{"id":86,"date":"2020-07-13T20:06:55","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T20:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-publicspeaking\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=86"},"modified":"2022-07-26T16:21:57","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T16:21:57","slug":"hate-speech","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-publicspeaking\/chapter\/hate-speech\/","title":{"raw":"Hate Speech","rendered":"Hate Speech"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the importance of avoiding hate speech.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nHate speech of any kind is never acceptable in public communications. <em>Hate speech<\/em>\u00a0is defined by the U.N. as \"any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.\" [footnote]United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. 2019.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/documents\/UN%20Strategy%20and%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Hate%20Speech%2018%20June%20SYNOPSIS.pdf\">https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/documents\/UN%20Strategy%20and%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Hate%20Speech%2018%20June%20SYNOPSIS.pdf<\/a>[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nAlthough we can all imagine examples of what we would consider hate speech, the term is notoriously difficult to define. Nonetheless, such definitions are extremely important\u2014especially in a world where globally public speech is available to anyone with an internet connection. For social media platforms, for instance, the problem of differentiating hate speech from other forms of expression is a constant, high-stakes ethical and political dilemma. After all, these companies have pledged to quickly remove instances of hate speech from their platforms\u2014but what should they remove? Here's how three major social media companies define hate speech:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook: \"We define hate speech as a direct attack on people based on what we call protected characteristics \u2014 race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability.\"<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Twitter: \"You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. We also do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.\"<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube: \"Hate speech is not allowed on YouTube. We remove content promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes: Age, Caste, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender Identity and Expression, Nationality, Race, Immigration Status, Religion, Sex\/Gender, Sexual Orientation, Victims of a major violent event and their kin, Veteran Status.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn short, definitions of hate speech vary, but all share a particular focus on attacks against <strong>protected characteristics<\/strong>, which is a legal term in U.S. law. <em>Protected characteristics<\/em>\u00a0are attributes protected by U.S. Federal Anti-Discrimination Law, including race, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, pregnancy, familial status, disability status, and veteran status.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">Unfortunately, it's all too easy to imagine a list of racial epithets, ethnic slurs, sexist or homophobic language, and denigrating descriptions of people's bodies and abilities; we don't need to include a list of hateful terms here.<\/span>\r\n\r\nOne important distinction to note is the difference\u2014in definition, at least\u2014between hate speech and expressions of hostility toward groups that are not protected classes by law, such as members of certain professions or affiliation groups. Blanket pejorative statements like \"all politicians are liars\" or \"Democrats\/Republicans are fools\" are probably unfair and unethical in a public speaking situation, but negativity is not the same as hate speech. The previous example of social media illustrates why this is an important concept: one might see all kinds of vitriolic screeds on social media against protesters or police,\u00a0conservatives or liberals, meat-eaters or vegans, \"anti-vaxxers\" or \"treehuggers,\" or \"flat-earthers.\" Even if the language is malicious and cruel, it probably does not meet the definition of hate speech, and may be allowed on the platform. Where is the line? It's a very tough call. In general, blanket statements condemning an entire group of people\u2014even an affiliation by choice, such as \"activists,\" \"gamers,\" or \"preppers\"\u2014should be avoided in public speaking. Hate speech, however, is <em>never<\/em> acceptable, and can carry severe consequences. Remember, free speech is not speech without consequences.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>To watch<\/h3>\r\nIn this short video,\u00a0Adama Dieng, the United Nations special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, shows the high stakes of hate speech with the stark argument that words can kill.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/rnbcQT-b8ak\r\n\r\nYou can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Public_Speaking\/transcripts\/StoppingHateSpeech_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"Stopping Hate Speech\" here (opens in new window)<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/ff17541d-bb70-47e4-9a09-127f71dcc341\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Objectives<\/h3>\n<p>Identify the importance of avoiding hate speech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hate speech of any kind is never acceptable in public communications. <em>Hate speech<\/em>\u00a0is defined by the U.N. as &#8220;any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.&#8221; <a class=\"footnote\" title=\"United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. 2019.