Get fined for swearing, in Victoria of course!

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Professor_Evans

Or for the dregs that go around saying "C word" this and "C word" that.

Damn straight, that is the worst word.

Honestly, I am against most of the "nanny" laws that go around but this is a good one. Having two small kids its impossible to walk down the street without some cretin using F, S, or C as a full stop.

Once I asked a bloke to stop, he looked at me oddly and walked off.

It shows a severe lack of intelligence to drop swear words every 2 seconds. The people that get done for this deserve it.

Im sure if you say one word it wont matter, its for the bogans that lip off left right and center.

+1 to society here.

I too swear, sometimes I dont mean it, but never in public and infront of others.

edit: just read that article. That is pathetic that a guy can mouth off at a police officer and drop the F bomb...its all the little things that are letting society down and bogans run riot.

[prydey]

i don't have a problem with it. i don't swear, and i find it totally unneccessary.

the fact that so many people can't have a conversation without punctuating it with a swear word every 2 seconds is pathetic if you ask me.

generations gone by would be horrified if they were around today and australians are getting a reputation around the world as a rough and uncouth population.

[EDManual]

I have heard police swear with the F word, they should be fined too. They've got no excuse. you only swear if you have no vocab.

Its terrible to have that sort of language near your little girls or mum or wife...

[fmc351]

Is there a list of offensive words for Police to memorise in order to issue said fines, instead of referring to a judge to decide?

Does bugger qualify?, it certainly would have 100 yrs ago. If you dont know what it means, google it. Might be the last time you say 'bugger me' or "I'll be buggered'. I can assure you the Toyota ad was not its invention.


Edit: I note it is not filtered here either.

[93EB_SXR6]

Originally Posted by Polyal

Damn straight, that is the worst word.

Honestly, I am against most of the "nanny" laws that go around but this is a good one. Having two small kids its impossible to walk down the street without some cretin using F, S, or C as a full stop.

Once I asked a bloke to stop, he looked at me oddly and walked off.

It shows a severe lack of intelligence to drop swear words every 2 seconds. The people that get done for this deserve it.

Im sure if you say one word it wont matter, its for the bogans that lip off left right and center.

+1 to society here.

I too swear, sometimes I dont mean it, but never in public and infront of others.

edit: just read that article. That is pathetic that a guy can mouth off at a police officer and drop the F bomb...its all the little things that are letting society down and bogans run riot.

I was out in the city (Adelaide) with my GF and her younger brothers (12 and 14 at the time), we were going to the Indian festival so we were waiting to catch a tram...
There was this bloke (I'm not gonna get specific about race or whatever) mouthing off at nothing, just letting all the C's F's and S's fly all over the place. He was also drunk on "goon".
I asked him to button it up, that there were kids present and he wasn't making a good example of himself.
He got really angry and just continued swearing - so obviously decent citizens can't stop other citizens from swearing, we need the cops to get involved.

I'm a big lad and he was a lot smaller than me, so I was a bit surprised he didn't apologise straight-away (I didn't threaten or attempt to intimidate him at all, but usually just being big makes people think twice).

This is just an example of how someone's actions (swearing) put a bit of a damper on our day out.

[FGII-XR6]

despite all the ranting without first thinking this is a good move they are moving a current offence from the court system to infringement notice freeing up police and court resources. how many times have you ranted police should be catching real crims? well this allows this to happen they encounter some drunken idiot carrying on offending people (these people may have lodged a complaint too) they don't have to go to court to take action.
this does not erode your rights as you can still elect to have the matter heard in court if you wish. it is also a win for the offender as there are no court costs if paid in time. It is a way they can bring the offence into perspective in as much as it is still not allowed but it is maybe not worthy of being dragged through the court system.
at last a decision that makes sense

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by fmc351

Is there a list of offensive words for Police to memorise in order to issue said fines, instead of referring to a judge to decide?

Does bugger qualify?, it certainly would have 100 yrs ago. If you dont know what it means, google it. Might be the last time you say 'bugger me' or "I'll be buggered'. I can assure you the Toyota ad was not its invention.


Edit: I note it is not filtered here either.

I think that would come down to context as this is a family forum I won't go into the offensive ways the above word can be used but If you know the original meaning of the word I'm sure you get my meaning

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

I think that would come down to context as this is a family forum I won't go into the offensive ways the above word can be used but If you know the original meaning of the word I'm sure you get my meaning

Not true in that context will help the situation. The C and F word can be used in context to convey nothing more than pain, like when you hit your finger with a hammer for example. Much like bugger is a term used to convey being stunned for example, or in awe.

F you could in context mean simply I disagree. Context will have little real consistent value. Its either the word, or its not.

The question remains, how long does a word hold its offensive nature? And who defines them? Also, the notion it will only be aimed at those we dislike, like the drunken fools, or anti-social elements is foolish. That approach was more likely when it was a court appearance, the hassle factor would somewhat balance the necessity factor. Now that its an on the spot fine, it could be very speedily dealt with, and Id say that will encourage a lot more fines.

