reply to post by Rising Against
What happens when "hate speech" is hate against a tyrannical government, an unjust system, a self-serving leader, a community of bigots? Do I not
have the right to "hate" such things? What if the government decides that "hating" government policy, the party line, their way of thinking, is
in fact a form of hate speech? What happens when morality is legislated and no longer are we free to criticize, complain, or "hate"? Hate can be a
powerful tool for justice and a powerful emotion against justice, but do you draw the line about "hate speech" based on what you personally perceive
to be right, your own moral projections, and how you think others should behave? These are dangerous waters to tread as throughout history what has
been perceived by society and individuals to be "right" has often times been the embodiment of "hate", itself.
When I rant and rave about the injustice of the drug war and the targeting of African Americans am I wrong to "hate" and project that hate through
my writings and debates? What if I project that hate towards the bigots responsible that use the drug war for their own personal and financial gain?
A few decades ago, I would have been arrested for spewing such "hate".
What if legislators, white bankers, and community organizers purposely built highways that would bypass a poor, inner city community in order to
deprive it of business, and the people of that community spoke out against those responsible with "hate". What if the food desserts that resulted
in their community caused malnourishment, forced businesses to look elsewhere, drove the community into the last remaining refuge for income (drugs).
What if they then labeled their oppressors as "white" and "rich" ......... and the argument was made that they were spewing hate because of the
fervor and emotion that their complaints, youtube videos, and facebook posts contained. Maybe they went too far with some of their comments out of
the desperation of their situation. Maybe one of their leaders preached, "God damn America" instead of "God bless America". Maybe one of their
leaders in a fevered pitch pointed to white people as responsible because it was the only oppression he or she ever knew. Should he or she be
arrested for going so far as to label a group as "oppressors"?
Sorry, your logic within your arguments escape me as I try to find my own line in the sand when it comes to "hate speech". As I draw the line I
realize it is a line only because it is what I personally believe from my own experiences, which I would never want to project onto others by force
but rather through logic, love, and the example of my own life.
