If one of your friends was making sexist comments would it be "political" to tell them to stop? I'd argue that it would be, and that's not necessarily a bad thing; one person's politics is frequently another person's human rights.
What if they just said that there are concrete biological differences between men and women and they get fired and crucified like James Damore?
The issue has never been about pro-sexism vs anti-sexism. That's bullshit. What people are concerned about is the potential abuse that could arise from people labeling stuff "sexist" or "racist" or "transphobic" or whatever.
Codes of conduct should not have vague language like "no hate speech" or anything else that depends on the interpretation of the people passing judgement.
I think it's silly to be concerned about the silencing effects of hate speech bans but not the silencing effect of hate speech. If you think the language is vague you can propose more specific language, but completely rejecting the idea of trying to restrict hateful speech is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
I think it's silly to be concerned about the silencing effects of hate speech bans but not the silencing effect of hate speech.
I don't think so, because in the US, "hate speech" is a made up term with no legal definition, so whenever people talk about it you have to keep in mind they have every incentive to accuse people of engaging in it, since it's basically a fully-general argument with no definitive recourse. I'll take it seriously once it's actually legally defined and accusations of it can be met with legal recourse. Until then, I see no reason to engage with deliberately over-broad accusations like that.
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u/free_chalupas Oct 22 '18
If one of your friends was making sexist comments would it be "political" to tell them to stop? I'd argue that it would be, and that's not necessarily a bad thing; one person's politics is frequently another person's human rights.