Hi lemmy! So this is kind of controversial, but hear me out. Let me start off by saying I’ve been on a few reddit alternatives, as I’ve mentioned in different posts, and I’ve seen language that is very hateful. I was disgusted by the language, but after seeing it over and over again, I just got sad. These people only know fear and hatred. I’m not sure anyone’s shown them kindness.
Should we be kind to those that we disagree with or that use hateful speech?
I don’t just mean that you should call them out when they’re actively spewing bullshit.
They will often start out with discussions of slightly controversial topics and, you know, only playing devil’s advocate, only discussing that because it’s “interesting”, and of course some bullshit related to free speech.
But then they won’t stop there. The topics will get more controversial, more and more about violence and the worth of humans.
And I’m saying, if you notice them drifting off into that direction, to stop being nice. Don’t try to reason with them anymore. Do take it personal and show that to them, if they’re glorifying violence against a group of people (even though you’re not in that particular group).
Like, I’ve told my own dad that he should go fuck himself when he suggested that it’s good when more Afghans get killed, so that they can’t flee and seek asylum here.
And I think, he understood that I’m willing to cut ties, if he continues being a racist asshole. Because he did shut the fuck up after that.
That’s my two cents. Obviously your mileage may vary.
I told them that a certain word was hate speech against a marginalized group of people. They called me a bunch of names. One guy said his hate speech was directed at me, and not at a group of so it couldn’t be bad or something like that. These people are quite backasswards in their thinking. They make illogic out of the logical.