Political Correctness gone mad???

[Almac]

I've just read this story, and wonder have we in Britain lost our sense of humour? I have a Golliwog doll, so does that make me a racist too??? :confused:

[COLOR="Navy"]"Golliwog doll racism charges against Jena Mason dropped
Golly in window The CPS said it was not possible to show exactly who placed the doll in the window
Racial harassment charges have been dropped against a Suffolk woman whose neighbour complained about a golliwog doll in her window.
Jena Mason, 65, of College Lane, Worlingham, was arrested after a neighbour complained to police.
Mrs Mason had denied displaying an item likely to cause racially-aggravated harassment at an earlier hearing in Lowestoft Magistrates' Court.
The case against her was dropped after the CPS offered no evidence.
Mrs Mason was questioned after her black neighbour Rosemarie O'Donnell complained to police about the doll.
Mrs O'Donnell claimed it had caused offence to her family.

'Rebuild relationship'
Chris McCann, head of the complex casework unit at the East of England Crown Prosecution Service, said a "review has been carried out at the highest level".
He said: "To establish that an offence has been committed, it would have been necessary to prove that Jena Mason was the person who placed the doll in such a prominent position likely to cause her neighbours racially-aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.
Jena Mason Jena Mason was arrested after complaints to police from her neighbour
"On the evidence available, it is not possible to show exactly who was responsible for placing the doll in the window.
"Despite further inquiry and review, we have determined that the evidence is insufficient and there is not a realistic prospect of conviction."
Mrs Mason's solicitor James Hartley said: "She feels that her life has been turned upside down for the last two or three months as a result of this case, and she would like to try to get back to some degree of normality in her family life.
"She would also like to try, if possible, to rebuild her relationship with her neighbours because, at the end of the day, they still live next to each other."
A Suffolk Police spokeswoman said: "Police conducted a thorough investigation into the incident and then passed the information gathered to the CPS who, at that stage, decided there was sufficient evidence to charge Mrs Mason.
"The decision to discontinue the case is one they have taken[/COLOR]."

[Inchante]

My honest opinion is that the UK and several other nations in Western Europe (and some developed nations outside Europe) have stepped beyond the need to protect minority population and into the realm of legislating thought. Many laws against hate speech and expression are incongruous with the right of free expression. I personally prefer how we have chosen to address the subject here, where there are not laws against hate speech but there are laws against harassment, incitement to violence, and hate crimes (which are crimes committed out of hatred for minority groups evidenced by expression).

Recently, a gentlemen wanted me to help him report a YouTube post about x-gay ministries as hate speech. The original poster of that content didn't say that gay people should be killed, should be segregated, or anything along those lines. He claimed that x-gay ministries were real and viable. He pointed to statistics about sexually transmitted diseases in the gay community as to why one should not want to be gay. I argued with the original poster on my own, but when I was asked to report it as hate speech and have it removed from YouTube I refused.

People are far to eager to want to toss out anything and everything they don't like or that they disagree with. Governments should not be allowed to sift through the content of its society and say what expression and thought is good and bad. A person should have access to as much knowledge on a subject as possible. It is incumbent upon the individual to decide right from wrong, true from false, and all variants in-between for themselves.

[Genersis]

Yeah.
Criminalising hate speech is a step too far in my opinion.:frown:

The incident above is pretty petty to say the least.

My nan has a Gollywog, but then she's a big Noddy fan.
I don't think she's racist.
I think my sister used to have one too....not sure though...

I don't see how just having one can be considered offensive.
I didn't even know they were considered offensive till i was...14 maybe?:redface:

Hmm...just a thought, Is there any Gay equivalent to a gollywog?
As in, the object is innocent looking enough, but it's history is what offends people?(And not everyone knows it's history?)

[Rainbowmum]

OFGS has the whole world gone mad?
I had a Golly Mamee when I was a child,it went every where with me , it had the red kerchief, and maid uniform.
Wish I still had it but it fell apart from too much love.
What's next voodoo dolls?
It was bad enough they kicked up a stink over the Noddy books.
When will the maddness end.

[princealbertofb]

Well, I suggest we call back all the Barbie dolls that have infested the world.... and make all the little girls cry their hearts out.

[Rainbowmum]

Well, I suggest we call back all the Barbie dolls that have infested the world.... and make all the little girls cry their hearts out.

Let's not forget the plastic surgeons that will be crying along with them.

[Lilmy87]

I can kind of see both sides. I generally dislike when people take some sort of proxy offence on behalf of others, deeming something unacceptable, when no one of the group it pertains to has expressed any such feeling, nor is likely to. But this wasn't the case here; a black family were directly offended. We don't really know the context; maybe they could have been the only black family in a small village, perhaps already feeling a degree of hostility... to see a GolliWOG (and it can hardly be denied the name has some racist connotations) in someones window could seem threatening. Or even if not, the fact is, they felt offended, and if that is their genuine feeling, it's valid. Whether you agree or not, UK law defines racism as such, where it is perceived as such by anyone, be that the victim, the person accused of it, or even someone else entirely. I think they had a right to express their feelings and have these responded to.

But on the other side, the woman with the golly probably didn't mean to be racist; likely just a little naive about the perceptions around it. To be accused of racism at such an official level, when none was meant, mustn't have been pleasant.

I do hate the phrase 'PC gone mad'... if you look into these stories, there is usually some sense behind them, else they are made up.

[princealbertofb]

I think the expression means that sometimes people go overboard (one way or the other)

[Inchante]

But on the other side, the woman with the golly probably didn't mean to be racist; likely just a little naive about the perceptions around it. To be accused of racism at such an official level, when none was meant, mustn't have been pleasant.

I bet the woman accused of racism was offended and felt threatened. She should have her accuser arrested for hate speech.

[Lilmy87]

She could have tried, I doubt it would have worked. I really don't think you can legally class such a thing as hate speech.