Regulating Hate Speech
Liliana Segre is an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor who has shared her experiences with numerous children to reiterate its brutality. One would imagine someone who has witnessed so much death, hate, and cruelty in WWII would have an oasis of peace in the modern world. Yet, death threats and racial insults are common for Ms. Segre in Italy. There is no questioning the rise of nationalism and anti-Semitism in Europe. In countries such as France and Italy, there is a resurgence of the discriminatory ideals of Mussolini and Hitler. With this resurgence, there also comes a flood of hate speech. The analysis of the context of hate speech reveals the ethical dimensions that are apparent in the intention of hate speech and with its regulation.
The actions of the right-wing in Italy displays the unethical nature of hate speech. Most people would like to go about their day without being racially demeaned. However, Mario Balotelli, a black Italian soccer star, was "targeted by racist chants and monkey sounds from the infamously extremist “ultra” fans of the Hellas Verona team,"(Horowitz 2019). By being targeted based on his religious affiliations and the color of his skin, Balotelli was made to feel unsafe at the place of his occupation. The purpose of the fans was to make Balotelli feel less than a human being which is an action driven solely by hate. This violates the Golden Rule because none of the fans would like to be discriminated against in the same manner, yet they are going out of their way to make Mario Balotelli feel unwanted. The reaction by the mayor of Verona, Luca Castellini, fits the ethics of utilitarianism because he intended on making the majority of his town happy. On the other hand, saying "Hitler chants are just kidding around," (Horowitz 2019) violates the ethics of virtue. Hitler stood for an amoral establishment which intended on eradicating Germany of Jews, so to disregard the struggle of the Jews in WWII for a "joke" is problematic. Despite the obvious need for harsher regulations, the commission proposed by Ms. Segre (intended to investigate hate, racism, and social media) failed to pass.The right argues that by limiting hate speech, the government is limiting the freedom of speech which is unethical. My stance on this is that the less there is of propaganda intended to convert the audience into anti-Semitics, the better. My ethical reasoning behind this is impressionable children could stumble upon the hate speech which would then encourage more hate speech. I for one would instead recommend that people opt for love speech and bring positivity to the world.
 |
| Mario Balotelli's Response to the Racist Chants; source: Allesandro Sabattini |
The actions of the right-wing in Italy displays the unethical nature of hate speech. Most people would like to go about their day without being racially demeaned. However, Mario Balotelli, a black Italian soccer star, was "targeted by racist chants and monkey sounds from the infamously extremist “ultra” fans of the Hellas Verona team,"(Horowitz 2019). By being targeted based on his religious affiliations and the color of his skin, Balotelli was made to feel unsafe at the place of his occupation. The purpose of the fans was to make Balotelli feel less than a human being which is an action driven solely by hate. This violates the Golden Rule because none of the fans would like to be discriminated against in the same manner, yet they are going out of their way to make Mario Balotelli feel unwanted. The reaction by the mayor of Verona, Luca Castellini, fits the ethics of utilitarianism because he intended on making the majority of his town happy. On the other hand, saying "Hitler chants are just kidding around," (Horowitz 2019) violates the ethics of virtue. Hitler stood for an amoral establishment which intended on eradicating Germany of Jews, so to disregard the struggle of the Jews in WWII for a "joke" is problematic. Despite the obvious need for harsher regulations, the commission proposed by Ms. Segre (intended to investigate hate, racism, and social media) failed to pass.The right argues that by limiting hate speech, the government is limiting the freedom of speech which is unethical. My stance on this is that the less there is of propaganda intended to convert the audience into anti-Semitics, the better. My ethical reasoning behind this is impressionable children could stumble upon the hate speech which would then encourage more hate speech. I for one would instead recommend that people opt for love speech and bring positivity to the world.
Great connection between the article about Ms Segre and Balotelli's situation
ReplyDelete