What Exactly is Hate Speech Anyways?

By now, I’m assuming everyone has heard that Patreon has banned several prominent YouTubers, including Sargon of Akkad. The reason? Well, as author Raymond Wong, writing for Mashable, puts it, Sargon is “a scumbag human” (Wong, 2018, para. 2). Interesting that Wong used this terminology for Sargon since he opened his article saying that the ban was against “alt-right and far right content creators” (para. 1). Being as charitable as possible to those that want to characterize Sargon as far right, one could call Sargon a centrist.

At the end of the day, Patreon is a private corporation, and they are free to operate their service as they see fit. However, it’s clear that this censorship is nothing more than Patreon taking a stand against particular individuals that they don’t like. The only explanation Patreon gave for Sargon’s ban is that he violated their guidelines against “hate speech” (Gilbert, 2018, para. 11).

I’ll never cease to be baffled by people who try to argue for the censorship of commentators based on so-called hate speech. No one ever seems to have a clear definition of what constitutes hate speech. Some people say that it is speech that calls for violence against others. However, under this definition, simply claiming that there are only two genders isn’t hate speech. Right?

Well, it’s not calling for violence necessarily. It’s speech that may incite violence against others even if violence is never explicitly called for. But that would mean that Maxine Waters calling for Democrats to harass any and all conservatives that they meet is hate speech. Right?

At the end of the day, hate speech always means nothing more than speech that disagrees with mainstream progressive speech, no matter how respectfully and peacefully stated. People on the political left only believe in one fundamental right, and that is the right to agree with them. Dissension cannot be allowed and must be silenced, even if it means interfering with the right of Sargon’s fans to voluntarily exchange their money for his videos and other content.

Isn’t it rather hateful for people like Raymond Wong to call Sargon a scumbag human? It certainly can’t be any less hateful than using slurs that are deemed racial or homophobic by the left. However, Mr. Wong thinks his statements about Sargon are perfectly acceptable. He finishes his article by praising Patreon for their actions, saying that it is an important step in stopping people like Sargon from advancing their “phony bullshit” (Wong, 2018, para. 12).

Well Mr. Wong, I happen to think that your position is phony bullshit. However, I will never advocate that you be forcibly silenced or that you be cut off from your primary source of income just for expressing opinions which I disagree with. Rather, I think it is far simpler to explain why your ideas are so idiotic. I find it telling that people on your side prefer censorship.

Using an ambiguous term like hate speech to justify censorship is yet another example of just how little confidence leftists have in the strength of their ideas. Like all statists, they refuse to explain why they have the right to censor content that disagrees with them, but their opponents do not have the right to do the same. This is not about hate, violence, or anything else. It is about progressives using a mob mentality to consolidate their government power over every sector of life.

For those of you who may think that Patreon’s actions are evidence that state intervention is needed on the internet, think again. That’s exactly what the progressives want you to conclude. I’ve already written about that here, but what’s important to note is that a competitor to Patreon has since risen up in SubscribeStar. I’ve created an account there and would appreciate your support if you’re able.

I’ll never advocate that private companies be prevented from banning users for stupid reasons. However, I will continue to point out that their reasons are inconsistent and stupid. The beauty of the free market is that competition will always ensure that a new platform rises up to accommodate demand. It’s why the left wants to do away with the free market in favor of government.

And that is my 2 cents. Take it for what it’s worth.

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Citations:

Gilbert, D. (2018, December 07). Crowdfunding site Patreon is purging far-right figures. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/qvqeev/crowdfunding-site-patreon-is-purging-far-right-figures

Wong, R. (2018, December 08). Patreon bans alt-right content creators from earning money on its platform. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from https://mashable.com/article/patreon-bans-milo-yiannopoulos-alt-right-creators/#r5xeO8Kmyiqa

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