Free speech and its manslaughter attempts: a First Amendment thread.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Free speech and its manslaughter attempts: a First Amendment thread.

ArgumentatumE.C.T.: Nov 5, 2016; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

Why can't something like this qualify as Conspiracy to Commit Murder or whatever the legal term would be? She actively persuaded someone to kill a person. She wanted person A dead and talked person B into killing them, that's a crime. Person A also being Person B wouldn't void that, I would think.

I think a crime was definitely committed here, and she is culpable for the man's death, but making it an issue of speech and expression is all wrong. Saying things that hurt other people's feelings or aggravate cultural frictions is not the same ballpark as willfully, maliciously seeking someone's death.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 16:43

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 07:31

ArgumentatumE.C.T.: Nov 5, 2016; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

roomforthetuna posted:

Well, it would void it in that it would make it conspiracy to commit suicide, unless you also want to suggest that all suicide is a murder by person A of person A.

Rather than a free speech issue, this seems more like an issue of going "there isn't really a law against this, let's just charge her with something else" when the proper thing to do if you want this to be a crime would be to codify something that will cover it in future. The problem with codifying something is that it would have to choose which side to come down on in all the greyer areas - this one was pretty unambiguously lovely, but should it also be a problem if it's "inciting someone to commit suicide when they actually want to and aren't backing out"? Should proper, positive assisted suicide be covered? Should saying "kill yourself you jerk" one time to a stranger be covered, if they later kill themself? If they kill themself immediately after you said it? If you do the same thing this girl did but the person doesn't kill themself, should that case be a crime?

Seems like only have questions and not a lot of answers. Like saying it was "lovely" like that's grounds for prosecution. Why do you say it was lovely, instead of calling it what it is? Do we know what it is? Do we even know what to call it, besides lovely?

# ¿ Jun 18, 2017 00:08

ArgumentatumE.C.T.: Nov 5, 2016; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

You guys sure do seem happy at the idea of extending this to punishing people that are mean on the internet.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2017 22:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Free speech and its manslaughter attempts: a First Amendment thread.