Social Media: The law according to His Honour Lord Justice Spock

Mr Spock

When it comes to the law, the topic of humour is getting in some deep doggy do of late. As we all know, ‘the law can be an ass’ sometimes, so it’s hardly surprising that it doesn’t understand funny, perhaps a lot of our judiciary are descended from Vulcan roots?

Al Murray is one of several high-profile comedians arguing in favour of the right to make jokes on Twitter – however bad – without fear of legal overreaction. He (and many others) are asking; is it right that someone should become subject of legal proceedings because of a “not particularly funny” joke?

As an erstwhile pedlar of some not particularly funny jokes just ask the Guardians comedy critic, he doesn’t dig what I do at all, this matters to me a great deal…(Al Murray – The Guardian)

In the now infamous Twitter Joke Trial,  which has become something of a cause celebre, mainly due to the fact, as one columnist put it in The Guardian recently (see here); “it punctures the comforting illusion that Britain is a moderate country” - In my opinion we’re simply stuffing the bird again. It’s either out of a pure fear of the power in social media or, a simple misunderstanding of the platform and it’s capabilities.

A worrying factor that fits within this broad topic is; recourse via our judicial system for libelous, inflammatory, let alone humourous comments posted within social networks, seems to be dependent upon who the ‘victim’ is, what their ethnicity is and importantly, how much money they have to pay for any challenge to what has been said or implied. Remember the footballer and his (alleged) affairs. Is it right to seek to control the opinion of another by legal means, simply because you don’t like what you hear or see?

And whilst on that train of thought. When we consider the rights and wrongs of what people say (from a purely legal basis) via Twitter et al, how can it OK for some Islamic fundamentalist to actively promote “death to the infidel” free of prosecution yet, some less than intelligent idiot makes comment about the ethnicity of footballers (see here), and he falls foul of our laws? Let me be clear however; as I’ve said before, I neither condone or support racism in any shape or form, from whichever side of the ethnic fence it originated.

Humour?

But back to the rights and wrongs of the humour aspect of this post. People of all ages and cultures respond to humour, people are able to experience humour, i.e., to be amused, to laugh or smile at something funny, and when they do they are considered to have a sense of humour. Whether or not you find something funny is ultimately decided by your personal taste, this is wholly dependent upon a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context. The person lacking any sense of humour would likely find the behaviour induced by humour to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational.

The manner in which the law is being applied to social media is something reminiscent of a Klingon invasion of our human need/desire to express an opinion… As Mr Spock, the now famous half-Vulcan Science and First Officer of the Starship Enterprise would have retorted – “It’s Highly Illogical Captain” - perhaps some of our judiciary trained at Starfleet Command?

Related articles

• Al Murray on the Twitter joke trial: ‘Problem is, the law don’t do funny’ (guardian.co.uk)
• Judgment reserved in Twitter airport threat appeal (guardian.co.uk)
• Twitter Joke Trial: Judges Don’t Get Social Media, Says Stephen Fry (mashable.com)
• Must read posts on the TwitterJokeTrial appeal (newstatesman.com)

Amelie’s Adventures feeding #HungrySailors

www.topsail-adventures.co.uk

For many it’s often far too easy to see nautical dreams founder on the rocks of family commitment and/or financial constraint. Like so many other aspirant armchair mariners of this island nation; I often get my particular nautical fix from visiting the Harbour of Desire, found in the written word and visual media…

Despite the ill winds and stiff off-shore squalls we navigate through life in search of a safe haven, ones often strong enough to tongue-tie the most eloquent of Shipping Forecast announcers, some people actually manage to match their nautical dreams with reality. Oh that we could all sail off into the sunset of our mind’s ocean, but enough of the metaphors.

As children, most of us visit the seaside at sometime, unless we were already lucky enough to live in a coastal area that is. It’s probably from that point we are drawn to the sea and the wonders it beholds. Childhood is where it all started, no interest in sand castles, donkey rides, or amusement arcades for me. I was the child grubbing around in rock pools and fishing. I say fishing, it was more a case of scooping up whatever came to frequent that little red net on the end of a thin bamboo stick. Scoop, clear the debris, then examine whatever small creatures had fallen foul of my ‘skill’ with glee. Not really fishing but it was to an inquisitive child.

