What is hate, and what is free?

[hyphenate]

I've been talking to someone recently about this subject, and I have come to a point in my mind as to what is considered free speech, and what is considered hate speech.

All of us in the US have long been indoctrinated into the rights citizens have in the country, especially when it comes to freedom of speech and religion, and any other form of communication we have the right to enjoy without fear of reprisal. It's one of the perks to being an American, I think, but one which has recently been compromised by people spreading hatred through their "freedom of speech" rights, to a point where intolerance is becoming bred into the system, and there must be a way to stop it.

I am fully aware of one venue of speech which causes panic--the "crying fire in a movie theatre"--which can get a person jail time and all that other fun stuff. But what I am writing about is pure, unadulterated vitriol aimed at another element of society, which can be classified only as hatred at the top levels.

We've seen it in action: Fred Phelps calling everyone fags and protesting at many funerals of deceased service members. This current attack on Islam by the small church in Florida happening this weekend, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell's comments on 9-12-2001, and other such stories where one group directly attacks another group with nothing other than pure hatred in their minds.

Whether this is simply becoming more noticeable because our mass media has the capacity to point this stuff out more, or if people really are becoming more prejudiced, I don't know. But the beast of hatred is not doing any of us any good, either mentally or spiritually.

The common theme I see in all of these attacks is lack of respect for others. On one hand, you have people who believe they are simply superior to others, and on the other hand, you have people who....feel the same way. Neither of these groups, or any other group out there, is willing to come to grasp that ALL people are equal, not just their own little group.

It's very difficult for many people nowadays to express any kind of respect for the opinions and lifestyles of others, and who smugly attack anyone who doesn't share their views.

In the minds of the petty, these are some of the inequities they firmly believe in, and are loathe to concede any number of conciliations between their very black and white worlds (and lest anyone think these are my opinions, thy are not):

whites are better than blacks
christians are better than non-theists, muslims, or any other belief system
men are still better than women
americans are better than a member of any other country in the world
"common folk" are better than those with higher educations
repubs are better than liberals
straight people are better than gays
violence is better than sex

(The last one, BTW, is my own pet peeve. Violence in film and TV is flaunted while sex is suppressed, you can see violence in one form or another without complaint, but one exposed breast creates shock and awe.)


Is there any wonder why there is so much hatred, vitriol and vicious attacks (in one form or another) in the US? There is a sharp division between those who embrace diversity, and those who believe that only they can get away with anything, and the others who believe--and rightly so in some instances--that they are being persecuted.

It's been no secret--not even in the tiniest amount--that if you aren't a "christian" in this country, that all you can expect is the continued harassment of the religious right. It's a reality that is very difficult to ignore. And they have become a force to be reckoned with, as they have taken over the republican wing of politics without any real protest.

But the truth is boring--if everyone respected everyone else, what would motivate advancement? These people seem to think that we can't go forward without stepping backward into conflict.

Temper tantrums are okay if you're 12, but very ugly when you're supposed to be an adult, especially when you're supposed to be a cleric. But the world really has turned upside down when church leaders embrace hatred and intolerance, and it is the outsiders who sensibly preach goodwill.

Can respect for others be reclaimed by those of us who want to end hostilities? Or are we, like these hateful others, just as guilty of the same hubris? It isn't easy to be completely inclusive, and it's a road not many have traveled. But respect and magnanimity are definitely needed in order to make this world whole again, and it's not something I can see any of us embracing anytime soon.