also glad I can officially now flip twin birds at Convoyers.

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LaunchFlip

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