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Author Topic: C+ Free Speech?  (Read 1056 times)

Servant Corps

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C+ Free Speech?
« on: June 15, 2011, 09:08:52 am »

When looking at the code and attempting a sleeper run, I looked at how C+ Free Speech currently worked in the LCS code, both fluff-wise and "game mechanics"-wise. This is what I found.
*"Unacceptable speech" appears to be code-word for "offensive speech" (vulgar, insulting words; mostly curses, but also includes mentioning death or destruction of children). But enforcement of Unacceptable Speech codes seems inconsistent and very easy to avoid. For example, if I write about how the Liberal Crime Squad are "bastards", I would be offending the Liberal Crime Squad, and thus I will be arrested for unacceptable speech. If, however, I said the Liberal Crime Squad are "[jerks]", I'll be fine, and I know I'll be fine because that's what the official non-LCS newspaper prints when writing an article about terrorists (said newspaper uses the word "Bastards" in a non-C+ world). Doesn't really seem that they'd be that big of a difference between jerks and bastards, though calling someone an illegitimate child may be seen as inappropriate and the LCS might be a little offended. It appears to me that if I just liberally use brackets all over the place, I'll be a-okay in this C+ world.
*That being said, you will be criminalized for Unacceptable Speech (and have the Firemen raid you) if you publish a Special Edition when Free Speech is C+, which seems contrary to what I said above. The Liberal Guardian in all other places appear to have whistle blower protection in all other laws; they cannot be legally prosecuted except when leaking government secrets. So what exactly is in these Special Editions that serve to be vulgar and insulting? Did the LCS forget to use brackets in Special Editions or what? (Or are C+ laws being abused to stop criticism of the Establishment?)
*Surprisingly, despite the Conservative hatred of civil rights, Conservatives also hate the KKK and the ACLU's defense of the KKK. There is a random news event where the newspaper reports about a KKK rally being defended, which reduces support for Free Speech. Since it appears Conservatives will always hate the KKK even when Reagan is monarch and segregation is reintroduced, this appear as further evidence that C+ Free Speech laws are not about suppressing dissent but about ensuring people don't use offensive language; the KKK is rather offensive and it's possible a C+ world will dress up its violations of civil rights.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2011, 09:15:31 am by Servant Corps »
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Jonathan S. Fox

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Re: C+ Free Speech?
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2011, 02:42:16 pm »

"Bastards" is a swear word. "Jerks" isn't. The reason you'd be okay calling the LCS jerks but not bastards is that one is merely rude, while the other is truly vulgar.

The First Amendment's free speech protection shields journalists from being prosecuted for publishing classified or otherwise secret information. Wikileaks, for example, would be difficult to legally prosecute in the U.S., because they merely provide a forum for others to spread information, they don't uncover it themselves. So, in LCS, whatever you do to get access to secret documents in special editions is illegal, but the act of publishing them is not. Except at C+ free speech. At C+ free speech, you're publishing classified documents or trade secrets, you're defaming companies (even though it's facts), and in general, the protections that allowed you to freely publish embarrassing secrets evaporate.

The article about the KKK isn't necessarily that the Conservatives hate the KKK (though it's not implied they don't), it's that many people are disgusted to see Liberals defending the KKK. More people become Conservative on that issue who weren't previously because they see that Liberal ideology requires defending the rights of people that most find outrageous and indefensible.
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