Rowan Atkinson, aka Mr. Bean (aka the guy who deep sixed the UK's obsession with electric cars), is now out there roiling their push for censorship by campaigning against Section 5.
Section 5 makes it an offence to use 'threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour' or to display 'any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting' within the hearing or sight of a person 'likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby'
Here's a clip of a speech Atkinson gave at a ReformSection5 event.
Here are some highlights:
I have enjoyed free expression in this country all my professional life and fully expect to continue to do so: personally, I suspect, highly unlikely to be arrested for whatever laws exist to contain free expression because of the undoubtedly privileged position that is afforded to those of a high public profile. So my concern is less for myself, and more for those more vulnerable because of their lower public profile.
Who are these folks that Rowan Atkinson is standing up for?
The man at Oxford arrested for calling a police horse gay. Or the teenager arrested for calling Scientology a cult. Or the cafe owner arrested for displaying passages of the Bible on a TV screen.
He goes on to say that outlawing insults is ridiculous because just having a difference of opinion from the orthodoxy can be insulting to those in power. That's the problem with authoritarianism.
So what's his solution to this problem?
Innocculations!
The best way to increase society's resistance to insulting or offensive speech is to allow a lot more of it. As with childhood diseases, you can better resist those germs to which you've been exposed. We need to build our immunity to taking offense, so we can deal with issues that perfectly justified criticism can raise.
And in that spirit, I say to you all:
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