What, then, is hate speech?
Who decides, and by what standard, that a particular utterance deserves to be silenced or punished?
Hate speech is not an objective term; it is a tool of subjective interpretation, a label that shifts and expands as governments see fit.
It is a concept crafted to make condemnation and restriction flexible, adaptable to whatever message those in power deem undesirable at any given time.
With hate speech, the goalposts are not fixed; they are moved and manipulated, widening or narrowing based on political expedience, ensuring that the threat of accusation hangs over everyone.
If something can be called hate merely because it offends or challenges, then anyone can be guilty, anyone can be silenced, and the state holds the ultimate authority over what can and cannot be said.
A system that upholds absolute free speech—where speech is recorded and attributable, not suppressed—is the only way to prevent this creeping tyranny. In such a system, people are free to speak, to err, even to be offensive, but they are also held accountable, open to challenge and debate.
That is the essence of #freedom, not the shifting, subjective tyranny cloaked in the guise of protecting society from hate.
S. Tominaga AKA CSW
Nov 3, 2024
https://x.com/CsTominaga/status/1852934157959303215?t=OtKbrL1jfvojsgUoyjEazg&s=19
https://t.me/S_Tominaga/1796
Who decides, and by what standard, that a particular utterance deserves to be silenced or punished?
Hate speech is not an objective term; it is a tool of subjective interpretation, a label that shifts and expands as governments see fit.
It is a concept crafted to make condemnation and restriction flexible, adaptable to whatever message those in power deem undesirable at any given time.
With hate speech, the goalposts are not fixed; they are moved and manipulated, widening or narrowing based on political expedience, ensuring that the threat of accusation hangs over everyone.
If something can be called hate merely because it offends or challenges, then anyone can be guilty, anyone can be silenced, and the state holds the ultimate authority over what can and cannot be said.
A system that upholds absolute free speech—where speech is recorded and attributable, not suppressed—is the only way to prevent this creeping tyranny. In such a system, people are free to speak, to err, even to be offensive, but they are also held accountable, open to challenge and debate.
That is the essence of #freedom, not the shifting, subjective tyranny cloaked in the guise of protecting society from hate.
S. Tominaga AKA CSW
Nov 3, 2024
https://x.com/CsTominaga/status/1852934157959303215?t=OtKbrL1jfvojsgUoyjEazg&s=19
https://t.me/S_Tominaga/1796
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