I think that everyone has a right to their opinion, opinions are great! They separate us and help define ourselves as individuals. When you have an opinion on something, no matter how trivial, it means you've at least applied a little thought on the matter and that you can have a friendly chat or deep discussion with another person on the subject where you can both express your ideas, agree, disagree or agree to disagree on it. Fantastic!
Free speech is even better, an expression of those thought out (or not) opinions that you are entitled to as a citizen of your country and, more so, as a human
being.
BUT I don't think anyone is entitled to Hate speech. Hate speech is not free speech. Free speech is an expression of your opinion, Hate speech is just that - speech (or even text) that incites or expresses hatred towards a person or group of people by degrading, dehumanizing, cheapening that person(s).
Two arguments I come across when I've tried defining Hate speech in this way:
1) But what if that is their opinion and they are just expressing it in an assertive way?
If you value your own opinion in such high esteem then surely it is worth the effort to communicate it to people in a way that is going to get through and they will actually be willing to listen to. If you believe in what your saying why make it so people will simply
dismiss it at first sight?
2) Wait for it... ... ... 'This is political correctness gone mad!'... there we go.
No it isn't (I wish I could leave it at that, but I can't). Treating others as human beings isn't PC or being hyper-sensitive, it's giving them the respect the deserve as people. You have to treat a person with respect to expect any back. I'm 17 and I've learnt that, how come Mr. God-bag from No.7 Privilege Road can't?
Let me finish with an example that I think will help summarise my stand on Free speech and Hate speech.
God Hates Fags . com
God Hates Homosexuals . com
See? Better, well not better, but consider this, which site are you less likely to dismiss?
*Note: As my ideas on this subject change and progress I want to come back to this post and add any new angles or perspectives on the matter.
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1 comment:
That's something I've never been able to push forth on any extremist group fellow feminist or otherwise. WHY would you stoop to using emotionally charged hate speech and almost certainly turning away everyone else? I even attempt using similar examples, I mean wouldn't a racist advance his goals more by linking up with other supremecist groups than just shouting the N word like a tribal chant? But they never listen, and are completely amazed when everyone wants to run them off. If we had civil discourse instead of all these emotional trigger words flying about, we could hammer out a workable compromise with every group, instead of these 'marches' which devolve into lots of people calling each other c*nts.
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