If you haven’t seen this video, give it 3 minutes and see what you think.
Yeah it has over 4 million views but what astounded me were some of the hater comments.
Here’s a reasonable negative comment:
Sure there are more than 21,000 likes and about 346 dislikes and probably tons of comments that have been flagged and/or taken down. Isn’t there a difference between free speech and hate speech? There will be those that hide behind their keyboards flexing their anonymous internet muscles, but I’d highly doubt they’d spread their hate in person.
This is one issue I’m sure The Honey Badger would should give a shit about.
What do you think? Is it free speech or hate speech? Your turn.
~Mike
Tags: free speech, gay issues, hate speech, Honey Badger, LGBT, Mike LaMonica, Mike LaMonica's blog, narration by Randall, The Crazy Nasty Ass Honey Badger
April 9, 2011 at 11:37 am |
The line between hate speech and offensive speech can be tough to mark. Personally, I mark it with calls to action. If you don’t like the video — which I freaking love, incidentally — and you comment that you don’t like it, big deal. If you point out that you don’t like it because the narrator sounds effeminate, that’s an opinion; if you use homophobic slurs then it becomes offensive, but still isn’t hate speech. If you expand your comments to suggest that someone needs to sic a honey badger on the narrator and everyone else like him, then you’ve moved into hate speech.
However, the courts are still fairly divided over this issue, with some feeling that speech which creates a toxic environment is de facto hate speech, even without a direct call to action. I am not a lawyer, obviously, so I’ll leave those decisions to the professionals.
April 12, 2011 at 9:34 am |
Hi MK-
Perhaps I should have added a third option…toxic speech. I’m not a lawyer either, but I don’t really care about the legal definition and/or what has the cops showing up at the door.
If it was an Hispanic accent and people left spic slur comments, it that hate speech? How about hymie comments a la Jessie Jackson? Legally hate speech? Not as of now…hateful and toxic? Yes. Thanks MK and sorry for the slow response. My best to you.
~Mike
April 7, 2011 at 8:51 pm |
Yawn.
April 7, 2011 at 9:26 pm |
Dean-
Comment=funnier than the video. Thanks.
~Mike