The racists & self-loathers are getting rather quiet in these past few days. What happened ? Did they overdose on their own medicine ?

Hi Steele,

You suggest that " .... if I said all old white males are rapists that would of course be engaging in hate speech .... "

I don't think so, although I would strongly disagree with the first part of the statement, as an old white male. If someone wrote (or said) " .... all old white males are rapists and the bastards should be castrated." that might qualify, especially if the odd passing old while male was pointed at and the speaker urged his 50-strong crowd to grab him and actually castrate him. Of course, for some of us OWMs, it wouldn't make much difference.

i.e. an opinion, no matter how objectionable, may not be 'hate speech'. If it attempts to incite violent action, then certainly it is. Opinions can be engaged with, argued, discussed, ripped apart, and that's one of the cornerstones of a genuinely democratic society. Let a hundred flowers bloom, even stink-weed. Then they can be, let's say, plucked.

Best wishes,

Joe