undefined | Better HN

0 pointsants_everywhere4mo ago0 comments

where do we land on motherf!cker?

Taken literally it's accusing someone of a specific depraved act, but it's also clearly a term of abuse. My guess (not a lawyer!) is that once a term becomes more associated with abuse the more you're protected.

Hustler basically called Jerry Falwell a motherf!cker but attributed to him a specific act, which they highlighted was satire and not to be taken seriously. Hustler lost in a jury trial and also on an appeal to the 4th circuit. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in Hustler's favor [0]. This is dramatized in the movie The People vs Larry Flint.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustler_Magazine_v._Falwell

[1] https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-people-vs-larry-flynt/

0 comments

bawolff4mo ago

> where do we land on motherf!cker?

> Taken literally it's accusing someone of a specific depraved act, but it's also clearly a term of abuse. My guess (not a lawyer!) is that once a term becomes more associated with abuse the more you're protected.

Computer people have this weird notion that courts are like a computer program. If x == "foo" then punishment.

That's not how it works. The use of any specific word does not determine in and of itself if something is an assertion of fact or an assertion of opinion. It depends on how you're using the word.

ants_everywhereOP4mo ago

> The use of any specific word does not determine in and of itself if something is an assertion of fact or an assertion of opinion. It depends on how you're using the word.

Yes that's the point I'm making. The entire thread is about which words you can get sued over libel for, which isn't how it works.

> Computer people have this weird notion that courts are like a computer program. If x == "foo" then punishment.

This seems unnecessarily insulting, especially since your comment is just a repeat of mine with the relevant details removed.

pavel_lishin4mo ago

I'm assuming the context would matter, and how believable an average person would find "motherfucker" to imply literal incest.

tom_4mo ago

You can say "motherfucker" if you need to.

ants_everywhereOP4mo ago

Haha, I know, thanks :). I don't mind saying it... it's just such a raw word and I wanted people to focus on the substance without aggressively escalating the potty mouth in the thread.

cml1234mo ago

it's interesting how differently people perceive it. Motherfucker is something I'd have called a parent in a card game if they bested me, or an exclamation said aloud from dropping a wallet while walking. Very little significance to it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsants_everywhere4mo ago0 comments

where do we land on motherf!cker?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustler_Magazine_v._Falwell

[1] https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-people-vs-larry-flynt/

0 comments

bawolff4mo ago

> where do we land on motherf!cker?

Computer people have this weird notion that courts are like a computer program. If x == "foo" then punishment.

That's not how it works. The use of any specific word does not determine in and of itself if something is an assertion of fact or an assertion of opinion. It depends on how you're using the word.

ants_everywhereOP4mo ago

> The use of any specific word does not determine in and of itself if something is an assertion of fact or an assertion of opinion. It depends on how you're using the word.

Yes that's the point I'm making. The entire thread is about which words you can get sued over libel for, which isn't how it works.

> Computer people have this weird notion that courts are like a computer program. If x == "foo" then punishment.

This seems unnecessarily insulting, especially since your comment is just a repeat of mine with the relevant details removed.

pavel_lishin4mo ago

I'm assuming the context would matter, and how believable an average person would find "motherfucker" to imply literal incest.

tom_4mo ago

You can say "motherfucker" if you need to.

ants_everywhereOP4mo ago

Haha, I know, thanks :). I don't mind saying it... it's just such a raw word and I wanted people to focus on the substance without aggressively escalating the potty mouth in the thread.

cml1234mo ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse