"internationally accepted etiquette"?!

Taiwan’s Supreme Court has let stand a lower court ruling that a 45-year-old man who entered a convenience store and kissed a 15-year old employee there on the cheeks for more than one minute while restraining the frightened girl with a “bear hug” was not guilty of lewd and lascivious behavior. (FWIW, the two did not know each other.) “Kissing someone on the cheeks is internationally accepted etiquette,” said a district court judge in the earlier ruling.

www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20020917/20020917s2.html

What the @#$%?!

[color=violet]Cranky, you’re such a prude![/color]
:unamused:

Maoman, you can’t be serious.

So now it’s open season? Anyone can go up to anyone – acquaintances, shopkeepers, strangers on the street, even underage girls – grab them, restrain them forcibly, kiss them repeatedly for over a minute, and the high court says it’s OK.

I’m really hoping the paper got the story wrong.

Here’s something else I’m wondering. Since it seems to be legal to grab women (and girls!) and kiss them repeatedly no matter what they think or do, would someone who responds to this action be guilty of assault if she were to hit the kisser?

I wasn’t, don’t worry. But I’m going to start a new hobby: [color=darkred]
Judge-Kissing!
[/color]

But with judges one kisses the other cheeks.

Why the stupid decision? Taiwan judges tend to be fresh law school graduates rather than experienced lawyers (in part because the Taiwan Bar Exam has such a ridiculously low pass rate, so many who can’t pass it and become lawyers become judges instead), and law is only an undergraduate degree in Taiwan, so judges know little about international norms. Perhaps forced kissing of convenience store clerks is considered the norm by kids from Taoyuan or Hsimenting. . . and that’s all the judges are.

It’s an international social greeting…open season on expats!
You bring the misteltoe!

Who do I kiss?

Today’s story in TT shed further confusion on the matter. Some “Gender expert” blamed the media. (“He kissed her on the cheeks”).

International custom… So is female circumcision. :unamused: :unamused:

Forcibly kissing complete strangers on the cheek for 2 minutes (sic) is not a custom anywhere I have heard of.

Cut out the guys tongue I say!

But what will all the romantic comedies starring Meg Ryan do then?

Outrageous decision!!! Couldn’t believe it when I heard this from TV!!! Now I know what I should do if one day I’m forcefully embraced and kissed by a disgusting guy like that…I don’t appeal to law, I appeal to the sword… :smiling_imp:

Don’t knock it until you’ve been tried by it. Then KO. :?

Wasn’t there a case a couple of years ago where a Taipei priest had a few girls from his flock over to the house to disrobe so he could fondle them :laughing: the girls sued him for assault :frowning: and the guy explained that he was educating them :unamused: so the judge found him not guilty :shock: ? Maybe I got the facts wrong, but I think it was something like that. Anyone remember the case?

The Catholic Diocese in the USA. :?: :frowning: