I am grateful to the postings I've received regarding this matter. It is
mostly a generational thing because the offensiveness and stigma attached to
ilegitimacy has mostly thankfully gone. But using the word in a perjorative
or abusive manner seems to me to reinforce the underlying or vestigial
prejudices. In grammar books for English learners, the word I believe is
usually highlighted as a "taboo" word. I swear like everyone else does, but
I think that in a public forum one should observe some common courtesies,
the discussion that has extended into the analysis of hate speech used by
the discriminated themselves, is interesting, but one has to really ask what
purpose does it serve? I mean it's all very well to observe that certain
words are used by groups, but other than stating that, what is the function?
Is it part of a wish to rehabilitate a lot of the English language that has
been lost to political correctness? A desire to use the taboo words once
more?
on defamation, libel, slander etc.
Another point to bear in mind, and which I raise out of curiosity to hear
what others think about this, is that what is written on the list is in the
public domain, and I am not familiar with the libel laws pertaining to the
net, but I know the old act included broadcasting by wireless telegraphy.
Remember defamation is a tort consisting in the publication of a false and
derogatory statement regarding another person without lawful justification.
A defamatory statement is one exposing him to hatred, ridicule or contempt,
or which causes him to be shunned or avoided, or which has a tendency to
injure him in his office, profession or trade. I doubt whether talking of 4
wheel drive cars and calling the laureate a "bastard" is defamation of his
character, but I wonder how much further one can go without falling foul of
the law? If you called him a bastard in the street, that would I believe be
actionable. Since the list is British it comes under British
jurisdiction --and I would have thought that the tort of defamation can be
applied. But then I wonder how the law deals with the matter if it is in a
satirical poem?
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