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| Agent Matt | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 12:14 |
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 Genuine American Monster Level: 70 CS Original | Kaiser and I had an interesting discussion earlier on Facebook about hate speech, and I thought a thread on the subject was in order to let everyone else do what they do best: express opinions on the Internet. My position is that by allowing people the freedom to alter the meanings of words, and sometimes adopt them as their own, we can then change the meaning of words. Forbidding people from using certain words only gives the allure of the forbidden, thus ensuring that their power will never be diminished. I argue that allowing people to use words as freely as possible increases the chances that their cultural meanings will change and their ability to injure is then reduced. What say you? | |||||
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| Kaiser Falkner | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 12:21 |
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 HAIL HYDRA Level: 6 CS Original | My own position was that the best way to deal with hate speech was not through the use of words to bend their meaning, but through meta-analysis and an open and critical dialogue about the words and their usages. My contention is that this reduces the unintended misinterpretation of words by observers and participants alike. This is grounded in a notion that we cannot control words perfectly and that there is bound to be some unintended consequences to the use of words. The down side to my approach is that it limits the audience because everyone would have to agree to such a discussion and be capable of meta-analysis. It is, as Matt pointed out, not a method available or accessible to everyone in society- but its an approach, I think, that helps blunt the effect of words. If we all talk about how "fag" is used in a pejorative sense we are not utilizing the word itself, but dis-entangling its meanings and usage. If we bend a word to reduce is pejorative sense we risk it being misconstrued and don't full pull out its more unsavory parts. Again, I am aware of the limitations of my view point, but I still think it is worth while. But Matt and I already got to discuss this. Thoughts? | |||||
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| Agent Matt | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 12:29 |
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Genuine American Monster Level: 70 CS Original | It would only be fair to acknowledge the limitations of my view point: which is that by allowing people the freedom to use words as they see fit, some people will be offended. But I also realize that it is impossible to protect everyone from being offended, therefore reducing the concept of freedom of speech to achieve an impossible goal is counter productive. So I guess the question is how to balance the two, or if such a balance is even possible. | |||||
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| CyborgJesus | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 12:48 |
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 Level: 6 CS Original | Quite fitting: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a8ac764340/louie-s-poker-scene [5:00-7:00] | |||||
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| Agent Matt | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 13:04 |
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Genuine American Monster Level: 70 CS Original | That's not fitting at all, I'm sure everyone knows the origin of the word. That's not the point of this thread. | |||||
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| CyborgJesus | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 13:59 |
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Level: 6 CS Original | It's about the way they make fun of it, not the explanation itself. I just don't see the whole "being offended" issue as a real problem - sure, you could say that's because I'm not the one experiencing it - but still, if you associate bad memories with one word, banning it from use and referring to it as the N-Word, C-Word, F-Word or whatever seems like a band-aid to me, where real action should be focused on solving the damn problem. | |||||
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| Agent Matt | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 14:01 |
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Genuine American Monster Level: 70 CS Original | I would agree with that. Also cunts. | |||||
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| Kepp | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 15:04 |
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 Level: 5 CS Original | Just my own personal anecdote on this topic. Growing up in the Bronx, all of my friends were black and Hispanic. The word "nigger" was a regular part of our vocabulary. The word "nigger" had lost all of its pejorative connotations from our frequent non-racist usage. When I moved to NH, I had to alter my vocabulary so as to not offend people. Felt weird since NH is about 98% white. | |||||
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| Omni-Science | Posted: Apr 20, 2011 - 15:11 |
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 Ordo Ab Chao. Level: 8 CS Original | ^ I hijack what Kepp says to agree with Matt. Do as you will, prudently, and remember that no matter what you do or say, people will get pissed the fuck off at you. | |||||
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