Does political correctness hurt free speech?
This is a question the Internet has been debating for a little over a year, ever since people started coming out and addressing hurtful and oppressive language. According to many, it is their right to say hateful things and therefore they will not change their language to not hurt others. Others have claimed that some words, phrases, and actions contribute to the marginalization and oppression of many different groups, and should be purged from society. However, the more we discuss the impact our words have, the angrier the anti-PC crowd gets. How is this anger expressed? In the form of a Twitter hashtag.
#IStandWithHateSpeech started trending late afternoon on May 31, and was picked up by the anti-PC crowd almost instantly. Their claim is that hate speech is free speech, should be defended like non-hate speech, and websites like Twitter and Facebook have no right to remove so-called "hate speech" from their website. This was in direct response to requests for social networking sites to remove hate speech from their website.
The problem with this trend is that even if Twitter and Facebook deleted all opposing opinions (which it clearly didn't because this trended for several hours), freedom of speech means that the government cannot jail you for what you say on or offline. Facebook, Twitter, etc. are all private companies which, according to conservatives/libertarians, can do whatever they want. It is not violating your free speech if you're suspended for harassing feminists online and telling them to commit suicide. When you signed up for a social media account, you agreed to a Terms of Service contract, many of which state that you cannot hurt other users.
The problem with many anti-PC people is that they believe that because they have the right to say whatever they want, they have the right to be free from the consequences of their words. If you're posting hateful things on public websites, people can and will fight back. If you hurt someone a private website can kick you out, and your boss can fire you. None of these consequences violate your freedom of speech. This doesn't just apply to those who are anti-PC. A Swedish feminist was fired from her job for posting videos that were sexist against men.
As someone with very vocal opinions on social justice and feminism, I've seen the worst that the Internet has to offer. I often welcome differing opinions and will respond to people who dispute my opinions, but what people tend to forget is that there's a difference between, "I disagree with your opinion, here's why," and, "You're a feminazi/other unoriginal insult." By trending #IStandWithHateSpeech, you are doing more than just saying, "I stand with free speech." You're defending and enabling white supremacists, sexists, and cyberbullies who do legitimate harm to others. Yes, free speech applies to those with hateful or bigoted opinions. And no, websites should not remove people solely for having an unpopular opinion. But if you're harassing and hurting other people, and inciting violence or harm, it is perfectly reasonable that a website will suspend your account. That's not your free speech being violated. That's you violating the Terms of Service, and facing the consequences of such. You just don't like it.
