Crosswords2 mins ago
The Dictionary.... is it legal?
13 Answers
Silly argument in work this afternoon but�.. as the dictionary contains derogatory words / phrases relating to race, sex and religion is it not illegal?
(I appreciate the answer must surely be "No, it's not illegal" but it has certainly got us talking here!)
Answers
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No definately not. Regardless of how PC the modern world has become these days, people still need to know meanings and origins of words (not forgetting spelling) whether they are racist, sexist or explicit or otherwise.
If it is a sign of the times for people to be thinking in that way, then the PC world (not the shop) we live in has definately gone a step too far, in my opinion.
To be illegal it would have to be obscene.
To be obscene it would have to deprave and corrupt the reader.
If you could get a jury to find that knowing the definition of a word or phrase will deprave and corrupt the reader then you would have established that the dictionary is "illlegal", but against the littany of failed obscenity trials, Lady Chatterly, Tropic of Capricorn, Last Exit From Brooklyn, Lollita etc, I think the decision is already made.
To be obscene it would have to deprave and corrupt the reader.
If you could get a jury to find that knowing the definition of a word or phrase will deprave and corrupt the reader then you would have established that the dictionary is "illlegal", but against the littany of failed obscenity trials, Lady Chatterly, Tropic of Capricorn, Last Exit From Brooklyn, Lollita etc, I think the decision is already made.
In response to Grunty the best ever piece of PC came from a letterr to the Guardian many years ago. It went
Sir, I was very distrubed to find that a paper of your standing found it necessary to comment on the racial origin of the assaiant in your report of an assault by a "black" cab driver.
Yours etc
Editors reply.
Black referred to tthe colour of the cab.
Sir, I was very distrubed to find that a paper of your standing found it necessary to comment on the racial origin of the assaiant in your report of an assault by a "black" cab driver.
Yours etc
Editors reply.
Black referred to tthe colour of the cab.
-- answer removed --
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