I hear this all the time, that hate speech should not be put in the same class as free speech. Well, speech is speech. It's something a lot of people (admittedly including myself) take for granted. But really we shouldn't. Because a lot of countries around the world do not allow free speech. I know the middle east doesn't! In Iraq, you could get beheaded for saying even one word against their leader! In those same countries, if you are gay, you will be killed too. Even if you are a woman who has been raped, even though it is not your fault you got raped! I sometimes wonder if people have free speech rights in Australia too? With some of the Australians I've met, I'm beginning to believe free speech is not allowed there either. But for the kind of person I am, I am in the perfect location. I have free speech rights here, and I enjoy them.
But a lot of people, even Americans, wonder if hate speech should be considered the same as free speech. Well, I believe it is. "Hate" is such a subjective term, I really don't think it should be outlawed. What one person considers "hate", another may just see as sheer honesty. A lot of things can be misidentified as hatred. I even get accused all the time of "hating" or "being negative", when all I am doing is just being honest. But there is a big difference between feeling hate and just being brutally honest. There are things I don't agree with, and I will often tell people I don't agree. And every time I disagree with someone, they want to turn it into a big battle, when that wasn't my intention at all. I just believe in being honest. Some things should not be sugar-coated. For example, say a woman goes into the doctor's with cramps in her belly that won't go away. She is an overweight woman, or maybe simply FAT. The doctor diagnoses her as having diabetes, and tells her that the only way to get rid of it is to lose some weight. The woman walks out angry because she feels the doctor was hating on her for being fat. But really all the doctor was doing was just being honest with her. Not meant to be hateful at all. But a lot of people today are that way. They want to cry fowl when the truth hits them in the face instead of taking it as sound advice.
That is exactly why I say "hate" is a subjective term. I wouldn't have considered what that doctor said as being "hate speech". But a lot of people today would have. I would have considered it as being just plain honesty. Because I know I am fat, and I do need to lose weight. It's not hate. It's not negativity. It's just plain honesty. And as long as the doctor was not saying it in a hateful manner, with a hateful tone in his voice, I wouldn't consider it as being "hate speech". Now, let's say that same woman is walking down the road, and a preteen child passes by her on his bicycle, and shouts names like "fat mama" or "fat ass" or "fat bitch" at her. That is definitely what I would call hate speech. Because that is meant to convey hatred towards the woman. The kid has no concern for her health at all, unlike the doctor. The kid is not saying it to help the woman lose weight. The kid's only concern is to insult someone to make himself feel better. Or because he thinks it's funny, or someone told him it's "cute". But you know what, the kid even has a right to say those things. It's not morally right, because he's not helping the woman at all. He's only hurting. But it is his legal right to say it.
In short, someone says "You're too overweight, you need to lose some weight because it might cause you some problems" is not hate speech. It's just someone being honest.
But if someone says "You fat bitch" then it is hate speech. If someone adds "You need to die" is bordering on being threatening. Though it is still free speech until someone says "I'm gonna find you and kill you." which is a threat and it is illegal.
Really I think people who think every little tiff is "hate speech" should not even exist. Now, that doesn't mean I believe we need to kill off every person out there that calls honesty "hate speech"! I wouldn't do that!!! No one should. But I do think they are too spoiled by society. They need to gain a better understanding of the difference displayed in hatred vs. honesty. People who cannot handle honesty, cannot handle anything. Evolution needs to step in and eliminate people with that pattern of thinking. They would never survive if today's society didn't cater to their every demand. Fat people would just stay fat if they were not informed what damage it could do to them. I know I am working on losing weight now. I've rejoined the local gym, and I intend to visit every single day that I can. The people who get angry when they are told they need to lose weight, should not exist in the world because they are damaging their own health. If the doctor tells them "you need to lose weight", well, they shouldn't take that as a personal attack! Just get out there like I did, join the local gym and work on losing that weight! Just DO IT!!!
