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Hate: weaponizing a word to shut people up

All decaying civilizations have a decaying language

Some call the changes an “evolving” thing or a “living language” but when all the changes produce ambiguous misunderstandings or emotional reactions rather than analytical ones, it’s obvious the abuse of words is just degradation for political gain, not progress. Civil behavior is what makes civilizations. Any barbarian can rant with indignation.

When words are exploited we lose meaningful tools.

It’s about free speech

One word has become a favourite weapon to silence people and stop discussions. Hate.

Pat Condell reminds us that “hate” is a powerful word, the darkest emotion, an extreme word — but it’s misused and abused now for any old reason, but only in a selective way.

The word hate is thrown like a verbal frisbee — tossed like verbal acid — every unwelcome remark, and unpleasant truth is “hate”. If you vote for the wrong candidate, you are voting for “hate”. And now this extreme word has been crowbarred into the law. 

You can be arrested if you say something that may causing alarm and distress to people who are determined to be alarmed and distressed by your free speech. But if the suppression of your birthright causes you alarm and distress, you won’t see anyone arrested for that.  

Being offensive and mocking is not “hate”. It’s just a word but it is wielded like a baseball bat.

He makes a great defense for free speech.

h/t Bill in AZ

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