Comments on: Australian: “G’day sport” teasing is rights violation

By: Bill H

Bill H — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:10:04 +0000

The European approach might work here if we didn’t have the industry that has grown up around victimhood. My view, uneducated though it is, is that even the most minor slights and imagined injuries get blown out of proportion here. The 6 figure+ verdicts may be hard to get, but they’re still common enough that people try for them every day. There’s nothing in place to slow this phenomenon down to a reasonable pace, it just keeps increasing. Your line of thought may be another reason we need a ‘loser pays’ system. A lot of nonsensical “I’m aggrieved!!!111!!!!!” lawsuits would disappear overnight. Those that remained would plummet in value to about the 3-4 figure level you’re talking about. We might then be able to attend to parties who really were damaged in some way in a much more timely manner.

By: Hugo S. Cunningham

Hugo S. Cunningham — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:12:51 +0000

A few years back I remember someone’s analysis that Western Europeans collect on what sound like trivial grievances to most Americans, but the usual award is only in 3 or 4 figures– enough for a pat on the head and feeling of sympathy, but not enough to quit your job. American verdicts are usually harder to get, but can be jackpots of 6 figures or more. I prefer the European approach.

By: Bill H

Bill H — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:10:00 +0000

One wonders whether someone with such a thin skin would be an effective community warden.

Hmm. We could ask our current President.

(Sorry. That was just too easy.)

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:43:38 +0000

I didn’t know that Australian was a “race”, so how is this a “racial abuse” case? If I’m in Europe, can I file a racial abuse suit if someone makes fun of my American Southern drawl? Heavens to Betsy, what should I do if they start quoting “Gone with the Wind.” Frankly, I wouldn’t give a d#@m.

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:54:11 +0000

Yep… caught the typo immediately after hitting ‘Submit’. Funny how often that happens….

By: Hugo S. Cunningham

Hugo S. Cunningham — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:06:23 +0000

Economist usually writes the words “whinge” and “whingeing.”
As I suspected, Wiktionary suggests pronounciations of “whinj,” (rhymes with “hinge”) and “whinjing” (does *not* rhyme with “swinging”).
It is close in meaning to the US word “whine,” which sometimes is used to describe jet engine noise.

One wonders whether someone with such a thin skin would be an effective community warden.

By: Walter Olson

Walter Olson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:41:59 +0000

“Whinging,” no? The first Australian-stereotypical-view-of-Britain joke I remember hearing is: “How do you know when a BOAC (= British Airways) flight has landed at Sydney? The whinging sound continues after the engines turn off.”

By: John Burgess

John Burgess — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:04:44 +0000

Clearly, this man has lived long enough in the UK to adopt the Australian stereotypical view of Britain: The Land of the Winging Poms.

By: Richard Nieporent

Richard Nieporent — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:42:13 +0000

In his shoes I’d be a little annoyed myself, though even if it rises to the level of major ongoing harassment, I would want to exhaust other remedies before considering a lawsuit.

If this is John Galt, Ayn Rand would be rolling over in her grave.

By: peter

peter — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:02:17 +0000

Well struth Cobber, thats oncus mate. Recon he’s a bit of a drongo bludger.