[WikiEN-l] in the last year hatespeech seems to have become acceptable

[Robert]

Sean B. writes:
> Please explain to me how speech can kill someone.
> For extra credit, explain how words on a Web page can do
> any physical harm.

Do you really not know the answer? Ok, I will answer your
question honestly, and accurately:

Many people used to say and write "I hate the fucking Jews.
Kill the Jews". Then some people did kill Jews.

Many people used to say and write "I hate the fucking
niggers. Kill the niggers". Then some people did kill
blacks.

Many people used to say and write "I hate the fucking
queers. Kill the quuers". Then some people did kill
homosexuals. 

Just read the newspapers, and you will see stories of
homosexuals being beaten, assaulted, and even murdered, all
the time. The same is true for Jews; attacks on Jews all
across the world are on the rise. Synagogues are being
burned, Jews are being beaten in the streets, houses are
being covered in Nazi swastikas, etc. This is not
theoretical; this is real. (Even in my hometown a synagogue
was torched.)

In the real world, repeated hateful words often lead to
violent actions. Anyone who claims otherwise is a poor
liar.

The way that Wheeler is attacking SLR is a violation of
SLR's civil rights, and is anti-Semitic in of itself. The
way that Ray is pushing JewWatch neo-Nazi arguments to
slander all Jews is also wrong. Both Wheeler's and Ray's
exact arguments, common on Nazi websites, have as their
goal the advocacy of discrimination towards Jews.

The question is this: Should we allow Wikipedia to deviate
from its original goal (working on a factual, NPOV
encyclopedia)? Should we allow Wikipedia to become a safe
haven for racist hatespeech?  In the past, such speech was
not tolerated at all, and was reason enough for a ban. 
Back when Jimbo and Larry were mostly in charge, hatespeech
was off limits.

But in the last year hatespeech seems to have become
acceptable, and those who use it have been rewarded, while
victims of it are attacked. This is a sad turn of events,
and will cause Wikipedia's repuation to suffer terribly.
Already many academics I know view Wikipedia as hopeless;
but if this phenomenon spreads its reputation will be
hopelessly tarnished.

It doesn't matter if the hatespeech is towards Jews,
blacks, homosexuals, Muslims, or anyone else. It has no
place in an encyclopedia project, let alone in a society
where we claim to respect human life.

Robert



		
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