Hate is a thing that many people believe has diminished in the world, but actually it’s rearing its ugly head in new fashions.
A young child sits down to research his history project on Martin Luther King Jr., and types in the name as a keyword for an Internet search. Instantly, numerous sites pop up. He randomly chooses one that reads, “The truth about Martin Luther King Jr.” The information looks authoritative, but it’s wrong, defaming King and all he stands for. The site links to other Web sites about hate groups, and this is how white supremacists preach their message, through the power of the Internet.
According to the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, 3,000 hate sites have been documented on the Internet.
Not only has the Internet become a mode of mass communication for hate speech, but so has music, television, politics, major business leaders and the print media.
With so many avenues for hate speech, where do we draw the line? Does the government have the right to step in and censor when necessary? Who is responsible for the young, hate-filled minds or hate crimes? What about free speech and the First Amendment?
In an article from the Los Angeles Times, an interesting view was presented. During a meeting in Toronto, human rights activists discussed what to do about hate speech on the Internet, but they walked away with no solution. But Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that if censorship was implemented, it would only aggravate the situation.
“It gets the government off the hook. They feel they don’t have to do anything else about minority concerns, as if the law is enough” she said.
Maybe censoring isn’t the solution. Maybe a little common sense is.
Today, people are so concerned with their rights and freedoms that they forget the responsibility that accompanies them. Yes, people have the right to free speech, but they need to think before they speak.
Hate site operators need to recognize that they’re causing young children to hate, to base their judgments on others without even knowing them. And though they probably don’t care, they should think about it.
Americans should examine such incidents as Sept. 11 and Columbine as warnings. It seems that after such incidents everyone is cautious of what they say to others, but this only lasts so long. We’ve got to come together and fight against hate, wherever it may be.