[colordrops]

The problem is that these hate movements aren't necessarily linearly correlated to the level of free speech. If there is less free speech, then indirect speech, euphemisms, and dog whistles are used. It doesn't stop it. Once any rule is made, it can be worked around. Even worse, the additional rules often anger and energize these people due to a perceived feeling of persecution. And lastly, the rules always get misinterpreted and abused to shut down significant amounts of speech that should not have been censored.

Unless you can prove with certainty that free speech causes an increase in violence and death, then it's better to default to openness.

The KKK and white supremacists marched in their clown parades regularly for decades and we laughed at them. Is it a coincidence that their movements grew significantly with the amplification of messages against them and social media censorship against them. Various right wing figures used this as leverage to increase their virulence.

[blindriver]

Back in the 80s and 90s, we laughed at the KKK. Anyone remember Bustin' Loose with Richard Pryor? Or when Michael Moore got gay black cheerleaders to cheer on a KKK march in some town?

At some point, people decided that we should fear the KKK and white supremacists, and that gave the racists an enormous amount of power even though their numbers are dwindling. I think the world was better when we mocked them and belittled them.

But now the strategy is to call anyone a racist, which is self-defeating and something I vehemently disagree with.

[colordrops]

And here's [1] an example of the moment you can see a person double down and becoming even more racist due to being attacked. I don't really like Scott but he didn't strike me as a white supremacist until this comment by him.

[1] https://mobile.twitter.com/JLPtalk/status/162961454611683328...

[vpilcx]

I mean, that's a pretty common narrative. "They were being ATTACKED for being racist so they became MORE RACIST." And?

There's this black guy. They did this documentary on him a while back. He went and befriended KKK members and skinheads. Through his individual action, he was able to get people away from white nationalism. White liberals absolutely love him. They point at him as an example of what all people of color should aspire to. Turning hate to friendship through personal interaction.

(Speaking generally, not to you specifically.) The thing is, as a person of color, the onus isn't on me to convert your racist grandparent or uncle from being a racist piece of shit. Fuck them. That puts me in the subordinate position of having to placate a white supremacist and that, in of itself, is fucking white supremacy. Fuck. That.

[blindriver]

When you see videos like this, imagine if something similar was made about black people? If I were white, I would be extremely offended if anyone made a video like this about me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZTmbDNLUkk&t=0s

I think the story of Daryl Davis is exactly the point of free speech. If it were up to the fascist liberals, those KKK people would be cancelled into oblivion. But Daryl Davis reached out and talked to them, and through the power of his love, changed hundreds of people. He didn't build up more divisions, he broke them down. This is what Free Speech is all about.

[vpilcx]

> The thing is, as a person of color, the onus isn't on me to convert your racist grandparent or uncle from being a racist piece of shit. Fuck them. That puts me in the subordinate position of having to placate a white supremacist and that, in of itself, is fucking white supremacy. Fuck. That.

[vpilcx]

> Is it a coincidence that their movements grew significantly with the amplification of messages against them and social media censorship against them. Various right wing figures used this as leverage to increase their virulence.

Or did we just have a black president and a political party that leaned into white supremacy dog whistles?