Re: OT: My New Bumper Sticker

"memiki" <memiki@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1151179104.049843.96580@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Peter D wrote:
I think it's valid to say that they are promoting natred if a talk show
promotes an extreme view of an identifiable group that disparages them or
characterisies them in such a negative light that it can cause others to
use
that characterisation as a starting point for violence towards them. You
may
not hate whenyou hear them because you are a reasonable and decent
person.
Unfortunately not all listeners are. And the power of propganda is such
that
it's not the decent and reasonable people that are sought by the
"haters".
It's the "mindless masses". One can easily point to the experience of
Germany and parts of Europe during the years leading up to WW2. Add to
that
the historical fact that when a mass of people are experiencing hard
times
or disruption in their expectations they seek to find a source of the
fault.
That's where the "hate-mongers" come into their own.

It's not a really big problem in Canada because the CRTC (cotnrols radio
and
TV) specifically prohibits such "talk shows". And we have specific laws
that
criminalise behaviour that promotes hatred towards an identifiable group.
The problem is that I'd rather they be countered than silenced. I still
believe that appealing to the good and reasonableness (and reason) of
people
is the best way to counter the haters. And there is also the difficulty
of
free speech.

One of the troubling aspects of Canadian "hate laws" is the way it which
they can be used to silence unpopular opinion. For example, there have
cases
where the threat of prosecution has stopped people form speaking out
against
Israel's treatment of the Palestinians (it's "anti-semitic" to disagree
with
Israel), but a Canada-wide screeening of a documentary" which protrays
Muslims as anti-Jewish and anti-West terrorist fundamentals is deemed to
be
"informational". Yet in some places the screenings have been followed by
attacks on Muslims and their Temples. The Muslim community as a whole --
especially the moderates -- have stated that they regard the screenings
as
inciteful and extremely biased. I know that a similar "documentary"
portraying Zionists as anti-Arab would be regarded as "promoting hatred".
That seems fundamentally unfair.

PeterD -- I find your post very interesting and am surprised re the
"controls". There are controls here, too, but one has to look long and
hard to find them.

Here's a link to Canada's "hate laws":
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/c-46/267514.html
A criminal arrest/prosecution does require some pretty strong language and
promotion, but my concern is that it punished thought, ideas, and the
vocalisatiion of the same (expression). That runs slightly foul of my
beliefs regarding Freedom of Speech.If you like it's "Freedom of Most
Speech". Not that I favour the promotion of genocide or hatred,more that I
tend to choose to err onthe side of free speech.

It's a difficult balancing act because it leaves it to the prosecutors and
ultimately the Courts to decide where "free speech/expression" ends and
"incitement to hatred" begins. Prosecutors tend to be influenced by public
opinion and Courts tend to be conservative and less likely to err in favour
of individual rights - though Canada has a Charter of Rights and Freedoms
(http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/index.html) that reads very similarly
to the US Constitution and Bill of Rights, we have a history of choosing
"society's good" over "individual good" when the two are in conflict whereas
the US has a history of choosing the opposite, a stronger commitment to
individuality if you like.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT: My New Bumper Sticker
    ... promotes an extreme view of an identifiable group that disparages them or ... characterisies them in such a negative light that it can cause others to use ... criminalise behaviour that promotes hatred towards an identifiable group. ... believe that appealing to the good and reasonableness of people ...
    (rec.arts.dance)
  • Re: OT: My New Bumper Sticker
    ... promotes an extreme view of an identifiable group that disparages them or ... characterisies them in such a negative light that it can cause others to use ... criminalise behaviour that promotes hatred towards an identifiable group. ... believe that appealing to the good and reasonableness of people ...
    (rec.arts.dance)