[FGII-XR6]

true but those words are considerd offensive in any context where bugger is generally no longer considered offensive but the context can make it still offensive hard to get my meaning across without examples though. bugger is considered acceptable for general use in tv adds where other words would not be tollerated for general use

Originally Posted by fmc351

Not true in that context will help the situation. The C and F word can be used in context to convey nothing more than pain, like when you hit your finger with a hammer for example. Much like bugger is a term used to convey being stunned for example, or in awe.

F you could in context mean simply I disagree. Context will have little real consistent value. Its either the word, or its not.

The question remains, how long does a word hold its offensive nature? And who defines them? Also, the notion it will only be aimed at those we dislike, like the drunken fools, or anti-social elements is foolish. That approach was more likely when it was a court appearance, the hassle factor would somewhat balance the necessity factor. Now that its an on the spot fine, it could be very speedily dealt with, and Id say that will encourage a lot more fines.

[z80]

I agree with the laws.

Swearing profusely in public is intimidating particularly to women.

It is a verbal assault.

If someone decides to swear at police then that is a sign of disrespect for people that are employed to protect.

Police generally tolerate a lot from my experience.


No sympathy from me for people who disrespect the enforcers of laws.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by EDManual

I have heard police swear with the F word, they should be fined too. They've got no excuse. you only swear if you have no vocab.

No they've been professionally trained to swear.

[uranium_death]

That being the case, I hope Victoria doesn't charge restrospectively, or these dudes could be in trouble...

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

true but those words are considerd offensive in any context where bugger is generally no longer considered offensive but the context can make it still offensive hard to get my meaning across without examples though. bugger is considered acceptable for general use in tv adds where other words would not be tollerated for general use

I would say bugger is no longer considered offensive as very few people understand it's true meaning past the Toyota ad.

The last thing people out in public want to hear is someone dropping all the words under the sun in front of their impressionable four year old...

I'm not a 'nanny' - there's a time and place for all behaviour, drop those words in your home if you really must, don't drop them in public - it really doesn't make you look intelligent. There's plenty of ways to get your point across without dropping expletives...

Good on them for trying to bring back some kind of decorum to society...

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

true but those words are considerd offensive in any context where bugger is generally no longer considered offensive but the context can make it still offensive hard to get my meaning across without examples though. bugger is considered acceptable for general use in tv adds where other words would not be tollerated for general use

Well yeah, that was the point. That word at one time had no polite usage. Saying a wheel bearing is buggered for example is the same as saying its f'd or r00ted. But if you think about it, buggered is actually worse given its origins. The word fell out of usage (except in legal circles) as a term describing the act, as such it no longer had an offensive meaning in general usage. It became a slang word, as opposed to a descriptive correct term.

Originally Posted by Sezzy

I would say bugger is no longer considered offensive as very few people understand it's true meaning past the Toyota ad.

The last thing people out in public want to hear is someone dropping all the words under the sun in front of their impressionable four year old...

I'm not a 'nanny' - there's a time and place for all behaviour, drop those words in your home if you really must, don't drop them in public - it really doesn't make you look intelligent. There's plenty of ways to get your point across without dropping expletives...

Good on them for trying to bring back some kind of decorum to society...

They arent introducing laws to make swearing illegal, the laws already exist. They are just changing it from a court appearance to an on the spot fine. One could say they are decriminalising it, like moving pot charges in some states from courts to simple fines (within reason).

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by fmc351

Well yeah, that was the point. That word at one time had no polite usage. Saying a wheel bearing is buggered for example is the same as saying its f'd or r00ted. But if you think about it, buggered is actually worse given its origins. The word fell out of usage (except in legal circles) as a term describing the act, as such it no longer had an offensive meaning in general usage. It became a slang word, as opposed to a descriptive correct term.


They arent introducing laws to make swearing illegal, the laws already exist. They are just changing it from a court appearance to an on the spot fine. One could say they are decriminalising it, like moving pot charges in some states from courts to simple fines (within reason).

I understand that - but given that the police can cop a mouthful and a judge says they should just 'deal with it'...I think it's pretty clear the law as it was, wasn't working. The amendment might just see some changes...I don't know that it will bring back any real civility to our society though.

[Franco Cozzo]

I don't find the F word offensive, but its obviously not a good idea to let it fly when theres little ones around. I use it fairly often but just for exaggerating or emphasis, its just a part of my normal speech really, but not every second word, for example;

"I hit my shin on the tow bar tounge, it F'N hurt!"

"I'm trying to fix X, its F'd"

The C word doesn't leave the work place though, and its thrown around left right and center there by everyone.

I'd be more weary of the use of BUGGER, go look up its meaning, I reckon thats more offensive than mr F word.

Under the proposed legislation, people could be fined close to $240 for language that is considered indecent or offensive.

I find the word bugger offensive, does that mean someone who casually uses it will get fined? So its not neccessarily (spelling?) just swearing, it could be racism, etc?

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Sezzy

I understand that - but given that the police can cop a mouthful and a judge says they should just 'deal with it'...I think it's pretty clear the law as it was, wasn't working. The amendment might just see some changes...I don't know that it will bring back any real civility to our society though.

