Freedom of Speech Without Hate...Please!

Robert F. Kennedy said, "What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."

I like living in a country where if I choose, I can look at anything I wish on the Internet. One of the few things I like about the government is that they allow freedom of speech, no matter how futile and deploring you or I may find some of it. If we are spoon fed solely good things on the Internet, then when bad things come in the form of good things, we may automatically accept them. Even though extremist groups have a further reach with Internet, you shouldn't start blacklisting because a few people have questionable motives. If you start censoring and writing censorship laws for extremists, then this could lead to censoring environmentalists or anti-government sites eventually. Also some extremists have the right to be heard. Remember the black revolutionary socialist group the’Black Panthers' Some of what they said was true; aggressive at times, but true.Extremist groups like the Panthers helped to get black Americans civil rights. I think it is a simple formula. If you feel an extremist group incites hate, bigotry or revenge, no matter what its reasons are, it is probably not for you, especially if you have strong moral fibres and were educated on right and wrong. Also it is better to challenge yourself and look at the far left or far right; as well as radicalism, reactionism, fundamentalism factuism fanaticism, to see where you sit on that spectrum. 

                         Hammerskin Nation

There are naturally concerns about vulnerable people getting bamboozled and converted to these extreme ways of thinking. In some cases, especially with uneducated, young and fanatically religious, there is not much one can do to stop this. People have been tempted to do bad things for a long time and always will. Striping down and censoring the Internet could help curb some of this, but so could no violence in films, music lyrics, video games. So could banning alcohol, strict curfews and more police presence. The list goes on. In order to maintain a free society, you have to unfortunately accept some unpleasant circumstances that will arise from this. One aspect that I believe should not be tolerated is when extremist groups use deception to gain support. Such groups capable of this are; Hammerskin Nation, National Alliance, Stormfront, Aryan Nations and World Church of the Creator. Beverley Ray and George E Marsh II’s study on  Recruitment by Extremist Groups on the Internet, shows that groups can exaggerate, embellish and lie under certain societal fabrics. Some use out dated political documents, others  manipulate science and religion, there is false testimonials, propaganda, fear mongering and symbolism as well. So take yourself out of your well educated and well provided for life for a second and transform yourself into a 14 year old, poor white kid from Texas who’s Dad was killed in Iraq. This kid might be searching for a second family and an avenue to vent his frustrations and anger at the world. One of these groups might quench those frustrations. I bring this up because I don’t know any family or friends that have even come in contact with any extremism online. However, America is rife with on line extremism and hate groups. 

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center website there are “currently 1,007 known hate groups operating across the country, including neo-Nazis, Klansmen, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, black separatists, border vigilantes and others. Since 2000, the number of hate groups has increased by 67 percent. This surge has been fuelled by anger and fear over the nation’s ailing economy, an influx of non-white immigrants, and the diminishing white majority, as symbolised by the election of the nation’s first African-American president.” It seems that in some countries, inciting enough online hatred can have a domino effect. Especially when it comes to mobilising the masses. So instead of banning websites and censoring, offline legal action can take place. SPLC co-founder and chief trial counsel Morris Dees pioneered the strategy of using the courts to battle organised, violent hate groups. Since then, they have won numerous large damage awards on behalf of victims of hate group violence. These cases are funded entirely by their supporters and they accept no legal fees from their clients they represent. Among the groups shut down by crushing jury verdicts in SPLC cases are the White Aryan Resistance, the United Klan’s of America, the White Patriot Party militia and the Aryan Nations.

Looking at the the extreme right wing Australian First Party's website, it seems like they use scare tactics to hoard in followers. Words like New World Order, Chinese Imperialism, lost Australian identity and traitor classes sponsoring mass immigration, seem passionate, yet extreme. The Australia First Party has been brought into the spotlight for ideologies of violence, racism, and inciting hatred. Fight Dem Back, B'nai B'rith and many other anti-racist groups have accused the Australia First Party of being "racist", "neo Nazi", "extreme right" and of being "far right.” The Party has denied all of these accusations. Party leader Jim Salaem was formerly part of the National Socialist Party of Australia in the early 1970s. The Party are extremists and definitely have the right to be registered and heard. The term extremism is almost invariably used pejoratively, however the term may also sometimes be associated with persons who have different views which are not consistent with the existing norms. It need not necessarily imply that the person is a threat to the society or the government or any other agency. Having a group like this is a positive. It consolidates my own political views, which don’t agree with the AFP’s and we all know competition, good or bad, improves and evolves society. None of us may agree with Hitler, but if there is one thing he has shown us, his way is wrong. You need bad, to learn to be better I think.

As far as a ‘future gaze’ of the online extremism, I believe you can’t eradicate peoples’ right to portray their opinions and ideologies online. I do think that the violent, hate mongering and racist extremists should be held accountable if their online behaviour incites offline harm to civilians.  National Cohesion and Integration Commission's Act defines “hate speech as ‘that which advocates or encourages violent acts against a specific group and creates a climate of hate or prejudice, which may in turn foster the commission of hate crimes”. Some extremist websites do come very close to inciting physical and violent acts, but until you can prove that, freedom of speech will continue. The online laws cannot keep up with the speed of telecommunications, so maybe referendums are in order to analyse and perhaps regulate what is and isn’t tolerable.

Below is one of the most disgraceful organisations I have seen. The Westboro Baptist Church who picket funerals celebrating the deaths of gays and soldiers. This is the name of their website: http://www.godhatesfags.com/


                                                     One of the most famous hate groups in America

References
Ray, B & Marsh, G II, 2001, First Monday, Recruitment by Extremist Groups on the Internet’ http://www.firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/834/743

SPL Center, Hate and Extremism, http://www.splcenter.org/

Australian First Party, 2011, United Patriot Front, http://australiafirstparty.net/australia-first/united-patriotic-front/

Delvaux, L, 2013, Standard Media, Crackdown on Hatemongers online intensifies, http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000076993&story_title=Kenya-Crackdown-on-hate-mongers-online-intensifies

Images

1.  https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQy8LFy62kfacllSW2GgjNWFLGQdt-AL8wtjaO3ThyaZgRK9FxZYA

2.  http://www.hammerskins.net/images/chapters.jpg 

3.  http://images.smh.com.au/2009/07/09/625719/800returnofright.jpg

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjmg69XmJp8