It wasn’t until later life that my fishing became a far more professional and technical looking operation, at least in my eyes. Proper rods and reels casting baits out into the swell from a pier, harbour wall or rocky shoreline. Subsequently I also became an avid boat fisherman for a while, participating in both pleasure trips and angling competitions. The boat angling probably drove my desire to see and understand what was going on under the surface. That desire, compounded by a youthful fixation with the wonderous undersea adventures of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was also responsible for me qualifying as a scuba diver.

There is also a literary quotation, which I first read as a child and that struck a personal chord for life. One that has been in the background of my mind since those formative years and was probably, the laying down of the keel for my nautical desire…

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover…(Mark Twain)

Apart from the drivers alluded to above, there is one other issue which has had a bearing upon my boating aspirations somewhat, I refer to Mal de Mer. Without making some effort to control the problem and minimise the effects, my sea-legs sometimes aren’t as capable as I would like them to be. But it never stopped me from dreaming, neither has it prevented me from climbing aboard boats at every infrequent opportunity. Thankfully, it can’t stop me from sailing my imaginary ship, the Modicum of Jealousy, whilst watching the nautical enjoyment of others.

Because of all this, and a life-long love affair with food and cooking, I’ve recently been drawn to my television. Lured as if by the sirens of Greek mythology, this aspirant mariner has been ‘doomed’ to enjoy the recent and excellent ITV series - The Hungry Sailors. 

Ex-Masterchef winner Dick Strawbridge and his son James also have two passions - sailing and great food. In The Hungry Sailors, they set off on a journey to explore the best of both of these. Living on board the beautiful pilot cutter Amelie Rose, they sail from Fowey in Cornwall right along the south coast of Britain, ending their journey at the mouth of the river Thames…(ITV.com)

Irrespective of the wonderful food and produce, the places, the people and the businesses being visited, I for one would have liked a little more sailing however; the jovial nature of the hosts verbally illustrated the historical and geographical aspects of the voyage. Dick’s infectious bouts of laughter and the obvious culinary rivalry between father and son was infectious. I suppose more can be learned about the boat and sailing by booking a trip!

Dick’s Heath Robinson engineering skills, used to construct various artisan machines and cooking appliances during the series has been amusing, even if his fieldcraft ’survival skills’ where somewhat flawed. But, despite sailing per se being almost ancillary to the main content of the show i.e. provisioning, food, cookery and the South Coast voyage, it has served to provide a powerful advertising platform for Amelie Rose and Topsail Adventures, as well as providing the transport of choice for Dick and James.

Throughout the series, Nick & Melisa who own the company operating Amelie Rose from her base in North Dorset, have engaged with their viewers in social media forums via Twitter and Facebook. Not only has that served to provide additional enjoyment of the project, for them as much as their viewers, I suspect it will also provide a steady flow of prospective future customers to boot.

All in all a great piece of entertaining and informative television, only marred by the late afternoon viewing spot. Several viewers (myself included) believe, the show could have easily attracted higher viewing figures if it had been aired in a more prime-time slot. Although the series has now drawn to a close (sadly), it will be subsequent feedback from the viewing public impacting upon the possibility of another series. There is still so much scope for the voyage to continue.

Good sailing and great food is available in abundance around the coastline of our island nation. All there for the discovery of Amelie Rose and her crew as they continue voyaging even further north from the Thames Estuary. Sailing onwards, up the east coast towards Scotland, continuing around our northernmost Highlands and Islands then finally, cruising south towards home along our nation’s western seaboard, could provide so much new material for further episodes.

Who knows what nautical joys they will experience, which picturesque safe havens they will sail into and what culinary delights they will discover to wet our appetites? The tasty delights of the Whitby catch, Craster Kippers and Abroath Smokies await them. The quality of Highland Cattle or Aberdeen Angus beef and Scottish Venison is legendary but don’t forget some magnificent Loch Fyne Seafood or not least, the historic Macsween Haggis, all washed down with a wee dram or two of Malt Whiskey.

I could go on but I won’t, although like many others, I hope they actually do. With the myriad of edible fayre awaiting our Hungry Sailors, along with the scope for accompanying books and DVDs to follow perhaps, it’s perfectly feasible for the show to challenge the popularity of The Hairy Bikers!

The material is there for a culinary UK circumnavigation but perhaps the viewing figures and financial expenditure don’t support that dream? If not, the crew but more importantly their viewers), are going to miss out big style!