Guy from Scotland faces year in prison for training his dog (to do the Nazi salute)

[Timsup2nothin]

Was there supposed to be a point there?

Yeah, actually there was. Sorry you missed it. Let me try again, slower.

The pretense that "this is all about a joke and every jokester on the planet is put in imminent danger by this travesty of justice" is such a glaringly obvious pretense that I actually thought it was beneath you. This isn't about "joking." It never was, and it never will be. Just like having a small segment of the population think that yelling fire in a theater is "just a funny prank" doesn't call for giving the "prankster" an inviolable right, lots of other things that small segments of the population, like Nazi supporters, want to call "just a funny prank" aren't going to be protected either.

Bottom line, you don't have to be a jerk to be funny, so "but being funny can't be wrong" is not a valid protection for jerks.

 

[Katie88]

Yeah, actually there was. Sorry you missed it. Let me try again, slower.

The pretense that "this is all about a joke and every jokester on the planet is put in imminent danger by this travesty of justice" is such a glaringly obvious pretense that I actually thought it was beneath you. This isn't about "joking." It never was, and it never will be. Just like having a small segment of the population think that yelling fire in a theater is "just a funny prank" doesn't call for giving the "prankster" an inviolable right, lots of other things that small segments of the population, like Nazi supporters, want to call "just a funny prank" aren't going to be protected either.

Bottom line, you don't have to be a jerk to be funny, so "but being funny can't be wrong" is not a valid protection for jerks.

So not only is ‘Count Dankula’ a ‘Nazi’, despite obviously not being one, but also everyone who finds his joke funny is a ‘Nazi supporter’. You should check under your bed: there may be a whole SS division hiding there!

The fact that you can’t see the difference between yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre and making a joke in a YouTube video is also telling.

 

[Borachio]

I'm sorry.

Does anyone find his "joke" funny?

I find that very hard to believe. I'm not sure even he thinks it's funny.

It doesn't even have the basic structure of a joke. All he's done is train a pug to raise one leg when he gives it the command. And look puzzled when he says something about gassing people.

Roy Chubby Brown, your career (such as it is) is safe.

I don't find it funny, and I'll laugh at practically anything.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Yeah, actually there was. Sorry you missed it. Let me try again, slower.

The pretense that "this is all about a joke and every jokester on the planet is put in imminent danger by this travesty of justice" is such a glaringly obvious pretense that I actually thought it was beneath you. This isn't about "joking." It never was, and it never will be. Just like having a small segment of the population think that yelling fire in a theater is "just a funny prank" doesn't call for giving the "prankster" an inviolable right, lots of other things that small segments of the population, like Nazi supporters, want to call "just a funny prank" aren't going to be protected either.

Bottom line, you don't have to be a jerk to be funny, so "but being funny can't be wrong" is not a valid protection for jerks.

I genuinely don't believe you think it's a pretence. I refuse to believe you're that dim.

You don't have to blaspheme to be funny. You don't have to say naughty swear words to be funny. You don't have to resort to toilet humour to be funny. You don't even have to BE funny to be telling a joke. That doesn't mean that an example of humour that doesn't involve any of these things isn't really a joke. Nor does it make them criminal offences. Criminal offences worthy of more jail time than you get for assaulting someone no less.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I'm sorry.

Does anyone find his "joke" funny?

I find that very hard to believe. I'm not sure even he thinks it's funny.

It doesn't even have the basic structure of a joke. All he's done is train a pug to raise one leg when he gives it the command. And look puzzled when he says something about gassing people.

Roy Chubby Brown, your career (such as it is) is safe.

I don't find it funny, and I'll laugh at practically anything.

True. I mean who has ever laughed at animals doing stupid things. Or people playing pranks on other people to wind them up. Literally never happens.

Also, once again, how many people do or do not find something funny, is not a metric in determining whether something is a joke.

How can I be posting on a forum where the majority of people seem to be in support of JAILING SOMEONE FOR A YEAR because they posted a stupid video of training their dog to do offensive things to wind their girlfriend up.

Jesus effing christ

 

[Borachio]

I don't support people being jailed for pretty much anything really.

And especially not if they don't represent a danger to the public.

What people seem to all too easily forget is that youtube, and the like, are public places.

If he just wanted to wind his girl friend up, then why post it in a public place?

At best, this guy lacks imagination to see how people would react to this prank. No. Gassing people is no joke, no matter how you cut it.

