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Is there any proof of any significant number of people justifying violence towards the Chinese because of the lab leak theory? It takes many logical leaps. Fir
by clnq 4y ago
Is there any proof of any significant number of people justifying violence towards the Chinese because of the lab leak theory?
It takes many logical leaps. First, one has to believe the lab leak happened, which we can’t say with certainty — there is a lot of circumstantial and weak evidence on both sides, it is very speculative. Secondly, one would need to believe there is culpability (it was not an accident). Thirdly, one would have to believe that all Chinese are collectively culpable, which alone is pretty ridiculous. And one more logical leap is necessary to agree that random violence would constitute appropriate justice (people generally feel that even when criminals are unduly murdered, this does not make things equitable for the harmed party).
These leaps already require a very radicalized audience. I don’t believe this will work to radicalize a substantial number of people.
And even putting all of that aside, calls for violence are outside social norms and considered hate speech. The problem is not discussing the lab leak theory, it’s doing so outside the social norms. If we say that lab leak discussion is hate speech, that is simply incorrect.
- kgwxd 4y agoI know what I saw in my own friends and family, and I know what I saw in people online, and I know what was portrayed in the right-winged media. Granted, most would not partake in violence themselves but they sure as hell wrote it off when it happened. They'd just deflect discussion towards Fauci's possible involvement. Who said all lab leak discussion should be classified as hate speech? I'm positive people said it was being presented by certain people with the intent to invoke hate and violence, but I doubt anyone with any credibility said all discussion of a lab leak should be classified as hate speech. Edit: To be clear, by "anyone with any credibility" I did not mean to imply including anyone in the government, on either side. There's not much credibility to be found there.
- clnq 4y agoOne of the commenters higher up in the chain expressed a sentiment that classifying the lab theory as misinformation or hate speech silences the discussion. I agree and argue that we should not go as far as to label the topic as such and dismiss it. Not because the lab leak theory is particularly credible, but because dismissing ideas is harmful to society in my opinion. As for your experience with people dismissing violence towards the Chinese due to these ideas, I can understand how that would happen. But I still don’t believe significant violence was caused.