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I can’t help but feel free speech absolutists are the same species as economists, all believing that every human is a rational actor with perfect information.
by manicdee 6y ago
I can’t help but feel free speech absolutists are the same species as economists, all believing that every human is a rational actor with perfect information.
The Orion Welles “War of the Worlds” recital should feature more in the discussion of the ethics of free speech, along with study of propaganda and the predisposition of humans to believe the first version of a story they hear.
Holocaust denial does hurt people, just because you don’t see the harm being done doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Typically what happens is one person with a public position denying the Holocaust happened empowers their audience to engage in anti-Semitic behaviour, which ultimate devolves to abuse of semites (typically Jews more than arabs).
As an example of how unlike the rational actor with perfect information most humans are, just one newspaper report here in Australia regarding two POC violating quarantine has friends who are also POC starting a petition wanting the quarantine violators thrown in jail — no regard for the rich white COVID-positive couple who returned from Aspen Colorado and hosted multiple dinner parties while in “quarantine.”
Some folks are so focussed on their perceived rights they have no time o pay attention to social obligations such as duty of care.
- toomuchtodo 6y agoIt’s your duty as a human being to be a well-adjusted person emotionally and to develop emotional fortitude along your life journey. You have no right to not have your feelings hurt.
- ceejayoz 6y agoIn the real world, we encounter folks who aren't "well-adjusted". Society winds up having to decide how to deal with them.
- manicdee 6y agoCool story bro. Meanwhile in the real world we are not all born psychopaths with the privilege of only working with people like us who like us. In addition we live in the same world where “only following orders” is still a thing: so one person’s public suggestion that you are not a nice person is someone else’s call to action to punish you for being you. Accusations that a woman used sexual favours to get better reviews for a computer game led to complete strangers turning up on her doorstep threatening violence. Words aren’t just words. What people are scared of isn’t just the words but the retribution they have learned follows those words as surely as night follows day.
- UncleMeat 6y agoIt’s not people’s feelings I’m worried about. Blood libel led directly to the murder of a ton of Jewish people. Neonazi movements actively promote mass violence against Jewish people. There have been mass shootings at synagogues in very recent memory. “Just be an emotionless robot” misunderstands the complaint completely.
- unity1001 6y agoYeah. He should develop his feelings, and just take revenge on those who engage in hostilities against him thanks to such sociopathic hate speech being allowed and defended. That is totally within the freedoms he has. ... Good god... Seen from the rest of the developed world, such delirious propositions as the ones you (apparently) American conservatives make are really beyond explanation. Whats even worse is that you have no freaking idea that such hate speech and hateful environment never stays in a state of 'only words'. Go Google anti semitic hate crime statistics.