Concept Of Hate Speech

    What Hate speech is?

    Hate speech is understood as any kind of communication in speech, writing or behavior, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender or other identity factor. This is often rooted in, and generates intolerance and hatred and, in certain contexts, can be demeaning and divisive.

    Hate speech is more than just harsh words, it can be any form of expression intended to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or class of people. It can occur offline or online or both. It can be communicated using words, symbols, images, memes, emojis and video.

    Using Derogatory words, even if the word itself is not a racial or ethical slur, can be hateful speech. Examples include using words like “animals” or “invaders” as describe immigrants; comparing people to “trash” or “garbage”; or alluring to certain groups of ethnic minorities as cockroaches or diseases, as was done in the olden days genocide.

    In general, online hate speech targets a person or group because of characteristics tied closely to their identity, like race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability status or sexual identity.

    Hate speech can harm individuals, communities and societies. Research focused on the impact of racial, ethical, religious, gendered, and LGBTQ hate speech finds that targets of hate speech can experience negative emotional, mental, and physical consequences. These can include low self-worth, anxiety, fear for their lives, and even self-harm or suicide.

    Hate speech harms our relationship with each other. It interferes with our ability to communicate with others and to empathize. Because it often relies on stereotypes and scapegoating, it negatively impacts our ability to address the root causes of social problems. Therefore, hate speech can also harm communities, even when it targets individuals.

    Difference between Hate speech and Critical speech

    Not all negative speech is hate speech. You could, for example, disagree with a religious doctrine or policy without being hateful. You could be opposed to a government whose citizens widely practice a particular religion or are from a dominant ethnic group without being hateful to that group. You could criticize customs practiced by different groups without necessarily demeaning individuals in those groups or threatening their well-being. You can certainly disagree or criticize a public official or any other person without it being hate speech. However, there are certain types of speech that cross the line, for example, it is perfectly okay to criticize the views of Jewish, African American or LGBTQ leaders, but sometimes those criticisms are framed in a way designed to imply that the criticism is based, at least in part, on their identity rather than what they say or how they act. This can be nuanced, and sometimes hard to prove, but it is an important distinction.

    Why do people Hate?

    People create hate speech for a variety of reasons. Sometimes hateful speech can reflect a person’s genuine political beliefs or distaste for a group of people. Hate speech can also be a product of lack of knowledge, experience, or reflection if the speakers come from an environment where slurs are commonplace. One example could be a person who uses a slur referring to a religious stereotype, without any personal knowledge of the beliefs of that religion or the history of discrimination toward that group. Perhaps they have a good reason to dislike specific people from that group and falsely assume that most people from that group have the same negative characteristics.

    Finally, remember that freedom of speech doesn’t mean that you can say whatever you want. Many people do not understand that freedom of speech is meant to prevent government from inappropriately suppressing critical voices, and the First Amendment does not bind tech companies – for that matter individuals – to allow all content, even if it’s legal. Even so, children need to understand that online communication is not just about what is legal, but how you communicate effectively. You can teach your children that diverse points of view are valuable, even if you don’t agree with them. Multiple points of view create strong communities. You can also emphasize to children that you don’t have to like all people, but you still need to treat all people with respect.

    Cheryl Lavya
    Cheryl Lavya

    I am a student studying in Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore. I am majoring in psychology, journalism and communicative English. I like painting, reading books, dancing, and photography.