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Is 'Hate Speech' Dangerous?
American Thinker.com ^ | October 19, 2019 | H. K. Rivera

Posted on 10/19/2019 3:26:40 PM PDT by Kaslin

As a concept, freedom of speech arguably dates back to Socrates. He said to his prosecutors, "If you offered to let me off this time on condition I am not any longer to speak my mind... I should say to you, 'Men of Athens, I shall obey the Gods rather than you.'" While Plato was busy writing dialogues and showing us that Socrates was advocating for free speech more than 2000 years ago, freedom of speech as a legal right did not actually exist until the 17th century.

The people of both the United States and Britain were ensured certain rights. Both countries grant freedom of speech, although in modern society, speech considered "harmful, hurtful, or hateful" has been deemed, "hate speech" in much of Europe and in Britain.

This new worldview on dangerous words has made its way to the United States. "Progressive" activists such as Antifa and the 3rd wave feminist movement, would see freedom of speech hampered to end speech they find offensive.

Online "hate speech" is currently an arrestable and jailable offense in the United Kingdom. There is an entire branch of law enforcement devoted to policing words on the internet. Many have received jail time over tweets and Facebook posts others did not agree with. How did this happen? Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 made this policing of words and subsequent punishment possible.

An article published by the Independent claims "According to the Register, a total of 2,500 Londoners have been arrested over the past five years for allegedly sending “offensive” messages via social media. In 2015, 857 people were detained, up 37 per cent increase since 2010."

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
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1 posted on 10/19/2019 3:26:40 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

There is no such thing as hate speech.


2 posted on 10/19/2019 3:28:01 PM PDT by Eddie01
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To: Kaslin

Labeling free speech as “hate speech” is dangerous.


3 posted on 10/19/2019 3:28:14 PM PDT by upsdriver (WWG1WGA)
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To: Kaslin

Hate speech = Telling the truth.


4 posted on 10/19/2019 3:32:50 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Who will think of the gerbils ? Just say no to Buttgiggity !)
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To: Kaslin

The danger is allowing ANYONE to define “hate speech” because it will inevitably lead to tyranny.


5 posted on 10/19/2019 3:35:06 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Everyone who favors socialism plans on the government taking other people's money, not theirs.)
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To: Kaslin

I reject the left’s newest invention “hate speech”.


6 posted on 10/19/2019 3:35:29 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (A joke: Brennan,Comey and Lynch walk into a Barr...)
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To: Eddie01

There is no such thing as hate speech.
———————————\
Well it is legally defined now.

In the good old days if you said something thing hateful, there might be personal consequences, but not govt consequences.


7 posted on 10/19/2019 3:36:12 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: Kaslin

Hate is a Motive, it isn’t a Crime.

Hate Speech and Hate Crime Laws are 100% Unconstitutional.

We aren’t living in China, North Korea or under Sharia Law.


8 posted on 10/19/2019 3:39:03 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Kill a Commie for your Mommy.)
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To: Kaslin

This is the inevitable result of allowing the concept of “hate crimes” to gain legitimacy. It drives me crazy when FR posters proclaim some incident of bad behavior by the Left to be a “Hate Crime”.

It shouldn’t matter how someone is feeling or even what is motivating them when they commit a crime. A crime is a crime regardless of what motivated it, no conservative should ever stand for thoughts or ideas being criminalized.


9 posted on 10/19/2019 3:42:08 PM PDT by Junk Silver ("It's a little hard to herd people onto trains when they're shooting at you." SirLurkedalot)
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To: Kaslin

“Hate speech” is any speech the Democrat/Inbred-Media complex disagrees with.


10 posted on 10/19/2019 3:57:47 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats only believe in democracy when they win elections.)
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To: Gay State Conservative

Coming next: “Hate Thought”.


11 posted on 10/19/2019 4:00:45 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: Kaslin

“Is ‘Hate Speech’ Dangerous?”

Only if I can find you.


12 posted on 10/19/2019 4:01:53 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Kaslin

I think the concept of “hate speech” is becoming a cancer.

We are getting past the point of being able to having policy disagreements or political disagreements.

We are a basket of deplorables, racist, sexist and all the rest, per the leftists who define what hate speech is.

The left considers all of us haters, and guilty of hate speech.

Some examples, per the leftist opinion:

If you oppose affirmative action, you are a racist.
If you oppose abortion on demand, you hate women.
If you oppose open borders, you are anti-immigrant and are xenophobic.

If you oppose the global warming doctrine, you hate mother earth, and in fact you are in favor of a despoiled environment.

If you oppose the leftist Medicare for All/socialized medicine plans, you want to throw granny off a cliff, and indeed you don’t want people to have access to health insurance and health care.

If you oppose Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax, then by definition, you hate all who would benefit from the wonderful government programs she would create. You hate the preschool teachers who would get a raise under her plans, for example.

I’m sure others can think of other examples. There is a liberal mindset out there, in which ANYTHING where you oppose the leftist solution to a problem means you hate those who would benefit from some government spending.


13 posted on 10/19/2019 4:12:31 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Kaslin

Brutal oppression of political speech is a core craving of every Democrat.


14 posted on 10/19/2019 4:13:52 PM PDT by stinkerpot65 (Global warming is a Marxist lie.)
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To: Kaslin
AS opposed to "Love Speech"?


15 posted on 10/19/2019 4:20:08 PM PDT by MuttTheHoople
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To: Kaslin
Here in is the rub:

end speech they find offensive

Who is they? Why do "they" get to decide? What about "us"?

And why do "they" consider it offensive?

What if "they" find it offensive, but "we" or "I" for that matter, do not?

You might as well start by saying ALL speech is offensive, until a party of our betters (oow, that's offenisive!) decide a particular word or phrase is OK.

The list would need to be continuously revised, with words struck or added depending on the sensibilities of current popular culture.

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

16 posted on 10/19/2019 4:22:27 PM PDT by Alas Babylon! (The media is after us. Trump's just in the way.)
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To: Kaslin

“Hate speech” does not exist.

What they call “hate” is the immune system of the soul.


17 posted on 10/19/2019 4:23:29 PM PDT by Jim Noble (There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know)
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To: Kaslin

18 posted on 10/19/2019 4:25:57 PM PDT by bgill
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To: upsdriver
Agreed. The most dangerous thing about "hate speech" is that people think it exists.

So called "hate speech" and "hate crimes" are really just excuses to lay the groundwork for ever more control. Once you get the concepts of "hate" this or "hate" that accepted, then who-ever is determining what is hateful from then on is in the drivers seat.

19 posted on 10/19/2019 4:39:40 PM PDT by ThunderSleeps ( Be ready!)
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To: upsdriver
I was banished from Twitter yesterday for "hateful activity."

I saw a tweet from someone complaining about the number of men sending her direct messages expressing their horniness. Curious, I looked at her bio. She identifies as a "fat slut." I replied to her tweet with the suggestion that removing "slut" from her bio might reduce the number of offensive DMs. Within a few hours I learned that my account has been permanently suspended. I appealed that decision since at first I couldn't figure out what I had done that had violated the rules. Today I saw a notification in my account that I had been reported for hateful activity. The Twitter lords thanked the snitch for improving everyone's Twitter experience.

20 posted on 10/19/2019 4:50:05 PM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson ("Every nation has the government that it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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