Karl K. Karlson has an idea of starting a website called Aryans R Us. Amongst many other plans on how we want to run this website the one major project is to use it a platform for promoting the ideas he has in his mind. White supremacy, attitudes and theories that assert inherent dominance over other ethnic classes of the lighter-skinned, or “white,” human races. John Philip Jenkins redefines the term “white supremacy” used in this eraby such organizations that espouse ultranationalist, imperialist, or authoritarian ideologies. He is a white supremacist & he has some friends that also share the ideas that he has. (Jenkins, 2020)
He wants to use this website as a platform to post articles that they have been write to promote their cause of making the white people understand their place in the race. Another point of making this website is to call out and arrange the meetups of the white Supremacists mindset. He wants them to meet each other and discuss all the issues they feel are essential. Lastly, he wants to make an eBay type websites on which he wishes to sell Nazi and Neo-Nazi memorabilia. He wants to execute all these three ideas on his website. In this paper,I would argue if a website with such motivations of creation should be allowed to go live.
Keeping in mind that white supremacy movements have a history of frequently focused on aggression to achieve their goals, the website can’t be allowed to go live. The reason why I say this is that it would promote hate speech. People that feel they are racially superior to others they do not say it to hurt people. It could become a movement that attracts like-minded people and destroy the overall fabric of society. Even with a constitution protecting the rights of freedom of speech, there are ethics that need implementation.
The use of digital mediums like “websites” is exercising of Freedom &each individual has the right to do so as per his or her ideas. In this manner, if the website is leading to any movement that would lead to harm humanity and create unrest, these are reason enough not to let it go live.
It should be illegal for a website promoting ideas and memorabilia tied to hate speech to exist. Hate speech leads to creating unrest in society. If its popularity grows, it will ruin the peace of the community. The consequences of running such a campaign are dangerous. As per the harms principle, the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. (1978, 9) (stanford.edu, 2017). This website is likely to create a divide in the society as it reflects the pseudo mindset that despite so much struggles to condemn such ideals that promote injustice or unrest in the community can lead to creating harm.
Karl, should not be allowed to make his website, as hate speech is unacceptable in the modern-day world. Most liberal societies have set limitations to freedom of speech crossing the boundaries of hate speech (Stanford, 2017). The US has proven to be a promoter of freedom of expression over the years & the Nazi march through Skokie was one of its examples. Yet if anyone in America should be living their lives feeling safe and happy. Instead of white nationalists and other racist actor’s immunity target refugees, minority groups and religious minorities.
Despite understanding the value of freedom of free speech, the negative consequences of hate speech can’t be denied at all. Racial supremacy as a full-fledged philosophy is much more complicated than pure bias or bigotry. Moreover, most white supremacists today believe that the white race is in danger of extinction because of a growing “flood” of non-whites dominating society. This sort of mindset is hazardous in the log-run and their belief that drastic intervention is required to “save” the white race from being effected by other sports.
People with extremist mindsets always abuse freedom of speech. By definition, hate speech means degrading a person based on race, color, gender, faith, age, disability, or some other related grounds is hateful. (ALA, 2020) Allowing this website to be formed is equal to allowing Karl to gain access to so many like-minded people and spread hatred in the name of white supremacy is not just condemnable but unacceptable. This could lead to rage war between the white and the people of color leading to a violent movement.
Peter Hopkins, in an article, describes the violence spread by the white supremacists against Muslims. They are racially motivated towards shaping the minds of the followers that leads to hate speech that further leads to hate crimes. White supremacists show this attitude publically now near places like religious centers and community buildings where they focus on the teachings of their leaders. The researcher explored the modern types of religious and culturally based abuse that leads to further violence. (Hopkins, 2016) Hence, if this website is allowed, their policies will be aimed at communities who are victims of religious and ethnicity-based abuse. They will be motivated to abuse the rights of people from other races and religion, and they will refuse to accept co-existence of people from all religions and races.
Apart from the argument that how much of it is true, it is extremely dangerous to provide support to such mindsets who have historically chosen violence as their means of expression. The falseness or immorality of Karl’s views is another significant reason not to let this site go live. The message that these sorts of ideals bring, initiate violence in the mind of the viewers and even those who didn’t have any such beliefs start having such thoughts. This aggression is not coming out of thin air. When these loyalists employ racial language and enforce discriminatory policies such as the Muslim Ban, family splitting, silencing colored voters are amongst some of their actions that fuel the minds of their followers. Aggressive actions beget acts of aggression. (civilrights.org, 2019)
After careful consideration of the motives of Karl that include posting articles they have written on white supremacy, using it for white Supremacists to meet and discuss issues of importance to them and selling the things Nazi and Neo-Nazi collectables, I don’t think this website should be allowed to go on air. It clearly can lead to promoting hate speech and develop all sorts of negative mindsets that are unacceptable in the modern world. If they employ racial language and enforce discriminatory policies.
This could lead to campaigns such as the Muslim Ban, silencing colored voters as well as other hate crimes. Adding to that Aggressive actions beget acts of aggression that are also not acceptable at any cost. There should not be any such campaigns running that negatively affects the overall fabric of society. They should not be allowto run this website at any level and giving them the freedom to express their hatred against all other non-white people would only spread hatred and violence in society. Hence my verdict after analyzing all the outcomes of this campaign is no; they should be banned rather than allowed.
References
ALA. (2020). Hate Speech and Hate Crime. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/hate
civilrights.org. (2019). Here Are 10 Things You Can Do To Stop White Supremacy. Retrieved from https://civilrights.org: https://civilrights.org/heres-10-things-you-can-do-to-stop-white-supremacy/
Hopkins, P. (2016, 7 22). Gendering Islamophobia, racism and White supremacy: Gendered violence against those who look Muslim. Retrieved from https://sagepub.com: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2043820616655018
Jenkins, J. P. (2020). White supremacy. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com: https://www.britannica.com/topic/white-supremacy
stanford. (2017). 2.3 Mill’s Harm Principle and Hate Speech. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freedom-speech/#MilHarPriHatSpe
stanford.edu. (2017, 5). Freedom of Speech. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/freedom-speech/#JohStuMilHarPri
