The Phenomenon of Hate Speech: Understanding & Counteracting it

by Jasmine Burton

  What is hate?

Is it pure negativity or is there a reason to appreciate it?

Is it only intolerance and dislike or is it natural,

a part of humanity that we should embrace?

How can we love and not hate-are they so different or are they a coin with two faces?

These questions represent the multidimensionality and the complexity of hate,

which breeds a complicated phenomenon-hate speech.

Dr. Piotr Toczyski, a sociologist by trait, started off the day

by making a linguistic change

‘Hate speech’ should instead be called ‘hate rhetoric’

because speech is unplanned

whereas rhetoric stamps

discrediting characteristics to groups of people

making stereotypes form

and discrimination a norm.

‘Hate rhetoric’ is the appropriate term.

With that defined,

the question of the “speech spectrum” arises.

Freedom of speech is a basic democratic right.

But when does that right turn into a wrong?
Swastikas graffitied on buildings

and racial slurs in songs,

send strong messages

to minorities

and, in fact, to all of society

that it is not okay to be different-

that in order to thrive, you must strive

to be the same.

This gives the superiority to the majority.

Discrimination,

a perpetuated cultural sensation,

a demeaning and hate-filled fascination.

But is that their creative right to express their ideologies?
Even if they claim the use of ironies

to evoke a collective response from society?

There exists a “speech spectrum” between freedom of speech and hate rhetoric

When one persons’ freedom of speech threatens another persons right to life-something must be done.

The culminating question is 

Who and what can counteract hate rhetoric? 

We then heard from Dr. Hanna Machińska from the Council of Europe

Here we learned about the European Convention on Human Rights,

which recommends that member states shed light

on the importance of combating hate speech or rhetoric.

But alas,

the definition of ‘hate rhetoric’ needs to be rebranded and fast

because there is no universally accepted definition of these terms.

The European Convention on Human Rights strives for equal dignity

for all human  beings,

and “hate speech/rhetoric” seems

straight forward.
Although, we know that it is not.

Jan Dąbkowski, the last speaker of the day,

came to inspire us to stand together and say

“I am against hate speech”

as apart of the No Hate Speech Coalition & Movement.

With the bordless nature of the World Wide Web,

it is easier for people to pretend

to be someone that they are not.

While spreading their ideologies,

many people seemingly forget that despite anonymity,

personal attacks on and offline harms

the mental health of society

especially,

if this hate rhetoric calls for action against a particular group or person.

The Internet is everybody’s and nobody’s place,

so when haters attack other people’s

religion, sexual orientation, culture, or race

and as related suicides increase at a rapid pace,

it is our collective duty and place,

as a global civil society, to take a stand.

Together we can be against hate speech.

Together we can mobilize humanity to take action.