I’ll just come out, I’m not in favor of hate speech but I’m in favor of people’s right for hate speech.
The difference between me and someone who is for right hate speech is that that person doesn’t realize that every place that limited right of speech, actually had hate speech and restricted non hate speech. In Nazi Germany, it wasn’t Anti-Jewish propaganda that damaged Jews, it was the fact that Jews did not have a right to defend themselves because there was no freedom of speech. And that begins with prohibition of hate speech. Because once you start banning speech then anything can become hate speech that can be banned. Because if someone hates Jews and they espouse anti-Jewish speech, then you, defending yourself and hating them can be barred from speaking against them just by speaking up for yourself, because by proxy you can be accused of hating them and thus creating hate speech.
In Europe, there are anti hate speech laws. Yet 30-50% of Europe is openly anti-semetic and the rest is closed anti-semetic. Everyday, recorded and unrecorded crimes occur against some ethnic group. In United States there are no laws banning hate speech and the situation for minorities is much better, as it is for majority. In Europe everyone hates everyone and because they don’t have a voice, they turn to actions. It is true that thoughts become words and words become action, but if one can create words one can fight with words and words can change thoughts and prevent actions as well, or change actions. That is the one thing that is trully great about United States and the reason why anti-semitism, homophobia, anti-Muslims and other people have a voice here and get heard and have a way to vent their opinions and those who get to hear them get to hear both sides. Because if no one hears a side, then there is no way to speak out against it.
True, you can’t write an Anti-semetic pamphlet in Germany or France, but equally the Jews get ostracized for writing something about anti-semitism. Because if you look at the press, there is no anti-semitism, so what is there to protect, if it doesn’t “exist.” But as Soviet Union and Chinese censorship showed, just because something isn’t written, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. After all, no one wrote about America before Columbus got to America, that didn’t mean that it wasn’t there.
In the end, there is no ban on hate-speech, there is just “censorship” and as with all “censors” there always some who it benefits an some who it hurts and in the end, it hurts all.
For every word I say or write, someone makes a perception about that word and that word might offend. That it is impossible for anyone to avoid. But, no matter what I write, it is my right to write what I think and believe in and it is the right of others to write their opposing view and they are free to me and try to change my mind. Ultimately, my mind is mine and it is mine to express and whether I hold anti-hate views or anti-Jewish views, that is my right and it is the right of others and in the court of opinions and facts and I cannot take that right away from anyone else even if I don’t think they are right for they at that same time do not think I am right. The most important thing, is to be able to bring facts to light because it is only when right and wrong has a chance to be openly compared that you can see what is right and what is wrong and not giving someone that opportunity is the only true wrong.
So if you want to see the end of hate speech, know one thing first: that will never happen because hate will always exist, it is only the end of debate that we must fear for it is only then that hate truly succeeds.