Hate+Speech

​ Hate Speech =Definition: =

[|Hate speech] is that which offends, threatens, or insults groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or a number of other traits =What's the Lure of Hate Speech Online? =

Hate Speech is not new. The internet has given this age-old issue a new, far reaching, easy to access, child-friendly face. People who engage in Hate Speech utilize the internet because:

1. **Anonymity:** People feel that they can say anything when the reader doesn't know who, or where you are. 2. ** Larger Audience :** The internet can reach far more people than an a flyer, a poster, or a person handing out pamphlets. 3. ** Education & Recruitment :** A major goal of any hate organization is to seek more members, especially younger influential students to create their "army of hate". Younger people easily mistake a groups "beliefs as truths" and are mislead into joining or believing the hate groups message. 4. **Cost Effective:** The creation of a website can cost very little, whereas printing literature to pass out becomes very expensive. Goods can be sold online in their "giftshops" to gain funds for their cause, and to offset internet usage charges.

**__How has the use of technology impacted Hate Speech?__** Listen to this Podcast of Danah Boyd in "Voices on Antisemitism", from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Can YOUR child be victimized by Hate Speech? Hate speech can be found anywhere the written word is. Hate Speech can turn up in many places:
 * Chatrooms
 * Email
 * Instant Messages
 * Text Messages
 * World Wide Web
 * [|Social Networking Sites & Blogs]

Many hate groups have become experts in creating hate sites that seem reputable. These websites aim to draw in impressionable children, hoping to recruit more members and incite hatred against the "enemy". Examples of Hate Sites aimed at children are: <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">[] [] <span style="background-color: #e5debd; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">** You can't keep Hate Speech off the internet, but you can try to keep it off your computer screen. ** <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Free speech is a right of all Americans, granted by the United States Government. Where's the loophole? Website providers and businesses can choose what information they would like to present to you, because they own the site. Here are your allies in the fight against Hate Speech:


 * ISP Providers: ** Ask them to remove a site that you find offensive. Many providers don't want to be associated with such negative material, especially if the content could be mistaken for Hate Crime.


 * [|Filtering Software:] ** Many schools, businesses and private homes utilize filtering software. Although filtering software may not catch everything, a good portion of the websites containing hate speech content will be removed from sight. ADL offers "Hatefilter", which blocks websites containing hate content.

<span style="background-color: #d15252; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 130%; text-align: center;">**Are there Hate Speech laws?** Am I protected? <span style="background-color: #e5debd; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">[|1st Amendment to the United States Constitution] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. <span style="background-color: #e5debd; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">** Hate Speech vs. Hate Crime ** <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The U.S. Constitution protects ALL speech, even if we find it offensive. People have the right to speak, write, or post their thoughts on paper, books, magazines, radio, television, and any other media you can think of - including the Internet. Free speech is only free if we can speak without boundaries, without hesitation. However, if speech becomes threatening, and made with an intent to harm another individual, the boundary has been crossed into Hate Crime. Hate Crime is punishable by law. **<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">[|Hate Speech: Is it Constitutional?] **<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> It is very unlikely that any laws will be passed regarding Hate Speech. The very nature of any bill restricting any particular group of individuals right to free speech is unconstitutional. This is true in most countries that hold free speech in high regard.

<span style="background-color: #e5debd; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">**Should we make laws against Hate Speech?** <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Christopher Wolf from the ADH (Anti-Defamation League) believes that Hate Speech Laws may not be the answer for the Internet. [|Click to find out why.] //"The borderless nature of the Internet means that, like chasing cockroaches, squashing one does not solve the problem when there are many more waiting behind the walls – or across the border."// [|//Christopher Wolf, ADL Internet Task Force Chair, 2006] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but name calling may also kill me." Joe Torres, New America News. The FCC is asked to investigate the link between the increase in Hate Speech and Hate Crime. [|Click here to read the article.] <span style="background-color: #dc656a; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">** Tips for Kids ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; text-align: center;">What to do when what you're reading doesn't feel right. Find a copy of these tips at [|PartnersAgainstHate.org] <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">1. If you encounter hate online, notify someone immediately. 2. Do not give out identifying information. 3. Keep your passwords a secret. 4. Log off and discuss concerns if an online experience makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. 5. Seek out reliable sources of online information. 6. Do not respond in any way to online messages that communicate hate. 7. Use critical thinking skills to determine reliability of online information. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> If a website looks suspicious, go elsewhere for information. 8. Know who is sponsoring the websites that you visit. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Clicking on "home" or "about us" can tell you this information. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;"> <span style="background-color: #e5f3c3; color: #007000; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace; font-size: 99%; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">At our Online Behavior Forum<span class="wiki_link_new">, you can share your own experiences or pose questions for others to consider.