The antisemites - with their talk of “Jew supremacy,” “Zionist tentacles,” and other atrocious terms - are descending on threads that have opened to discuss the horrible treatment of innocent American Jews, and seem to enjoy harassing Jewish posters.
Is it now the policy of USMB, given there is no more Zone 1 protections, to just allow the Jew-haters to turn threads into antisemitic propaganda tools? (I imagine some of the worst of the worst are paid by HAMAS-related organizations to spread the hate.)
Short of just advising Jews to ignore the antisemites, is there anything that can be done to make it more difficult for the Jew-haters to spread antisemitic attitudes? It’s bad enough on the streets, and liberal college campuses, but they’re invading here too.
It's tough to adjudicate though. When is something just wrong headed which is allowed under free speech criteria vs personal attacks which should not be okay? Who decides what so called 'disinformation' is protected free speech and what is not?
It can be dangerous to give powerful people, most especially dishonest/unethical ones, ability to dictate what is disinformation and what is not.
You see I think racist or antisemitic speech or so-called 'hate speech' is protected speech under the First Amendment even as it exposes those who utter it as the hateful, ignorant, unpleasant, wrong headed judgmental people that they are. At least we know that about them which at times could be useful.
Does anybody really pay any attention to or give any credence to the blatant racists and antisemitic types here for instance? Does anybody really think they have any credibility for intelligence, common sense, knowledge? Or does anybody with a brain pretty much see them as the mean spirited vacuous people that they are?
Of course being one of the majority race in this country and not being a Jew could disqualify me from saying what should and should not be hurtful to a person of color or a Jewish person. I am conscious that it may be easier for me to say that their insults and hateful disinformation should not be given any credibility at all.
But unkind, insensitive, mean spirited, dishonest, cruel people seem to enjoy being what they are. They don't care how accusing somebody of being a drunk and therefore worthless might sound to a recovering alcoholic. Or how saying somebody is a fat pig might sound to a person struggling with a weight problem. Or how it sounds when they say nobody beyond a certain age should be allowed to work or serve in office to a healthy, energetic, fully cognizant senior citizen etc.
I deal with it by offering good information. I can't honestly tell others how they should deal with it though.
And the First Amendment also allows people to believe what isn't true no matter how indefensible or stupid or wrong.
