The END of Hate Speech, subtle or otherwise, on ATS

It has become apparent that our beloved ATS has either become the target for or an easy mark for those who would seek to spew their demented hatred for their fellow man based on nothing more than religion, ethnicity or personal preferences...

Again...

We have seen an increase in hate speech couched in "news articles", subtle innuendo hidden behind professed disagreement with government policies and blatant, outright ignorance spewed forth for all to see.

The catalyst has been the sad, and horrid conflict happening on the Gaza Strip. Make no mistake, both sides of that issue have been guilty and it STOPS NOW.

While we understand that passionate disagreement with wanton destruction and human suffering /death at the hands of governments can certainly bring out the worst in us all, we simply get filled with rage at the indecency man is capable of perpetrating against his fellow man, there is no excuse for hate speech and it will not be tolerated on AboveTopSecret.com as it is a direct violation of our Terms and Conditions of use.

The most sickening examples of this are seen when certain individuals appear to be joining in the chorus of protest against the evil that men do only to spread their own hate to the unsuspecting by introducing it a little at a time and couching it in the buzz words and rally cries of the day.

Consider this post as FAIR WARNING that the staff and owners of AboveTopSecret.com will be following the T.A.C. to the letter and we are implementing a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on ALL hate speech.

What has transpired up to now is water under the bridge and the slate is wiped clean for one and all. From this moment forward however, there will be no mulligans, no passes and no exceptions.

If you are found to be spreading hate rather than discussing the policies, actions and world events your account will post banned immediately and your membership will be reviewed by staff.

It is our sincere hope that those who have come here only to spread this most vile of human traits will see there is no room for them here and move on and those who were only caught up in the emotional whirl wind caused by these agents of ignorance will return to their decent and rational selves.

Springer...

fairplay to that.
I have waited for something to be said for a while.... Nice one Springer
Glad you have made a stand

Amen.

Any chance you could point out and link to specific examples of this Mark that have been done? My God, I hope I have not contributed to this, and if I have I sincerely apologize.

I think specific examples, on both sides of the argument, would help us see what NOT to say, and will help guide us into the future for a more civil board. But it can be very difficult in the face of clear human tragedy not to express rage at the perpetrators. Very difficult.

Its about time!!!

Hopefully it clears all this crap up, personally I had just about enough of those Israel vs Hamas threads. I couldnt believe how people could take a side when both sides were guilty of these atrocities

Thumbs up Springer, Im glad you spoke up

reply to post by TrueAmerican


As I said, "water under the bridge"...

I think we all are pretty clear on what hate speech is. Anyone who isn't clear on what constitutes hate speech should do some serious research and get clear.

Springer...

Bigoted speech attacking or disparaging a social or ethnic group or a member of such a group.

link

so no more slamming the world elites then?
seriously, what is hate speech in terms of ATS?

this is a great move and very much needed, just a touchy subject on a site that focus' on topics which are always critical of someone, often very strongly.

[edit on 5/2/09 by pieman]

I have a question. Say that a guy looks at the history of christianity and deduces that it's evil or something like that. He gets examples of other wrongdoings by the religion over the years and posts them. Will this be considered hate speech? I'm a christian and while i don't agree with that view i can certainly understand how people can see it that way. I don't consider that to be hate speech at all, while others would. It's because there's enough credible evidence out there for that conclusion to be possible, it must be admitted.

My point is that the term hate speech can be pretty vague sometimes.

*I think it may be considered hate speech if the sources/theories have already been disproven. Especially if a person reposts the already debunked info.

lol Are people going to start playing the "hate speech" card?

This isn't as complicated as people are trying to make it out to be.

We can get our points across without resorting to name calling, generalizations with racist or inflammatory overtones, and general nastiness, hate and discontent.

if there is a valid conspiracy or an actual newsworthy discussion to be had, go for it.
the folks who have been posting this garbage are being put on notice. those of you who don't understand the reason for this rule are probably not breaking it.

plain and simple.

