Is it wrong to be completely indifferent to hateful speech?

[Dispraise]

There are social aspects to privilege.

And Detroit is of course just dripping with social privilege, what with the second highest murder rate in the nation and rapes fifty points over the national average per 100k.

[Bapestar]

That's because there's no such thing as "<insert race and/or nationality> privilege"

Sometimes race is an irrelevant factor. But in dispraise's situation, we don't know if they would've been left alone, had they been Mexican also. If you are white, and go to an all black school, chances are you will be picked on/targeted.

[Linkedblade]

Taking offense to something is childish. Anyone who can't take criticism whether it be jocular or not is not mentally an adult.

- - - Updated - - -

I'd like to add that people believe in a lot of stuff that doesn't exist: god, race, zodiacs, flat Earth. To me they are just preaching another baseless religion.

[Dispraise]

we don't know if they would've been left alone, had they been Mexican

I would consider the answer to that question irrelevant.

I got beat up by Mexicans. I don't have anything against Mexicans because of that. One of my good friends in high school was Mexican. I have no question he always had my back. It was a very rough time for me, and I truly appreciated his friendship.

Maybe my friend wouldn't have had that same experience I did. I'm sure he had other experiences of his own. Imagine me telling this person he wouldn't understand my experience because he has 'Mexican privilege'. What an absolutely shitty and ignorant person would that make me.

[Bapestar]

I would consider the answer to that question irrelevant.

I got beat up by Mexicans. I don't have anything against Mexicans because of that. One of my good friends in high school was Mexican. I have no question he always had my back. It was a very rough time for me, and I truly appreciated his friendship.

Maybe my friend wouldn't have had that same experience I did. I'm sure he had other experiences of his own. Imagine me telling this person he wouldn't understand my experience because he has 'Mexican privilege'. What an absolutely shitty and ignorant person would that make me.

Well if they left you alone due to you being Mexican, there you go. That's not saying you have, "Mexican privilege" in general, but rather in that specific incident.

[Deleted]

Nah, nowadays it's just a part of everyday online communication.

[fiestatastic]

Like I don't practice any views on social justice or have any values, but I hear words/terminology like fuck, shit, faggot, tranny, the n-word, and shit so much in my life and for so long on the internet and on the streets that at this point, I'm so desensitized to it that I don't even care or feel anything toward it. I've been criticized for this indifference, though, under claims socially dignified people won't look upon me very well if I don't have any alleged standards.

it's nbd if you are indifferent to it and not offended, it just means you aren't any of those things, and that's 100% cool, you don't or shouldn't be bothered by things that don't affect you personally.

[HumbleDuck]

Yes, it is wrong to feel indifferent towards hateful speeches.
The use of the those words however, doesn't make the context hateful automatically.

[fiestatastic]

People who get over offended by words annoy me more than indifferent people.

The indifferent people tend to be more chill.

Offended people can take the stick out of their ass and develop a sense of humor at the very least, the ability to brush off words.

This on the other hand, nuh uh, mom's basement talk right here. Come at me or any other person of color, say the N word, and see how your eyes look afterward. You like to take this approach and try to create your own pass for being a social retard that needs to give yourself cool points since you can't earn any irl, but there are some lines you shouldn't cross, even from the fine comforts of mom's basement.

[Granyala]

Social "speech standards" come and go.
What is hip to say today maybe a big "no-no" tomorrow, so no: I do not care at all about empty words.

What would bother me is if there is actual genuine hatred behind them.
In that case I would challenge said persons views with facts and explore where their hate comes from.

Now on the Internet, I know most people behave like uncivilized morons and say stuff they'd never have the cojones to say to s/o in person, so I basically disregard everything automatically. Which is why I always chuckle if s/o gets "offended" because some random idiot used a bad word on failbook.

[Devilyaki]

Words are just that, words, what is seen as bad now could be nothing special in a few years.

[Granyala]

There's no such thing as hateful speech, or hate speech.

Actually there is.
Do research about propaganda of the 3rd Reich regarding "sub human" races. That is systematic hateful indoctrination and the scary part was: it worked for the meagerly educated masses.

I agree though, that SJWs tear "hate speech" out of context and misuse it for anything they do not like.

[HumbleDuck]

it's nbd if you are indifferent to it and not offended, it just means you aren't any of those things, and that's 100% cool, you don't or shouldn't be bothered by things that don't affect you personally.

As Niemöller famously said:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and no one spoke for me but that's ok as one shan't be bothered by things that won't affect them personally.

[fiestatastic]

Words only have the power that you give them. If more people were willing to shrug their shoulders at insults instead of reacting violently, the words would go away.

