I thought this comment on the Sweet Transvestite vid on YouTube was entertaining, but it got me thinking. Firstly, do gods have to do their own washing, but also, where do you draw the line between free speech and a hate crime? There are so many people on YouTube (as well as many other Web 2.0 sites) that simply spread messages of hatred, often at minorities, but are protected by 'free speech'. Do you think that people should be allowed to say what they want, or should there be rules against this on the internet? I mean, if you said this kind of stuff in public, you would probably be taken away by the police (I'm not sure of laws in different areas...in fact, I'm not even sure of the laws concerning free speech/hate crimes in Aus) So, the basic question is why should people be allowed to get away with hatred because they are on the internet and shoulod something be done about it?
I choose to simply ignore (or laugh) at posts like that... just remember, chances are the people who send that garbage are just trying to get attention and wouldn't have the balls to say it to someones face.
I don't believe that saying what you believe (as ignorant as you might be) should be considered a crime. If it leads to violence, then the violent actions should be punished as crimes. But saying something should never be outlawed. Its actually ridiculous to think hate speech laws could ever be enforced in the first place.
