Why I love Hate Speech
OK, this title is click-bait, I need views so a salacious headline might help. Over the past few weeks there has been an incredible surge in hate speech and opinions about hate speech, specifically opinions regarding what level if any should be allowed by law. As much as I would like to be a free speech absolutist in this, I can’t be. I think there should be certain, limits placed on free speech, although those limits must be minimal and if there is even the slightest question, the speech should be allowed.
Any speech that directly advocates the use of violence against a person or group, justifies killing or promotes the idea of overthrowing the government in anything other than a peaceful manner is off limits. That’s it. Nothing more. If we begin to add a litmus test to free speech, if we worry about how specific speech hurts people’s feelings and emotions we will forfeit the right completely.
Free speech matters because we must allow the expression of the ideas we disagree with. Ya, it is easy to want to silence those who promote ideas we disagree with but that same justification can be used to silence us when we express something others disagree with.
I have given this a lot of thought since the violence in Charlottesville erupted. The white power people had the right to assemble and I support that just as I support those protesting them. My support of their right is not an endorsement of their views. Hearing rejects from Deliverance scream for white power sickened me. I wanted to shut them up, just like I wanted to shut up the counter-protesters. Before the violence, both sides had the right to express their views. As much I wanted to silence both sides, I was happy that we live in a country where expression, no matter how hateful, is allowed.
Since the event in Charlottesville I have asked myself why I would support free speech when it is so evidently filled with hate. Surely, among educated people we can agree upon what limits we should have in our right to express views. But we can’t. We need to offer as close to absolute freedom of speech as possible or it will all be lost.
The moment we begin the journey down the road of censorship we will be doomed. All it will take is some politician seeking to win favor with one group or another or someone willing to whine and complain that their feelings are hurt for us a the general public to lose more ground in the right to express ourselves.
If we start down this path, who will be the censorship decision maker? How will censoring happen? Will it be based on whoever is in power? We live in a country of 350 million, we can’t agree on which fast food restaurant is best, how could we ever develop a standard for acceptance speech? The risks inherent with trying to regulate thoughts and expression are straight out of 1984.
Those who identify on the left politically, do you really want some right winger determining that your views are offensive and hate filled because you feel a different type of government is what is needed or that the president should be removed from office? That is part of what free speech is about, who’s to say your side won’t be the one censored?
Those who identify on the right politically, you benefited greatly over the past eight years because a president was in power who you disagreed with. You gained followers, donations, dominance on the radio and through the rise of Fox News. Since what one side does in power, the other side retaliates with once they take control. Do you want to be dicks when it comes to regulating free speech now knowing it will come back to haunt you in 4 to 8 years?
Although the risk of loss of of our primary freedom is great, there is a greater reason to promote free speech for all, especially hate speech. We want to know who these people are. Ideas of racial superiority go back centuries. The internet has given an unstoppable platform to communicate any idea, positive or negative. By silencing the ability of these fools to promote their ideas openly, we encourage them to go underground and operate in the deepest, darkest corners of the internet where their ideas will fester and grow like an infection.
By forcing hate-filled ideas underground, they will spread unchecked attracting disenfranchised ears, wounded and angry looking for someone to blame. Every oppressive regime in history grew this way.
This might be a foolish assumption on my part, and easily proven incorrect, however, I tend to believe that no educated, rational person believes there is such a thing as a master race. We can generally identify people spewing hate and ignorance. We need to allow them the public platform so they can isolate themselves. Let them stand up, wear their costumes, try to promote racial mastery or whatever other ignorant point they are trying to make. Let them be heard and then laugh at them. Remove their power, highlight their ignorance, mock their views. And do it in public.
Hate speech is reprehensible, I don’t think anyone will argue that. It is expression that is built on anger, ignorance, fear and weakness. We as a nation are stronger than that. We come together in times of crisis, we find unity with a common threat. Let the ignorance rant about white power, or inferior races. We are stronger than them, let us welcome their views and give them a platform to make their words a national joke. The more we laugh, the more they lose power and influence.
