(racehorse@utne) Do you think that the worst racists on the 'net would be as blatant in real life?
Among their friends, I'm sure that they are. For every blatant racist on the net and in real life, there are a dozen lurkers who find little or nothing to criticize. So who's stopping them anywhere? When I asked the question about criminalization of racism, the majority of netizens responded that they believe that Americans have a right to be racist. "You can't legislate morality", goes the typical argument.
My disagreement is based on the premise that racism is a threat to liberty. Therefore if America defends liberty, then it should combat racism. From that perspective, possession of racist ideas is roughly equivalent to possession of ideas of child molestation. Acts of child molestation are clearly destructive, as are acts of racism, yet racist ideas are protected under the guise of political speech. American society protects racists, and 'little' racist acts are seen as less harmful than 'little' acts of child molestation, and consequently are not considered criminal unless they pass the test of 'discrimination', implying systematic, institutional forms. And that criminality must be tried at the Federal level under the various Constitutional Amendments and Civil Rights Titles. This makes the burden of proof difficult for those suffering racist acts. If people of color seem like they make every little act of racism into a Federal case, it's because that's literally what they must do to receive any justice at all. When the majority of Americans agree that one has a right to be racist, what else can you expect?
Racists on the net can afford to be blatant. Who's stopping them?