"A bit tasteless ... a little out of line, but that's what comedy is"
August 1, 2016 10:53 AM   Subscribe

Comedian Mike Ward has been ordered by a Quebec Human Rights Tribunal to pay $42,000 for jokes he made about a boy (now 19) who has Treacher Collins Syndrome. The lines are being drawn: a teacher has written a very critical open letter, but others cite freedom of expression. Ward is appealing, and the Just for Laughs festival is helping raise funds to cover his legal fees.
posted by anothermug (6 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Assholery v. Free Speech is a fraught pairing pretty much always, and not sure this is a great case to plow through all that again. In any case, linking a related fundraiser is definitely a non-starter. -- cortex



 
How much of a fucking loser does someone have to be to make a vile joke- to keep making that same joke- about a disabled child? What a dick.
posted by threetwentytwo at 11:04 AM on August 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


Tragedy tag needed.
posted by infini at 11:05 AM on August 1, 2016


How much of a fucking loser does someone have to be to make a vile joke- to keep making that same joke- about a disabled child? What a dick.

Well, yes, but the question is whether or not he should pay $42,000 for being a dick. Which this thread won’t solve, but goodness knows we will have opinions on the topic.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:06 AM on August 1, 2016 [5 favorites]


I try not to have an opinion on how other countries address hate speech and bullying, since the US has done such an absolute crap job with it.
posted by maxsparber at 11:09 AM on August 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


In a nation where a black homeless dude can be murdered by police for selling loose cigarettes on the sidewalk, I'm supposed to have strong feelings about whether or not some Canadian guy deserves to pay $42000 for emotionally abusing a disabled kid and his family? Yeah, pass...
posted by saulgoodman at 11:12 AM on August 1, 2016 [2 favorites]


So I generally agree with the Canadian stance that there are limits to free speech and am not a free speech absolutist, but... these Canadian Human Rights Tribunals are weird. They're not courts. They don't try crimes. I guess their judgements can be appealed to a real court, but it's not super clear to me as an average citizen how you get dragged into one and what they're for. I'm tempted to like them just because Ezra Levant hates them, but I kinda have to go with Levant here - they seem like shadow courts that can go after whatever they want.

Maybe a real Canadian lawyer can shed some light here.
posted by GuyZero at 11:12 AM on August 1, 2016


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