Specifically thinking of stuff that make your life better in the long run but all kinds of answers are welcome!

I’ve recently learnt about lifetraps and it’s made a huge positive impact on how I view myself and my relationships

  • Zacryon@feddit.de
    181·
    1 year ago

    Take the following with a big spoon of salt, since I am not a lawyer. Those are the results of interest and some reading on that topic.

    Insulting someone is illegal in Germany (§ 185 StGB). You can get financial penalties and in worst cases some jailtime. However, if you insult someone back immediately, those can cancel each other out and the judge can exempt both of you or one of you from punishment (§ 199 StGB). Furthermore, since it is considered a crime, you could, theoretically, detain the culprit in case they want to flee until you are able to get some identification on them, i.e., see their ID card, or until someone like the police arrives (§ 127 StPO). Also this is not okay if you already know the person or have easy means to determine their ID (e.g., your neighbour or someone working at a facility you visit). In all cases the proportionality of your actions are important. (Beating someone senseless just to detain them, because they called you an avocado in a mean way is certainly not okay. This might be slightly different however, if the person in question commited a violent crime and is still acting violently.)

      • rahmad@lemmy.ml
        131·
        1 year ago

        Anything related to hamsters and/or the smell of elderberries.

      • silly goose meekah@lemmy.world
        2·
        1 year ago

        As far as I understand it’s decided on a case by case basis. It depends on the situation and person. Lies that make the other person seem less trustworthy can also count as insults (example: “Person XY is using cocaine again!”), and gestures can also be considered insults.

      • Zacryon@feddit.de
        1·
        1 year ago

        There are quite different aspects to this. Formally insults are considered “libels” (or to translate it more literally from german: violations of honour). Some things depend a lot on the indivdual circumstances and actions, some are almost universally. Insults can be expressed verbally, non-verbally and through various means of communication (text, pictures, gestures, etc…).

        For example, showing a driver the middle-finger (which is the common “fuck you”-gesture), because they took your right of way, is usually considered an insult. Whereas it is not considered an insult if you and your friends do that among yourselves with a humorous intent (which also needs to be perceived humorous for all participants). Another example: dumping your softdrink over your fellow pupil is usually an insult. Calling someone “removed” can be an insult if it’s meant in a demeaning way. It is not an insult if it’s meant in a friendly manner, like the “heey biaaatch” and suchlike in colloquial English.

        So it really depends on the intentions behind it and the reception of the one receiving the insult.

        The jurisdiction of the German Federal Supreme Court of Justice says that insults are expressions about contempt or “dishonoring” (idk if that’s a good translation) towards another person.

        I could write a whole lot more about this as there are even more aspects to this (e.g., how family is a special case, how you don’t even need to be the victim of an insult and it could still be illegal, some “flavours” of insults which are handled by different laws and much more), but I’m too lazy to do so now. ;)

        But, which is very important and to avoid confusion: You can have a negative opinion about someone and are allowed to express it. It just depends on how you express it. Opinions and insults are different things. Freedom of speech is protected in Germany, but that has limitations there, where you can really hurt someone. (Reminds me of how insults provoke similar neurological reactions as a slap in the face.)

      • NotSteffen@lemmy.world
        56·
        1 year ago

        There’s a paragraph in the German constitution that lists all words that count as insults. German school kids have to recite the constitution once per week in school and when that paragraph comes everyone giggles.

        /s I think there probably is some list of insults, though.

      • Zacryon@feddit.de
        1·
        1 year ago

        I don’t find it goofy. Having an opinion and insulting someone are different things.