"If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don’t like" There is a big difference between "having a view" and racially vilifying people. To say "Australia should stop all Eskimo immigration." is a view, not one I necessarily agree with but a view never the less and people should be free to express that view. However if a person was to say "Joe the Eskimo, was convicted of theft, and that proves all Eskimos are thieves." That to me is racial vilification, no only is it most likely untrue, but it unfairly targets one group in a hurtful vindictive way.
I am the first to agree that this is a very difficult balancing act. I am suspicious of the motives behind the conservatives in wanting laws changed. They are not known for their Liberalism on such matters.

Paul
I understand your sentiment - why enable idiots to vilify and hurt?

Laws which prevent mere stupidity groom a public to accept restrictions on free speech. Soon legislation is drafted for national security purposes initially restricting journalists or whistle blowers. Public protests and strikes are soon made illegal. Agressive wars-are conducted for the most spurious reasons with a now compliant media and public. Refugees are treated in humanely, but the public now groomed for brutality accept ever increasing outrage.

We are now entirely groomed to accept any offical intolerance and to condemn any individual expression of frustration. So thoroughly dumbed down, we have been taught to elevate the threat of some random impotent individual while ignoring the omnipresent official oppression. Our politicians routinely vilify the unemployed and all welfare recipients, refugees. For nigh on 30 years our rights as citizens in this country have been consistently and persistently eroded away. What enables this but our individual and collective timidity.

Our problem is not the random idiot who may offend you with some ill thought out Comment or even a deliberate vilification. Our problem is our collective timidity which enables and emboldens this mega corporate corruption we call our culture. Our problem is the unwitting good will which time after time is duped to legislate further public timidity- to eviscerate unions, right to strike, working conditions, to sell off public assets to private thieves, to accept every form of theft with fawning civility.

Christ Paul, at this point even honest to goodness racism is preferable to this self destructive timidity. But our culture is no longer even capable of real racism anymore. What we here call racism is laughable

YEBIGA

You seem to have put into words what I think. I see all this as falling under the general heading of "Censorship" be it censorship of what you can say, or what you can do, or even what you can read, write or watch. If you accept that some restrictions are desirable for the common good, you then have the immediate problem of what are those restriction, who applies them and what are the consequences if you don't comply?
All laws in some way place restrictions and impose penlites if you break those laws, and the majority of people accept that.
Yebiga, you have identified the problem, but have not offered a solution. What in your view is that solution. I am highly suspicious of what motivates the conservatives into wanting to change these laws, not known for any real support of civil liberties in the past, there must be another agenda.

@Paul1405,

<< However if a person was to say "Joe the Eskimo, was convicted of theft, and that proves all Eskimos are thieves...>>

Only in the bogeyman tales the Greenies tell themselves!

What you are much, much more likely to hear and see in *multicultural*, *human rights commission* cowered Oz is minimal to no reporting of any offenders ethnicity or religion --and censorship of comment on it even if it is known.

The only ethnic spotlighting - and open slather vilification -- you'll get is in those (now) monthly "documentaries" on public funded SBS or ABC telling everyone how bad white Australias history/past has been.

Lets get real on this issue. The conservatives are not concerned about free speech, they will muzzle that when ever it suits them. Rather they are on about their right to vilify sections of the community with impunity, workers, asylum seekers, Muslims, welfare recipients, aboriginals, Fabians etc etc, anyone they perceive as undesirable in their eyes. Would they be jumping up and down with the same zealous zeal if a journalist was to vilify mining billionaires, mega rich newspaper proprietors, fat capitalists from the big end of town, no I think not. The conservatives are past masters at vilification of whole sections of the community, and by and large they get away with it.

"The only ethnic spotlighting - and open slather vilification -- you'll get is in those (now) monthly "documentaries" on public funded SBS or ABC telling everyone how bad white Australias history/past has been."

SPQR got a link to back up that ridiculous claim?

Paul,

<<SPQR got a link to back up that ... claim?>>

Drop in most days to a discussion or documentary or commentary on either of the above networks and see for yourself...though, Greenies like you are so used to swallowing one eyed Lefty propaganda you'd probably NOT pickup on it!

I was going to add the below comment/challenge to Lexi's post on another thread, after she linked us to *yet another(!)* ABC support site in an to attempt bolster the dubious case for multiculturalism --but I give it to you instead:

*The various ABC outlets had run a huge number of documentaries on multiculturalism (like the one Lexi linked to) BUT, BUT when have you ever known the ABC to run a doco which portrayed --or even allowed for the possibility -- that multiculturalism in/for Oz might NOT be anything other than the best thing since sliced bread?*