When Offending Becomes a Crime

Recently, police in Hampshire, England, arrested a man for an unusual crime. Not vandalism, theft, or murder but, according to the arresting officer because "someone has been caused anxiety based on your social media post."

Setting aside the dubious and dangerous logic of involving the state in social media spats, appealing to emotion as a matter of justice is astonishing. So, I no longer have to prove wrong has been done, only that I feel a wrong has been done?

All that's left once a culture has rejected the idea of right and wrong is to grope for some moral foundation in nebulous ideas like "anxiety" and "offense." Everyone's inner voice becomes an unassailable authority, and the loudest outer voice must win.

Common sense tells us that this is a disaster in the making, but without the common sense that there is common truth, there won't be common justice.