The Hate That Hate Hates

"These are horrific sites. They're used for purposes of recruitment. They particularly target the young. It is predatory hate of the worst kind."

Another satisfied Reason reader? Sadly, no. That's Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, piping up as our neighbors to the north sign an additional protocol to the International Cybercrime Convention that supposedly "combat[s] xenophobic propaganda and calls on countries to criminalize its distribution via computer as well as Internet sites that deny or approve of genocide and crimes against humanity."

Watch your backs, Turks!

Thanks to Owen Thomas.

Comments

[kmw]

Guess that means no Pulp Fiction in Canada anymore.

"Did you see a sign out front that said 'dead nigger storage?'"

And the always-classic:

"It's the one that says 'bad mother fucker'"

Guess I can't visit Canada anymore now.

[kevrob]

So, will vile Canuckistanian propaganda like this be banned?

Kevin

[Jeff]

Ah, yes. Drive the retarded cromagnon thoughts even deeper into the underground, that will put an end to it.
As opposed to relentlessly publicizing such sites, flooding them with hits, posting point by point responses to thier claims, applying a noticable amount of internet pressure on them to back up their position, and otherwise partaking in what used to constitute discourse and debate in the western world. That'll never work.

[metalgrid]

As opposed to relentlessly publicizing such sites, flooding them with hits, posting point by point responses to thier claims, applying a noticable amount of internet pressure on them to back up their position, and otherwise partaking in what used to constitute discourse and debate in the western world.

You can't reason someone out of a position they never reasoned themselves into in the first place. Tried that, doesn't work. Take for example libertarianism, which is perhaps the least cognitively disssonant political philosophy there is. If everyone were to be such reasoning individuals, it would be far more popular, and it's not due to lack of trying.
Along the same lines, I'm all for publicizing it, not so much as to refute their positions, but to educate the masses as to its presence, so they are able to arm and prepare themselves for it, should push ever come to shove. Driving it undergroup stinks of the whole security through obscurity paradigm rather than security through an informed and armed citizenry.

[Jeff]

I'm not saying we need to convince them out of their position. We simply need to shine more light on them. Educating folks, as you point out, is the best way of making this shit irrelevant.

And yes, I do think libertarian obscurity is a result of lack of trying. There could have been a whole lot more outright attacks on the ethical foundations of both major parties. The LP site is basically a cheerleader site. Do a half-hour paid show, Perot-style. At least get up on the radar. Instead of throwing Libertarian targets at left and right talk shows, hit Oprah, hit Jimmy Kimmel, hit Bill Maher. Do SOMETHING.

[joe]

"You can't reason someone out of a position they never reasoned themselves into in the first place."

No, but you can make them look stupid in the eyes of the curious and the fence sitters.

Forcing the idiots to hide their most repugnant beliefs would seem to be a step in the wrong direction.

[DavePotts]

Well said on both counts, Jeff.

[mediageek]

But Jeff, Bill Maher is a libertarian. He even said so himself, so it must be true.

[Jeff]

Yeah, but when's the last time Maher dealt with an issue from a truly libertarian standpoint? True, he points out the holes in Left and Right logic, but does not put a torch to the root causes. If he's serious about political change he should have a goddamn libertarian on once in a while, as opposed to the occasional moderate who wants pot legalized. Christ, he's had every controversial wingnut with a bug up his or her ass on his bigscreen, let's see Walker or Sanchez schmoozing with Huffington for once!

[metalgrid]

It's not uncommon when LP associated personas get camera time, to be told that they will be cut out of segments during editing if they mention the L word.

[Niggeratlarge]

Hello fellow Niggers,

The Red ones, the white ones, the Brown ones and the Yellow ones in the slang of the white, yes white nigger.
According to recent documented genetic evidence, The Real Eve - A Discovery channel dramatic recreation of the BLACK NIGGERS who populated the earth and The Journey of Man by "white" Harvard Geneticist, Spencer Wells, we're a planet of NIGGERS. I hope you brainless white racists CHOKE on this INDELIBLE BLACK reality from now on.