Thoughts on Hate and "Hate Speech" — Conclusion & Afterthoughts

[NOTE: This concludes the series on hate and "hate speech". We might re-touch on it in the future; given how much hate is being spewed by race-mongers and talking heads, I'm sure there will be more to discuss, and probably sooner rather than later. As always, comments and tips are welcome.]

Wow. What a ride, huh?

Let's do a quick recap, and then sum up.


Part 1 presented a quick overview of the events in Garland, Texas, on May 3, and demonstrated that not only is the mainstream media trying to blame event organizer Pamela Geller for her own attempted murder, they are ironically attacking her First Amendment rights of free speech, free assembly, and free association — the very rights that ensure their own ability to do business — and butchering the English language in the process. In addition, we discussed the particular brand of courage Ms. Geller is showing in the face of open death threats from even "Western" religious zealots.

In Part 2, we focused on the concept of hate itself. Through some philosophical and Biblical study, we found that hate is not necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself; some concepts are so despicable, they are worth hating. Scripture tells that the Lord Himself hates some things His people do, but His love is perfect. The key is that fine line between hating actions and hating people — the former is acceptable, even godly, but the latter is neither — and concluded that indifference is a far greater issue than hate.

And in Part 3, we went over the free speech implications of "hate speech"; i.e. the "speech" part. We drilled into the (widely) varied definitions of "hate speech", explored their flaws, and found that a key word — intent — is missing from most of them. I still believe that the Garland, Texas, "Draw Mohammed" contest (and any art produced therein) was not, in fact, "hate speech", but it doesn't matter: even if it were, it'd be protected by the First Amendment, and even if it were not protected, it's still not a reason to commit murder. And I still believe in the free market of ideas, that the answer to so-called "hate speech" is more speech to counter it, and that it is better to know what kinds of terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad ideas are floating around so we can better prepare for them.

I've found a couple other articles that touch on these concepts. I'll mostly be presenting a few quotes and links.

First, this from an article by Robert Ringer re-posted at Lew Rockwell, "On Demanding Dignity" (hat tip: Claire Wolfe):

[W]hereas civility has to do with how you treat others, dignity has to do with how you treat yourself. Sorry, activist sociopaths, but you don’t have a right to be treated with dignity. You do, however, have a right to possess dignity.

Demanding dignity from others is the ultimate self-delusion. If being treated with dignity is genuinely important to you, the most efficient way to bring that about is to act in dignified ways. And, happily, that’s something over which you have complete control. [emphasis in original]

An excellent observation! One can demand dignity and respect, but will rarely get very far; those who command dignity and respect have earned it. If you want to be respected, act respectably.

I like to paraphrase the movie Shrek in discussions like this: "Donkey, you have the right to [insert contextual example]. What you lack is the capacity." In the original, it's the right to remain silent (Donkey doesn't ever stop talking), but it applies equally to the so-called "right" to not be offended or to not be insulted (remember the Cult of the Perpetually Outraged™?), the "right" to feel safe, the "right" to seek higher education, or the "right" to be employed or hold a job.

Despite what the Social Justice Warrior™ crowd might demand, there is no "right" to not be hated, but not acting hatefully will do wonders toward the desired end goal of not being hated, if they can find the capacity within themselves.

Second, the seven things the Lord hates, as put forth in Proverbs 6:16-19, are just a start. Here's a list of "At Least 43 Things God Hates"*. There's quite a bit on there, but it all follows the same theme: God hates the sin people hold in their hearts and the actions that result from it, but He loves all His people, saints and sinners alike.

I'll close this up with a few quotes on hate and hatred, in no particular order (pulled from here and here, respectively**; there's plenty more):

• Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters: "When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves."
• Maya Angelou: "Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet."
• James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time: "I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."
• Booker T. Washington: "I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him."

Thank you all for sticking with me through this. Stay safe.
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* - Don't read too much into #8-12, or #41 (and possibly others). The Biblical context for #8-12 addresses the practices, not the people, and God is admonishing His people to keep the practitioners of these acts out of their nation; they were and are welcome join God's nation at any time, once they've given up their "abominable practices". #41 — Esau — also misses something: the verses provided could say "rejected" instead of "hated" (just as the preceding phrase could read "I chose Jacob" instead of "I loved Jacob"), depending on which Bible version/translation you read. This is why context is important, and so are research and fact-checking.
** - Why GoodReads has two separate tags/categories for "hate" and "hatred" is beyond me.