Absolutely untrue and incredibly stupid. Wow, if words only had the power that YOU gave them we'd all speak our own language. Words are accepted across humans in order to communicate and need to have meaning in order for communication to exist. I get that a lot of gamers love to say nigga online to boost their low self esteem, and never place blame on any individual for being a gamer cattle that follows that herd of thought, but I say something every time, and have yet to be met by anything other than apology. It's not appropriate, and anyone who says it isn't cool for doing so, it's super dorky.

- - - Updated - - -

As Niemöller famously said:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and no one spoke for me but that's ok as one shan't be bothered by things that won't affect them personally.

True. I should have followed it up with I always speak out, but I am not offended by it as long as people understand they are being super dorky and not cool (which 100% of the time so far they do, and apologize).

- - - Updated - - -

Words are just that, words, what is seen as bad now could be nothing special in a few years.

It's been quite a few years now. YOU still can't, won't, and don't have the guts to say nigga out loud irl, so you probably shouldn't do it online. There are literally 0 people in the world who think it's cool and that you're a badass for typing it.

- - - Updated - - -

Nah, nowadays it's just a part of everyday online communication.

Nope. It's part of everyday online communication among white boy's that can't get out of their mom's basement. Sure, some of you got a job at Starbucks and made it into an apartment, but that's how every single person who reads what you type views you as ... the dorkiest of all white boy dorks. Not a good look.

[Granyala]

Absolutely untrue and incredibly stupid. Wow, if words only had the power that YOU gave them we'd all speak our own language. Words are accepted across humans in order to communicate and need to have meaning in order for communication to exist.

Context.

Yes words have meanings. Getting insulted or hurt verbally by a person that is important to us can do serious damage.
But that is not what this topic is about.

Hate speech is an official function (fictional example: a demonstration of Neo-Nazis against Muslims).
A person addressing the public. Hate speech is not me calling an afro american person "nigga (er?)".

As such, he is partly right: it is up to you whether you want some "public hate speech" to have an effect on you or whether you want to critically challenge the hateful premise, deconstruct it and (since most hate speech is basically hot air w/o facts) essentially disarm it of any power it might have over you through logical, educated thinking.

[Dispraise]

Nope. It's part of everyday online communication among white boy's that can't get out of their mom's basement. Sure, some of you got a job at Starbucks and made it into an apartment, but that's how every single person who reads what you type views you as ... the dorkiest of all white boy dorks. Not a good look.

This right here is disrespectful, presumptuous, and outright racist. I very much doubt you would say such to someone's face, so the fact that you feel comfortable saying it online also makes you a hypocrite. Nobody here thinks you look cool or that you're a badass for typing it.

[Liftbrul]

It's been quite a few years now. YOU still can't, won't, and don't have the guts to say nigga out loud irl, so you probably shouldn't do it online. There are literally 0 people in the world who think it's cool and that you're a badass for typing it.

This has always been bit of an odd take on the topic for me. Nobody ever considers that maybe you don't get called a nigger to your face is because it's considered ill manners. I'm sure if you gave someone reason enough to do it, you'd hear plenty variations of the dreaded "n-word". Which would lead to a fight of course, what with the paper thin ego and insecurity of your average hoodrat.

[Shinra1]

Remaining silent to hate speech is being complicit to hate speech. There really is no question, it is wrong to not use your voice for good.

- - - Updated - - -

Claims to be desensitized to hate speech. Can't say nigger. Maybe you're not as desensitized as you think you are.

- - - Updated - - -



You're not desensitized then. Offense is never given. Only taken.

And there you have it. The white and privileged patriarchy that is the right which is full of nazis, fascists and blatant racists rears its ugly head. And this is on page 1.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Ive gotten used to it. The best way to fight legitimate hate speech is to laugh at it imo.
For the most part, they are just words. Don't put more stock into them.

People laughed at Hitler and how did that work out? You can't just ignore something forever.

[Elba]

No, I don't get offended because I had to learn at a young age that nobody was gonna coddle my ass, and allowing myself to be offended by mean hurtful words was just handing a loaded weapon to people who wanted to hurt me.

But if you want to believe I've never been on the receiving end of hate because my almighty whiteness is an impenetrable shield, you go right on ahead li'l baby.

Isn't the baby the one who whines about complete non issues like the slight discomfort of anti white "hate"? Lol, hate.
Seriously, if you are white there don't even exist hurtful words against you with any historic or social significance.

The n-word is powerful because of the historic repression it is part of. Your entire people being treated as subhuman.
Same with the f-word. You know, the whole getting burned at the stake thing they did to gays where the word comes from.

You actually never had to learn anything "from a young age" because you never had to deal with anything of importance.