Recognizing Hate Speech

[vedan]

CITIZENS OF LAZARUS.

THE DISCUSSION : "RECOGNIZING HATE SPEECH"

https://www.nslazarus.com/thread-1651.html

We would like your opinion regarding a proposal to recognize and enforce a law to end hate speech in Lazarus.

I'm weary of such a proposal tbh. While I would prefer people here in Lazarus wernt overtly Homophobic,Racist,Anti-Semetic, Anti-Southern, etcetera. I've also always been one for freedom of speech. To quote Voltaire "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". If we criminalize hate speech then we run into the problem of defining what exactly is hate speech. This will open up another can of worms that I fear could easily devolve into a witch hunt. Which could permanently change the Lazarene community for the worse.

On the other note we have already closed the doors of Lazarus to the Facists. I'm not exactly sure of the exact reason why we did that, as I was not there at the time those laws were passed. But I can only imagine that facists general support of racism, totalitarianism, and worst of all genocide was likely to blame. (Plus it was probably a good PR move.) So we do already have a precident of Lazarus outlawing some types of offensive speech/imagery already. Making some broader anti hate speech laws more of a expansion of a existing tradition than the creation of a new one.

With these two things in mind I belive I shall remain neutral on this for the time being while I think things over.