If he'd done a similar stunt which was Islam related, wouldn't he have realized it could cost him a lot, in the wake of Charlie-Hebo?

And I think he's learning how much this is going to cost him.

Even if he's totally acquited (and I see no reason to suppose he won't be, with proper counsel), his life has been on hold for pretty much two years.

 

[Berzerker]

I didn't view the video but I got a chuckle from the mental visual of the guy 'training' his GFs dog to be a Nazi

edit:

If he just wanted to wind his girl friend up, then why post it in a public place?

I imagine he wanted her to see it on utube or he was so amused he wanted to share it... If the guy was a Nazi or whatever I'd expect him to have an internet track record showing it.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I genuinely don't believe you think it's a pretence.

Because I've always held you in such high esteem?

 

[Lemon Merchant]

I actually found the concept of the joke funny, but not the YouTube video. It's one thing to troll your GF, but it's quite a different matter to make a video that has you talking about gassing people, and then posting it. It can definitely be misconstrued by an over the top reactionary, like it seems to have been done in this case.

Do I think criminal proceedings are warranted? No. I think it's a total waste of taxpayer money that it's even gotten this far. The guy is just stupid, he's not a Nazi, AND he has poor taste in posting his jokes. Hard to really fault someone for being an idiot, but I guess it happens.

Oh, and his GF should definitely leave him, with a swift butt-kick for good measure.

 

[Lexicus]

It's not the laws are out of control, it's legalistic prosecutors who refuse to use their brain on the job and just run on autopilot. Same problem with any kind of zero tolerance doctrine.

Eh. Don't underestimate the careerist impulse. There are plenty of prosecutors who are perfectly empowered to use discretion but prefer to move on a case like this because prosecutors want lots of convictions, it makes them look good.

 

[Manfred Belheim]

If he just wanted to wind his girl friend up, then why post it in a public place?

Because he was making an entertainment video about winding up his girlfriend.

Do other people have to make the exact same decisions you would make in order for you not to be happy to see them locked up?

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Because I've always held you in such high esteem?

Why would that be the reason that I don't believe you? Or have you forgotten how English works or something?

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Oh, and his GF should definitely leave him, with a swift butt-kick for good measure.

Why should she? She should leave him because some person on the internet in another country who doesn't know either of them thinks she should?

 

[Borachio]

Because he was making an entertainment video about winding up his girlfriend.

Do other people have to make the exact same decisions you would make in order for you not to be happy to see them locked up?

Again, in case you missed it, I'm not happy about locking anyone up.

 

[innonimatu]

If we're lucky, we'll see makers of Allo Allo exhumed. A Cadaver Nuremberg trial!

Now that you mention that, I recall some news where people from that cast said that a remake is impossible now because too many people would be offended...

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Why would that be the reason that I don't believe you? Or have you forgotten how English works or something?

Well, if I held you in high esteem it would seem less likely that I would call your position a pretense. So one possible reason for you to "not believe I think it is a pretense" would be "because the high esteem I hold you in would keep me from thinking that." I think there are far more likely reasons for you to not believe that I think that, most of them based on the rapidly failing hope that anyone is taking you at your word and not thinking that your position is just a pretense.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

Why should she? She should leave him because some person on the internet in another country who doesn't know either of them thinks she should?

No, because he's something of an idiot.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Because he was making an entertainment video about winding up his girlfriend.
Do other people have to make the exact same decisions you would make in order for you not to be happy to see them locked up?

Well using "Gas the jews" is pretty offensive to Jews, but not enough to jail someone
Hes intent wasnt to promote Nazisim or anti-sensetism (unless they find other evidence)

An appropriate punishment would be to retrain the dog, and make a video apologizing

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Maybe train the dog to trigger a pepper spray into his face every time someone says "gas the idiot." That would be funny.

 

[Kyriakos]

Imo, there is another facet to all of this:

While this isn't worth a trial in my view as well, it is also useful to note (and some already did in the thread) that in our age of social media and youtube it isn't that far-fetched that what one posts may come with a price-tag and potentially have consequences. That it is liable to be commented upon poorly is part of the whole deal, and - if we are being honest - this specific joke video was rather dumb as well. People's lives have suffered from internet shaming, and this case is hardly the worst (remember Boxy? she was shamed just for being a happy teen in her teen bubble).

Arguing endlessly about a poorly thought-through video or comment, is trivial, in the long run. While his possible conviction will be another bad development, it is also true that he isn't representing anything of note, and people will move on very soon.