\u00a0https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/documents\/UN%20Strategy%20and%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Hate%20Speech%2018%20June%20SYNOPSIS.pdf\" id=\"return-footnote-86-1\" href=\"#footnote-86-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although we can all imagine examples of what we would consider hate speech, the term is notoriously difficult to define. Nonetheless, such definitions are extremely important\u2014especially in a world where globally public speech is available to anyone with an internet connection. For social media platforms, for instance, the problem of differentiating hate speech from other forms of expression is a constant, high-stakes ethical and political dilemma. After all, these companies have pledged to quickly remove instances of hate speech from their platforms\u2014but what should they remove? Here&#8217;s how three major social media companies define hate speech:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook: &#8220;We define hate speech as a direct attack on people based on what we call protected characteristics \u2014 race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Twitter: &#8220;You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease. We also do not allow accounts whose primary purpose is inciting harm towards others on the basis of these categories.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube: &#8220;Hate speech is not allowed on YouTube. We remove content promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes: Age, Caste, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender Identity and Expression, Nationality, Race, Immigration Status, Religion, Sex\/Gender, Sexual Orientation, Victims of a major violent event and their kin, Veteran Status.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In short, definitions of hate speech vary, but all share a particular focus on attacks against <strong>protected characteristics<\/strong>, which is a legal term in U.S. law. <em>Protected characteristics<\/em>\u00a0are attributes protected by U.S. Federal Anti-Discrimination Law, including race, religion, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, pregnancy, familial status, disability status, and veteran status.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 1rem; text-align: initial;\">Unfortunately, it&#8217;s all too easy to imagine a list of racial epithets, ethnic slurs, sexist or homophobic language, and denigrating descriptions of people&#8217;s bodies and abilities; we don&#8217;t need to include a list of hateful terms here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>One important distinction to note is the difference\u2014in definition, at least\u2014between hate speech and expressions of hostility toward groups that are not protected classes by law, such as members of certain professions or affiliation groups. Blanket pejorative statements like &#8220;all politicians are liars&#8221; or &#8220;Democrats\/Republicans are fools&#8221; are probably unfair and unethical in a public speaking situation, but negativity is not the same as hate speech. The previous example of social media illustrates why this is an important concept: one might see all kinds of vitriolic screeds on social media against protesters or police,\u00a0conservatives or liberals, meat-eaters or vegans, &#8220;anti-vaxxers&#8221; or &#8220;treehuggers,&#8221; or &#8220;flat-earthers.&#8221; Even if the language is malicious and cruel, it probably does not meet the definition of hate speech, and may be allowed on the platform. Where is the line? It&#8217;s a very tough call. In general, blanket statements condemning an entire group of people\u2014even an affiliation by choice, such as &#8220;activists,&#8221; &#8220;gamers,&#8221; or &#8220;preppers&#8221;\u2014should be avoided in public speaking. Hate speech, however, is <em>never<\/em> acceptable, and can carry severe consequences. Remember, free speech is not speech without consequences.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>To watch<\/h3>\n<p>In this short video,\u00a0Adama Dieng, the United Nations special adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, shows the high stakes of hate speech with the stark argument that words can kill.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"Stopping Hate Speech\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rnbcQT-b8ak?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can view the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Public_Speaking\/transcripts\/StoppingHateSpeech_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;Stopping Hate Speech&#8221; here (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Try It<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_ff17541d-bb70-47e4-9a09-127f71dcc341\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/ff17541d-bb70-47e4-9a09-127f71dcc341?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_ff17541d-bb70-47e4-9a09-127f71dcc341\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-86\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Protected groups. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Wikpedia. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protected_group\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protected_group<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Stopping Hate Speech. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: United Nations. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rnbcQT-b8ak\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/rnbcQT-b8ak<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>Other<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-86-1\">United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. 2019.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/documents\/UN%20Strategy%20and%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Hate%20Speech%2018%20June%20SYNOPSIS.pdf\">https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/genocideprevention\/documents\/UN%20Strategy%20and%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Hate%20Speech%2018%20June%20SYNOPSIS.pdf<\/a> <a href=\"#return-footnote-86-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":161083,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Protected groups\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Wikpedia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Protected_group\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"Stopping Hate Speech\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"United Nations\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rnbcQT-b8ak\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"other\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"92387852-7e3f-458a-ab33-1faffa9273b6, 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