What happened to the Dasa thread?

Originally posted by FMF
How has the "traction" been then?

Since page 4? The thread is too voluminous to look through.

Originally posted by SwissGambit
I disagree! There are no real Atheists. Those who claim to be Atheists are just running from God because they hate him. Therefore, anything they say about him is Hate Speech and should be removed. The actual intent of the 'hater' is irrelevant - we should go exclusively by how offended I am.

robbie has cited you as saying that being "overtly critical" is "hate speech". Doesn't such a broad 'definition' simply allow legitimate differences of opinion to be dismissed [or even denounced] as "hate"?

Originally posted by FMF
robbie has cited you as saying that being "overtly critical" is "hate speech". Doesn't such a broad 'definition' simply allow legitimate differences of opinion to be dismissed [or even denounced] as "hate"?

The citation is not fully accurate. I think the word I used was 'overly' and not 'overtly'. And it is not that overly critical speech is necessarily hate speech, but it can become such if you offend the wrong person (or group).

"Hate speech" is a vague concept that can be used by an offended party to censor many forms of 'offensive' speech, if they are willing to cry about it loudly enough. Yes, I am concerned that a broad definition of 'hate speech' may lead to excessive censorship in general, even of (formerly) legitimate differences of opinion.

The other funny thing about 'hate' speech: hating individuals seems to be OK in most cases, but sometimes hating the group that they are in is what gets you labeled a 'hater'.

Maybe an experiment would be fun. Here is a series of statements. Which ones are 'hate speech' and which are not?

I hate Sarah Palin.
I hate politicians.
I hate stupid people.
I hate stupid politicians.
I hate ignorant people.
I hate ignorant hillbillies.
I hate stupid, ignorant hillbillies.
I hate stupid, ignorant hillbillies from Wasilla who spend all the Republicans' money on shopping sprees.
I hate stupid, ignorant, Wasilla hillbillies who disgrace the country by running for vice president and not knowing what the vice president actually does.
And then quit their job for a self-promoting book deal/tour! God, I hate that!

Examples are purely hypothetical, of course. 😉