They can still just dispute the fine in court, and the same will happen anyway. Might be less likely though, and at least there would be no legal aid so no clever lawyer, so maybe.

All I see happening, is some normally decent people being hit with a fine when they arent in the best of moods, and a bunch of the usual drunks, anti social buggers etc having warrants issued for unpaid fines.

I suppose on the last part it could be a good thing.

[BradZ]

I've heard some pretty shocking things come out of cops mouths also.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't find the F word offensive, but its obviously not a good idea to let it fly when theres little ones around. I use it fairly often but just for exaggerating or emphasis, its just a part of my normal speech really, but not every second word, for example;

"I hit my shin on the tow bar tounge, it F'N hurt!"

"I'm trying to fix X, its F'd"

The C word doesn't leave the work place though, and its thrown around left right and center there by everyone.

I'd be more weary of the use of BUGGER, go look up its meaning, I reckon thats more offensive than mr F word.



I find the word bugger offensive, does that mean someone who casually uses it will get fined? So its not neccessarily (spelling?) just swearing, it could be racism, etc?

Id suggest anyone with a fine dispute it. It will cost, but the term indecent or offensive is highly subjective. It makes it easier if they issue on the spot fines, instead of having to go through court and let a judge decide.

What one cop thinks or agrees is offensive, another may not even notice as being a swear word.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by fmc351

Id suggest anyone with a fine dispute it. It will cost, but the term indecent or offensive is highly subjective. It makes it easier if they issue on the spot fines, instead of having to go through court and let a judge decide.

What one cop thinks or agrees is offensive, another may not even notice as being a swear word.

If everyone jammed up the court system then it would go against their plan. But people will either pay or ignore it as its too much hassle otherwise.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by vztrt

If everyone jammed up the court system then it would go against their plan. But people will either pay or ignore it as its too much hassle otherwise.

It could be a better revenue raiser than speed cameras. Maybe not quite, certainly a nice sideline.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by fmc351

What one cop thinks or agrees is offensive, another may not even notice as being a swear word.

Not like theres many cops out on the streets anyway

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Not like theres many cops out on the streets anyway

Well there will be now supposedly.

Just wait till they palm this off to a private company, or parking officers.

[Auslandau]

So ... who decides whats an offensive word? I totally agree that some abusive, swearing loud language can be offensive to many in a public place and should be pulled up but who is deciding what and who is offended?

Nope ... not a fan of it but have listed below a list of words that I do find offensive and some used in normal day to day discussion ....... let me know which ones are offensive!

****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****
****

That last one is a doozy

[WMD351]

So let me get this straight.
It's up to the police to decide if what you said is offensive, unless you take it to court in which case the judge will say it's all right to tell the copper he's a ***** and he can F off.
Mind you, I'd love to see somebody in a courtroom tell the judge to F off because he's a *****. Somehow I don't think it would go down very well.

Anyhow, when all swearing has been stopped and the world's a perfect place once again (like it used to be) will the change be rescinded so that I can go back to walking down the street without being fearful of the occasional cop on a power trip (extreme minority), having a bad day, or just out there doing some govco revenue raising because he's got a quota to fill?

So under the old system if I was accused of doing the wrong thing then the police had to put together a case and then prove it in court, I was innocent until they did?
Now I'll be guilty (fined) and I'll have two options?
1. Bend over and take it.
2. Stump up my own money and time and risk getting hit twice as hard if I fail.

I'm not for potty mouth in public, but I view this as being the thin end of a wedge.
Bye bye living in a free country.

edit. really? I can't use the P word? What if I want to start a sewing thread...

[Polyal]

This really isnt a big deal..im sure they are not going to go Nazi with it. Its probably just an excuse to fine the smart backsides that talk back like they are bullet proof.

[JC]

Originally Posted by Ralliart

heard this on the age.com.au and i couldn't believe they are going have this as law, add this to this list of Victorian rule book for our nanny state , this state is unbelievable with all ***** rules that they want to introduce , wants next we get for fined for going for a walk

It's already law - all they are going to do is give police powers to issue on the spot fines instead of dragging these sorts of things through the courts. About bloody time too! You can always choose to go to court and fight the fine - I would use the dictionary defence myself.

[93EB_SXR6]

I'll admit I say the "F word" a fair bit, the "C word" however I rarely say unless I smash my thumb with a hammer or something similar.
I will commonly say "this is F-worded" when something is broken, but then again, that word has been accepted into common speech by a large proportion of society.

[XRGhia]

that "nanny" state is becoming a downright ***** to live in...

i mean like, are cops really going to fine us if they here us quietly talking in a small group, and then he/she hears "well that ****en jerk left me last night" etc...??



edit: i thought "jerk" was blocked from displaying? lol....

[93EB_SXR6]

Originally Posted by xrghiawagon

that "nanny" state is becoming a downright ***** to live in...

i mean like, are cops really going to fine us if they here us quietly talking in a small group, and then he/she hears "well that ****en jerk left me last night" etc...??



edit: i thought "jerk" was blocked from displaying? lol....

I have a feeling its for when dregs are really mouthing off in public places.