Live Video: Busybody Calls Cops Over Stranger Saying “Fuck”

Q, I'm not saying you have to like her, nor that her behavior should be excused. I'm saying that we should make it clear that our enemy is the behavior, rather than reacting with personal hatred toward the individual.

Again, words and attitudes should serve a purpose. What is the purpose of calling this woman a c***? Does it make the liberty message more appealing to visitors? No. If the woman saw it, would it likely cause her to reconsider her behavior? No. Does it improve our attitudes as activists? No.

Reacting in a more positive way more effectively accomplishes all three goals.

And I'm sure your "Masshole" comment is going to win over a lot of the 6 and a half million from my home state, Keith. Massachusetts doesn't have a monopoly on rude behavior.

But seriously, I doubt many people are going to be upset about my choice of words. Even the most ardent statists are going to find it damn near impossible to justify this woman's actions to themselves. And some of them will probably have some pretty derogatory things to say about her too.

regarding the whole 'language debate' going on here:

while i personally don't swear a whole lot, it's only because i have not included them in my normal vocabulary. but they are just words. the ones we use are the most appropriate, cause they convey how we feel. if someone cusses a lot, then changes their normal way of speaking so as to not offend others, they are no longer properly expressing themselves… instead they are using words they don't feel to describe something they do feel, but can't say cause the spoken word is taboo. thats just stupid.

plus, there are some words in the US that mean something else in other parts of the world. for instance: fags (aka cigarettes), fanny (aka vagina), burke (aka dumbass – i'm not joking about that one, it's popular in england).

they are just words. and if they do offend, would you rather have someone spouting off the 'n' word in a hateful way every five seconds after meeting them, or would you rather become their friend, then two years later find out they belong to the kkk when you're invited to a rally? if people are hateful, i want to know up front.

He alarms me by continuing to insist he is just serious. "You guys with any uh, political group?"

Remember that cops are C grade students, and when you think they're lying, you're often right if they look like they think they're doing a good job of it (by the time you suspect they are bullshitting, you are right.)

It's really saddens me when I see these kinds of words used in anti-State circles. Cunt, bitch, shrew, dyke, hysteric, the list goes on. These are words created by a (male-dominated) State specifically to denigrate women. If you mean the woman in the video is behaving like a controlling, busy-body jackass, why not say that? Why call her a cunt or a bitch? Why use the weapons of the monster you're trying to slay? Heaven forbid I ask you to be thoughtful with your words! Again, that's something the State never does, except temporarily when trying to pander for votes.

To defend themselves from accusation of misogyny (or racism, as that sometimes is the case), I often see libertarians/anti-State activists use the "sticks and stones" or "you're just being oversensitive/hysterical/reactionary" argument. See, that's exactly why there aren't more women and people of color within these movements. Be open to dialog. The State certainly isn't.

Ian,

In my own life, I try not to use gendered or racial insults (ie, "I'd never call a man/woman/white person/Hispanic person/etc this"), if I find the absolute need to insult some one directly. But for the sake of humoring the argument, how do you feel when you hear the word 'dickwad'? Is there sort of a deep feeling you can't describe, like a pang? Do you say 'ouch' and cringe internally? Do you think back at times when that word was used against you, spat at you while you walked down the street minding your own business, and followed up with laughter as you tried to brush it off? When some one you want to associate with uses it in such a cavalier manner to describe behavior s/he doesn't like, do you feel frustrated, like you're getting nowhere on the road together? Like you mean less because you're one of those things?

Or is it more funny? Words like 'dickwad' lack the history and expansive, negative use of bitch and cunt.

Harridan is another example of a insulting word created just for women. The list I created was hardly exhaustive. As I said, I don't like using gendered or racial insults.

Once again, insult tossing, or reacting with hatred, accomplishes nothing good. We need to consider what we are trying to accomplish with our words and behaviors.

Paul, exactly.

Ian, did you skip past the part where I said I was against the use of gendered insults? I (still) think it's wrong to insult a person based on *what s/he is* rather than based on *something s/he has done.* If I were going to describe a man I thought were ineffective and stupid, I would call him, *gasp*, ineffective and stupid! Or perhaps a government worker, but that's getting a little technical. Harridan, harpy, whore, bitch, slut, etc still fall under that category as well. The woman in the video acted like an obnoxious jackass. Calling her a 'harridan' attacks her not on the basis of what she did, but what her chromosomes say.

Ok, fine, 'dickwad' is a mean word for men. So how about some examples of the use of the word 'dickwad,' by women and some men, to harass and intimidate men for the purpose of keeping them within defined circles and out of participation in the social sphere? You may have trouble finding those examples. They don't exist. So, are you really, seriously trying to draw an equivalence between 'dickwad' and 'cunt'? I think you need to think about this a little harder.

You would use 'cocksucker' to denigrate a man? Think about what that means for you. I know you're an adult man, but I'm going to assume you're straight and you've been intimate with women. Do you find the act itself disgusting? Do you look down on anyone who does it? How do you feel about the women you've been with? I would call your use of that term more misogyny and homophobia than insulting toward men; the insult against masculinity in that word is to imply that the man is either a woman or gay. Once again, you really need to go back and consider what you're saying.

Now, let's get back to the crux of the argument. You're trying to convince me, and I suppose some others to an extent, that the use of words like 'bitch' and 'cunt' (and 'dickwad', 'cocksucker' and any other stupid ad hominem a grade-schooler would say) constitute acceptable discourse for people who want to live free of coercion, intimidation and action under duress to describe other people, specifically women, with whom they disagree.

That's rich.

This whole thing is silly. I'm only 3 1/2 minutes into the video. The guy should have just left after paying for his gas. Does he really think the cops are going to hunt him down for saying the F word?

If you're worried about the woman embellishing the story, saying that he pulled a knife on her or something (which may happen since she's obviously unhinged) then give him your phone number to call you as a witness in case of any problems.

@ Roy:

She did call in his license plate, so it is not unreasonable to assume the police would have harassed him at a later date.