Whilst the Bermuda police again struggles with the realty of modern life (and humour) continuing to adopt an oppressive approach to their own, a Court has seen sense; a policewoman who posted an online cartoon before last year’s Black Lives Matter march will not face a criminal prosecution, the Chief Justice ruled yesterday.
Bermuda’s Barbi Bishop (police constable) posted the ‘All lives Splatter’ meme* on Facebook. Like much in life, it was “capable of being considered grossly offensive”.
Curiously, the Judge is reported to have said the officer’s fundamental right to freedom of expression was breached by the criminal case against her, as she already faced disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct which could lead to the loss of her job. So … if you are not someone who could lose their job as a result of relaying (not creating) the meme*, it appears you could be charged under the Electronic Communications Act with posting a “grossly offensive message” on social media. Read more here.
*noun
1. an element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means.
2. an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations
FRANCIS: Why are you always on about women, Stan?
STAN: I want to be one.
REG: What?
STAN: I want to be a woman. From now on, I want you all to call me ‘Loretta’.
REG: What?!
LORETTA: It’s my right as a man.
JUDITH: Well, why do you want to be Loretta, Stan?
LORETTA: I want to have babies.
REG: You want to have babies?!
LORETTA: It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them.
REG: But… you can’t have babies.
LORETTA: Don’t you oppress me.
REG: I’m not oppressing you, Stan. You haven’t got a womb! Where’s the foetus going to gestate?! You going to keep it in a box?!
LORETTA: crying
JUDITH: Here! I– I’ve got an idea. Suppose you agree that he can’t actually have babies, not having a womb, which is nobody’s fault, not even the Romans’, but that he can have the right to have babies.
FRANCIS: Good idea, Judith. We shall fight the oppressors for your right to have babies, brother. Sister. Sorry.
REG: What’s the point?
FRANCIS: What?
REG: What’s the point of fighting for his right to have babies when he can’t have babies?!
FRANCIS: It is symbolic of our struggle against oppression.
REG: Symbolic of his struggle against reality.
Excerpt from ‘The Life of Brian‘ … a vicious attack buy Warner Brothers on Christianity? Of course not … some may consider the Monty Python team ‘very naughty boys’.