IHateWillsNKate - I have advised many previous times that when a post begins with the words 'So you think ...' it is usually preceeding a statement that does not refer to the post to which it responds.
And so it is here.
"so you think that these girls' actions are a slippery slope to electrocuting small children for pleasure. sorry but I'm not convinced."
Nor should you be, that is a facile argument, which is why I did not say it.
My point was that if you allow everyone to say as they wish, before long everyone wishes to DO as they wish, and that led to my extreme example,which was purely for illustative purposes.
"personally I'm more proud to live in a country where people can say what they like"
Which country is that then?
Because it is not this one.
As has been shown by this debate, and the media coverage that started it off, no-one can say anything controversial without a response being generated, and don't get me wrong, I support that concept utterly, it's called free speech.
But that dopesn't mean that anyone can say anything anywhere, and that is the mark of a civilised society. As the oft-quoted reference has it - 'Free speech does not entitle you to shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre.
Thus, in our free society, people enjoy the luxery of taking offence if they so wish.
To return to my original point - the notion that these girls dressed this way for a nightclub fancy dress party in order to 'make a point' simply doesn't hold water.
I have no problem with students doing thougtless immature things, it's part of learning to grow up. But if you are caught out in taking a step too far, at least have the common sense to admit that your action was simply misjudged, and the wider population will accept that, and move on.
Trying to pass of this nonsense as a 'statement' simply insults the intelligence of those who hear it, and that is what i would take issue with - not the action, but the facile attempted justification.