The problem is once we start regulating free speech, then we might begin regulating everything. If we take away other peoples' rights to not like what ever they want, then people might begin saying "You can't say *this* or *that*". SJWs are annoying enough! They've taken away a lot of things that I used to enjoy because they are afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. Like the antique cartoons. You don't see those antique cartoons anymore because a lot of them are not "politically correct". Speech is a right. Being offended is a right, but it has no right to encroach on my right to free speech.
But a lot of people, even Americans, wonder if hate speech should be considered the same as free speech. Well, I believe it is. "Hate" is such a subjective term, I really don't think it should be outlawed. What one person considers "hate", another may just see as sheer honesty. A lot of things can be misidentified as hatred. I even get accused all the time of "hating" or "being negative", when all I am doing is just being honest. But there is a big difference between feeling hate and just being brutally honest. There are things I don't agree with, and I will often tell people I don't agree. And every time I disagree with someone, they want to turn it into a big battle, when that wasn't my intention at all. I just believe in being honest. Some things should not be sugar-coated. For example, say a woman goes into the doctor's with cramps in her belly that won't go away. She is an overweight woman, or maybe simply FAT. The doctor diagnoses her as having diabetes, and tells her that the only way to get rid of it is to lose some weight. The woman walks out angry because she feels the doctor was hating on her for being fat. But really all the doctor was doing was just being honest with her. Not meant to be hateful at all. But a lot of people today are that way. They want to cry fowl when the truth hits them in the face instead of taking it as sound advice.
That is exactly why I say "hate" is a subjective term. I wouldn't have considered what that doctor said as being "hate speech". But a lot of people today would have. I would have considered it as being just plain honesty. Because I know I am fat, and I do need to lose weight. It's not hate. It's not negativity. It's just plain honesty. And as long as the doctor was not saying it in a hateful manner, with a hateful tone in his voice, I wouldn't consider it as being "hate speech". Now, let's say that same woman is walking down the road, and a preteen child passes by her on his bicycle, and shouts names like "fat mama" or "fat ass" or "fat bitch" at her. That is definitely what I would call hate speech. Because that is meant to convey hatred towards the woman. The kid has no concern for her health at all, unlike the doctor. The kid is not saying it to help the woman lose weight. The kid's only concern is to insult someone to make himself feel better. Or because he thinks it's funny, or someone told him it's "cute". But you know what, the kid even has a right to say those things. It's not morally right, because he's not helping the woman at all. He's only hurting. But it is his legal right to say it.
In short, someone says "You're too overweight, you need to lose some weight because it might cause you some problems" is not hate speech. It's just someone being honest.
But if someone says "You fat bitch" then it is hate speech. If someone adds "You need to die" is bordering on being threatening. Though it is still free speech until someone says "I'm gonna find you and kill you." which is a threat and it is illegal.
Really I think people who think every little tiff is "hate speech" should not even exist. Now, that doesn't mean I believe we need to kill off every person out there that calls honesty "hate speech"! I wouldn't do that!!! No one should. But I do think they are too spoiled by society. They need to gain a better understanding of the difference displayed in hatred vs. honesty. People who cannot handle honesty, cannot handle anything. Evolution needs to step in and eliminate people with that pattern of thinking. They would never survive if today's society didn't cater to their every demand. Fat people would just stay fat if they were not informed what damage it could do to them. I know I am working on losing weight now. I've rejoined the local gym, and I intend to visit every single day that I can. The people who get angry when they are told they need to lose weight, should not exist in the world because they are damaging their own health. If the doctor tells them "you need to lose weight", well, they shouldn't take that as a personal attack! Just get out there like I did, join the local gym and work on losing that weight! Just DO IT!!!
The problem is once we start regulating free speech, then we might begin regulating everything. If we take away other peoples' rights to not like what ever they want, then people might begin saying "You can't say *this* or *that*". SJWs are annoying enough! They've taken away a lot of things that I used to enjoy because they are afraid of hurting someone else's feelings. Like the antique cartoons. You don't see those antique cartoons anymore because a lot of them are not "politically correct". Speech is a right. Being offended is a right, but it has no right to encroach on my right to free speech.
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