I agree you just need people to enforce it. If the KKK members were posting propaganda and their activities it would not be tollerated, and if you were to ask a KKK member he would tell you why he is doing the right thing. When Anonymous supporters do it the mods defend them. I think you need to add hate speech to the T&C and define it, mods need to have an objective viewpoint when looking at posts. For example

Hate Speech- I think christianity is a cult and anyone who is dumb enough to.....
Not hate speech- I do not believe in christianity here is why...
found this for ya

Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action, against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, hair color, etc.), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability. The term covers written as well as oral communication and some forms of behaviors in a public setting.
People shoul be able to post their opinions and thoughts without posting in an effort to degrade someone else.

You're right. It's not that big of a deal. Ats is as important as an internet website is able to be tho. If it's just the obviously offensive stuff then i'm totally on board personally.

It doesn't bother me when someone attacks me personally. It is usually a sign of victory debate-wise. But I do have issues when generalizations and stereotypes are used to present a particular view. But also I have a thick skin I guess.

reply to post by Springer


I disagree that this is a simple matter of someone understanding what "hate speech is and if not needing to go get clear on that."

Heck, after reading the Wikipedia on hate speech I am still not clear. It seems to me that there are many different takes on it.

en.wikipedia.org...

Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action[citation needed] against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, hair color, etc.), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability.

That would seem to me to mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For instance one guy telling another to "man up" could be considered a derogatory saying to women as it implies that acting like a woman is "bad."

I dont expect YOU to think that counts, because we live in a society that regularly uses terms that make femininity a derogatory. "Stop acting like a little girl," etc. But it is, customary or no, a slight against females and femininity.

Are we going that far? Or are we not really concerned with slights against age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, language ability, etc. and what we are really trying to stop is simply ethnic bashing?


I think it would be very nice, and very fair if you provided very clear Do's and Don'ts, because hate speech itself is very controversial and it is far from a given that everyone will understand what YOU mean by that.

And in truth, thats what we all want to abide by here, YOUR rules. I dont need to know what every other human on the planet considers hate speech. (And good thing too, because they all dont agree.)

I need to know what ATS considers hate speech. In a fairly clear way with examples. Because I do want to follow the rules. But I dont want to tip toe around not saying anything because I dont know whats legal here.

Thanks.

reply to post by YoungStalin


Yeah well failing to cite your sources is against T&C too.

And why would calling something a cult be "hate speech?"

Maybe the dumb part, but calling something a cult doesnt seem like it should be.

How about the often quoted speeches by Zionists in regards to how they have Americans under control;
that Americans are stupid;
How they are intent on destroying the white man.?
As evidenced by the immigration policies they engineered.

How about disent about Americans & Others being pressured into giving up their traditional expression, (i.e. Merry Christmas etc) so that Muslims are not offended.?

If we cannot discuss the virus that is destroying the fabric of our society this will become a really boing place.

I tend to respond to some posts with humor (sometimes weak but I try) and I almost never pass up a chance to poke fun at myself. If I browse a topic that I don't like or see responses in said topic that make me angry I'm just a mouse click away from removing myself from that situation.

That was kind of the point i was trying to make. You can state your opinion but you do not have to degrade someone else to do so

Springer, Crakeur ... I've gotta' agree with this -

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
I need to know what ATS considers hate speech. In a fairly clear way with examples. Because I do want to follow the rules. But I dont want to tip toe around not saying anything because I dont know whats legal here.

Can you picture ME tiptoeing?
I'm sure that would make a few people here happy.

Seriously .. 'hate speech' can be .. not always is .. but can be subjective.
What is 'hate speech' to one person is just truth to another.

Originally posted by Crakeur
those of you who don't understand the reason for this rule are probably not breaking it.

If you think I am would you (not the rest of you ... just Crakeur or Springer) send me a U2U and inform me please. Thank you.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Simply use common sense. Debate vs. Argument.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


Don't be nasty. Don't be hateful. Don't post something that is inflammatory enough to get you a like response. Don't be racist. Don't be bigoted. Don't participate in personal attacks or degrading generalizations.

It isn't that hard or confusing. "Man up" isn't hate speech....it is a figure of speech.

It isn't about walking the fine line of political correctness. It is about not crossing the very distinct line if hateful, nasty personal attacks and disturbing, degrading generalizations of groups of people.