The fact that teaching that homosexual acts are sinful from a pulpit is chategorized as hate speech in places like Canada is a disquieting thought.
As i understand it, that's only one possible interpretation of the law there against hate speech, not one that (AFAIK) has actually been implemented.
That expressing an opinion can be criminalized is a very, very troubling thought to me.
I'm not a huge fan of authoritarian solutions either, because inevitably any edifice we create to solve this problem will become a problem in itself. There is much potential for abuse when legal restrictions are enacted.
The ultimate solution is to teach people to be compassionate, considerate, and respectful of one another. But people who are being beaten, harassed, and discriminated against cannot afford to wait for the great utopian society to come about. We need to protect ourselves.
We should be able to say whatever we want.
Ideally, yes, we should. Ideally, hateful statements would not have fertile ground in which to take root.
If the law is the only thing that keeps us civil, then our society is pretty far gone already.
no subject
As i understand it, that's only one possible interpretation of the law there against hate speech, not one that (AFAIK) has actually been implemented.
That expressing an opinion can be criminalized is a very, very troubling thought to me.
I'm not a huge fan of authoritarian solutions either, because inevitably any edifice we create to solve this problem will become a problem in itself. There is much potential for abuse when legal restrictions are enacted.
The ultimate solution is to teach people to be compassionate, considerate, and respectful of one another. But people who are being beaten, harassed, and discriminated against cannot afford to wait for the great utopian society to come about. We need to protect ourselves.
We should be able to say whatever we want.
Ideally, yes, we should. Ideally, hateful statements would not have fertile ground in which to take root.
If the law is the only thing that keeps us civil, then our society is pretty far gone already.
YES, our society is very far gone.