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So let me get this straight: Implying that someone holds a racist ideology: unacceptable ad-homenim. Actually holding a racist ideology: just fine, or at leas

• repolfx 8y ago
  You got it: that's exactly correct. Implying someone is racist when they've not said anything racist is unacceptable ad-hominem. I think any civilised person can agree on that. And the second part is also correct. You can't stop people holding "racist ideologies" without censoring free thought, which short of Black Mirror style sci-fi machines is impossible. But even if such technology did exist you can't even define what "racist ideology" actually means with any level of consensus of precision. You're so far from even being able to think about doing anything here, that even attempting is worthless and will cause vast collateral damage. Therefore the correct solution is to do nothing.
  • lukev 8y ago
    This is fascinating. What other things fall into this intriguing category, where doing a Very Bad Thing is ok, but observing that someone seems to be in favor of a Very Bad Thing is downright terrible? And how is a society to defend itself against Very Bad Things, when it's worse to talk about than to actually do? The only reason I can think of why someone might hold such a logically contorted position, actually, is if they actually think Very Bad Thing isn't that bad a thing at all, but won't come right out and say so.