There are multiple reasons why Hate Speech is wrong.
I’m only going to talk about one of those reasons.
If you’re not heard, then let me fill you in. Blizzard featured a video at Blizzcon of a Horde enthusiast totally trashing Alliance players. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher is the lead singer for a death metal band, “Cannibal Corpse.” He let out a diatribe sure to have the saltiest of sailors blushing.
The use of profanity was strewn throughout it. The F-Bombs were prolific. Intertwined throughout the carpet “F” bombing were homophobic slurs as well. You can read about it here, here, and here if you want.
This was hate speech on two levels.
First off was the animosity towards Alliance players.
Really, this guy was just sad. He thinks his tirade was against Alliance (and it was). If he would have stayed to only traditional profanity we could write him off as a mature man-child. His language was the typical 13 year old fair that you hear when your local Jr. High lets out.
Immature, habitual profanity; used to belittle people that play a particular video game faction.
Sad.
Secondly, there is the hate speech geared towards homosexuals. It is inherent within his diatribe.
You have to understand something. Speech is habitual behavior by nature. The free flowing use of homophobic slurs speaks to the core of who this guy is. It speaks to his character, or lack there of.
Where I come from we have a saying: “…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
The guy is a hater, in the worse possible way.
He might have gay friends. He may say he isn’t a hater. The problem is, he is. His verbal diatribic actions show who he is. Sure, he might have been trying to be funny. He thought he was in a safe place, surrounded by WoW players (especially Horde). However, when we think we are “safe,” we also tend to let our guard down. He had less inhibitions, thus his words showed his true colors more than he knew.
Now, here is where Blizzard is Wrong.
They were wrong in highlighting his video. Even bleeped, it is pretty obvious what he is saying. You can also find the non-bleeped version easily too. Blizzard, quite literally, gave him a platform. A platform is a place of authority, presence, and by giving it to him are implicitly agreeing with his views.
Everything said about him applies to the Blizzard employess that thought it was a good idea; on up to the one who gave permission for it to happen.
That they refuse to sincerely apologize for it makes it worse.
Blizzard, you failed.
You failed hard.
You failed in the worse sort of way.
If I feel like it, my next post will show an transformational/educational model linking some of this together.
Zwingli
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I thought I would put some links up of other bloggers attacking the problem of bigotry.
Ratshag
Manalicious
Piercing Shots
Grimmtooth’s Troops
I Like Pancakes
Big Bear Butt Blogger
Mysterious Buttons
MMO Melting Pot
Azeroth Apple
Paw Prints at the Portal
The ‘mental Shaman
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