The grim irony thing about the free speech vs hate speech debate is that the second National regain power, watch all those woke activists currently demanding the state censor things realise what a mistake that is when Judith Collins is the one wielding the power.
We saw this exact dynamic play out last year when the woke screamed at Brash, Southern & Molyneux and then were left gasping when National wanted to ban Chelsea Manning from speaking barely a month later.
Of course we don’t want to promote hate speech, of course we want to protect brothers and sisters from minority communities from abuse. It sickens me to see those with little power denigrated, but be careful what we build here. Many on the Left have no problem with the idea of Jacinda welling that power, how comfortable will you be with Judith Collins using it?
Time for me to revisit dirty politics chapter 4, so I don’t forget how vile this woman is.
Tough love is needed, but the woke PC brigade will interpret anything hard and uncomfy as ‘hate’ and ‘hate speech’, as ‘racist’, ‘sexist’ and what else comes to mind.
I think there’s a huge difference between Chelsea Manning and Southern & Molyneux , however.
Manning was about state secrets that were detrimental to Americans and others in the wars they were conducting… at least to a part, and political corruption.
Southern & Molyneux , offended First Nations people in their home country, and would of Maori people here in NZ, also the Aborigine tribes of Australia. Matter of fact , – any group that wasn’t European ancestry.
I’m not sure its such a good comparison. I didn’t want Southern & Molyneux coming here because they are a negative influence on interracial harmony. We ban criminals from entering do we not ?, well ?, – incitement of racial disharmony is criminal as well , …after a fashion. You can be dragged before the courts here for that and quite a few already have.
Hate speech ,… whether subtle and implied or not so subtle ,…is basically an incitement to negative activity’s against others, which can and does lead to harm. The world is replete with racial and sectarian murders and wars.
What Manning did was a completely different kettle of fish. Far from hate speech , it was concerned with a cynical govt system that will go to all lengths to silence anyone who speaks out against it. Which also leads on to journalism and the journalist’s right to not have to disclose their sources.
One is championing an open society , – the other is simply causing strife, potential harm in all its forms to others, and an undemocratic anti human rights inequality.
In the case of Judith Collins, – I suspect she would be against the former and quietly for the latter.
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