Man fined $500 for calling the PM a %$#*ing muppet

A 26-year-old scaffolder from Tasmania was fined $500 this week after being convicted of behaving in an offensive manner after repeatedly calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison a "fucking muppet" at the Bathurst 1000.

The incident occured at 10.30am on October 7th when PM Morrison stopped to engage with members of the public for a chat and photos. The man approached the Prime Minister and started yelling "You're a fucking muppet" repeatedly.

Arrested by police, the police searched his backpack and found a joint's worth of weed and 5 tabs of LSD.

What do you think? Is the $500 fine sufficient? Or was he simply saying what everyone else was thinking?

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The main point is not the profanity or the drugs, he was fined for calling the PM a Muppet nothing more, nothing less. As being called a muppet insinuates that you are walking around with someones arm up your arse pulling the strings to make it look like the PM is the one talking.

 

 .......too many "Precious Princesses" or PC's around these days!  It is 2018 not 1918 ......

.... any Free to Air TV/Foxtel/Netflix -  any night - 7 days a week -  every profanity can be heard  (ABCDEF .... etc.)  .......maybe it's time (for some people)  to crawl out from under their rocks and get with the "real world" - like it or not! 

If the word is in the Dictionary and people want to use it - so be it!  Called "Freedom of Speech"! (although obviously not in this case?)  lol

Foxy yes you are correct at least about free speech, but if I don’t want to hear it on tv I can turn it off, if I go to a show and don’t wish to listen to profanity I can walk out, they are choices, it has absolutely nothing to do with being precious or pc or about 1918 versus 2018, it has far more to do with respect, which is sadly lacking, you notice it more and more on this forum, if people don’t like someone’s comment then the abuse begins, so much for your thoughts on free speech.

No one could ever accuse you of being a "precious princess' Fixy, LOL

The fine was insufficient perhaps this oxygen thief should have been given a few days in jail, there is too much public profanity, it offends many people, if someone wants to use this sort of language in the privacy of their own homes that’s fine, it’s no wonder that respect for others doesn’t exist any more, but I guess I might be in the minority.

Nope, you are not in the minority Jim, many of us decent thinking men are with you.

Just  because a word makes it to the dictionary because of the crapulence of some idiot one does not have to use it.

Obviously the bloke is not all there.

Profanity only has shock value when people choose to feel shocked when they hear it. I heard heaps in my work but never let judgement come between me and the swearer. Judgement (based on ‘better than another’) is the evil in our world, not swear words. Telling people that it is not ok to swear, and worse, fining people who swear, especially when it is aimed at a PM, is the bigger worry.

 

Using swear words and swearing at another person are 2 different thing

The latter is verbal abuse bullying and degrading - designed to elicit negative emotions in the offendee 

WOW, now I'll have to give you a raise Lottie. Gotta say I agree with you.

Robi,

If you want to act that way you will need to change the Summary Offences Act.

You are out of step with the community.

Regarding your workplace, has anyone checked whether all want to be assailed by profanity and if any women working there find it offensive and are bullied into not complaining?  

 

Good point LJ, have a look here

Cliques, Rumors, and Gossip by the Water Cooler: Female Bullying in the Workplace

Laura M. Crothers ,John Lipinski &Marcel C. Minutolo

Pages 97-110 | Published online: 07 May 2009

ABSTRACT

Aggression in the workplace has developed as a topic of interest to many in the past decade. Although aggression has been traditionally distinguished in the theoretical and empirical literature as sexual aggression (harassment) and nonsexual aggression, in this manuscript the authors will argue that there are also unique characteristics as well as effects upon recipients of a particular kind of nonsexual aggression: workplace bullying. In particular, a specific type of bullying primarily used by women, relational aggression, will be reviewed and recommendations for managers in addressing relational aggression and bullying in the workplace will be offered.

LJ,

Working with men’s rights groups exposes one to a hell of a lot of swearing. Every second word is “b*tch” and more often “f...ing b*tch” with a liberal sprinkling of every other swear word in between. But surely this is not news to you?

IF someone were to call me a f// muppet and i went to the police about it,   they would laugh at me,    it is only the fact that it was said to the P,M, that any notice was taken of it,         i actually think he is a muppet,    or worse,   IT is not acceptable in the workplace,    and over the years i heard plenty,     but no body complained,   it was an excepted part of life,[rightly or wrongly]     and its a good thing that  people are being made aware of what is acceptable,   and what isnt,       this person will claim diminished responsibility,    and that will be that,  

And that is the point, this man puppet is getting special treatment under the law because of his position, and that is not supposed to happen under the Westminster System.

If a man can be charged for swearing at the PM, a man should be charged for swearing at another " Ordinary Person". 

Enforce the law or change it.  I would like to see it enforced.


Behaviour that is unlawful in public

NSWQLDVICWANTSA and TAS ..all have laws relating to summary offences. Swearing (also known as 'offensive' or 'obscene language') in public is classified as a summary offence. the case could be heard by a judge or magistrate with no jury involved.

 Summary Offences Act 1966.

Police can also issue on-the-spot fines to people aged over 18 for a number of common offences, including..indecent language and offensive behaviour.

There is a difference between swearing during general discussion and launching into a tirade of swear words against someone.

Note: Russia has banned the use of profanities in the arts..you can be thrown in prison in many countries for abusing the PM or President. The PM was not just called a muppet (which in itself is not offensive in my eyes)..the hoodlum used threatening behaviour..he was asked to desist..he did not..the police are right to search his bag because people who behave in this way are usually on drugs. This is not normal behaviour.

The "law" is enforced..depending on the circumstances surrounding it...

Does that make it clearer for you?

Sophie. I agree but if the law was enforced 90% of those that enforce the law (police) would be the first to be charged. Have you heard how a lot of them talk to the feneral public especially to teenagers & those in their 20's. 

I am not aware of that 1984..but if that's the case..then they should be made to clean up their act too.

Regardless of how they speak to trouble makers and rebellious youth though..they still have to protect other citizens (including the PM). Their job is a very difficult one and perhaps they feel responding to rabble rousers in a language they understand, may get results?

Nothing new to me Sophie, as I said, enforce the law (For everyone) or change it. We have heard politicians swearing at each other, how many were charged?  

I am on the side of the bloke that called Morrison -- whatever and I could easily call him much worse --

He is nothing better than a used car salesman and even when he was in the advertising he was sacked from that as well -- he is a lying hound that will tell us ANYTHING to get our votes -- he is also arrogant rude SOB!

Also, did anyone watch the 60 mins about the church he attends -- and the pedophile that used to run it

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Hillsong+church+60+mins&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-ab

Advertising, a profession that looks at lying as a virtue, he was destined to do well in politics.  Looks like he might have been sacked for mismanaging a budget, telling that the Liberals made him Treasurer.

Yes ex PC,  he mismanaged the advertising AND he blindly follows this strange religion

seen praying here -- (also very unconvincing)

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/soul/footage-of-scott-morrison-praying-leaked/news-story/256b7be11696ed2c05dd137f2e0a2a73

Victim abuse and blaming is reprehensible.  It seems entrenched in some sectors of society.  There can be some twisted rationalisations.

Makes it obvious why women have encountered such exasperating difficulty and blockages in getting lasting change where rape and sexual offences are concerned.

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