Monday, August 11, 2008

Cracked Head Denial

Kathy Shaidle has up a post that illustrates perfectly what "hate speech" means to the leftists in power in this country: it is the overwhelming self-righteous invocation that is used, cynically or naively, to cut off all conversations that threaten the mindless comfort of the leftist bureaucrat, threaten with some conception of reality that doesn't mesh with that recognized by those gaming victims for six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries.

An American reader of Shaidle's blog writes Toronto officials telling them what she thinks of their mailing "safe" crack smoking kits to all residents in certain Toronto neighborhoods. The letter writer clearly thinks the program is insane; and she will be crossing T.O. off of the list of possible family vacation spots. But her language is civil, if intellectually challenging.

In response, she gets this reply from Lorie Steer, a bureaucrat at Toronto "Streethealth":
This is an automatic reply to your message. We do not accept hate-mail. Please direct your hateful energy elsewhere.
Yeah right, Ms. Steer.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps such people have no true understanding of the meaning of hate?

Either that, or they're simply just using "hate speech" as an excuse to direct the conversation away from themselves...

truepeers said...

I tend to think it's the latter, Walker, though surely something of both involved....

All humans beings are resentful to some degree, since all humans are bound to conceptions of the sacred, and our basic condition in regard to the sacred is a dance between love and resentment, the paradox of simultaneous attraction and repulsion.

Still, one can be resentful and have, to some degree, no "true" understanding of hate since resentment always deludes us to some extent. We cannot reflect seriously on hateful feelings when we are feeling hateful. We must first be serene if we are to get a little closer to the truth...

But since all people are resentful, when leftists attempt a politics where some are marginalized for "hate speech" while certain kinds of politically-correct resentments are given the green light, and made into figures of romantic heroism (e.g. have you noticed that fashions for young men today have a rather retro 70s terrorist chic quality to them?) is simply a totalitarian move that has to mask itself in all kinds of dishonesty given our lingering pretensions to be a democracy where government is accountable to the people and justice is disinterested application of law universally.

Eowyn said...

" ... since resentment always deludes us to some extent."

Truepeers, to me, herein lies the rub. It's all too easy to succumb to emotions. It takes a bit of work -- and self-discipline -- to actually find, and discuss, the meat of the issue. Sadly, it's not being taught at the earliest ages, anymore.

And it's a signpost of this that the "likelihood of offense" is made into a crime. We simply make it illegal to suggest offense, and voila -- offense disappears.

*shaking head*

The remedy? Our Creator -- who listens to the smallest sparrow. We can agonize and angst, but all things will come right.

But, well, watching the nuttiness DOES get tiresome, at times.

truepeers said...

Eowyn

yes, it all comes down to having the faith that can keep one patient through the endless folly of human existence.

Rob Misek said...

Recipe for a facsist: take one liberal and add power.

What else could you expect from someone who values their personal liberties above everything else including yours and mine.

Liberals value personal liberties but not personal responsibility. Without responsibility we can't handle authority which results in the requirement for fascism.

Liberals hate the truth.

Hatred is denying the truth.

Rob Misek said...

It is no coincidence that liberals disagree with or misinterpret the Bible. Religion is about responsibility.

Jesus is clearly quoted in the Bible as saying that our counsellor in his absence is the spirit of truth (the holy spirit).

I suspect this counsellor has ensured timeless success for the faithful regardless of their religion.