<story><title>Court blocks NY law mandating “hateful conduct” policies by social media</title><url>https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/court-blocks-new-york-law-mandating-posting-of-hateful-conduct-policies-by-social-media-platforms-including-us/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>GalenErso</author><text>On one hand, as a heterosexual, white, culturally Christian and conventionally attractive man raised in a middle class neighborhood, I&amp;#x27;ve never been the victim of hateful speech. I cannot fully relate to those who have been. My family, friends, and coworkers are all from similarly conventional backgrounds. I am thus privileged, in a certain way.&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I cannot help but think that too many people have become soft these days. I am not old enough to remember a time before the late 90s, nor do I glorify a forgotten &amp;quot;Golden Age&amp;quot;. But, when I occasionally watch old movies, documentaries, and TV shows, it is clear that people used to have a much thicker skin. This is not to say that I believe that free speech shouldn&amp;#x27;t have reasonable constraints. I am not denying the emotional impact that words can have on people, or the potential unhealthiness of excess emotional fortitude. But it is to say that it would be misguided and, in my humble opinion, a disservice to future generations to envelop them in a sanitized cocoon of sterile experiences, where they cannot be uncomfortable. Because the real world is full of colorful characters, and surprises, generally speaking. Like an immune system that grows weaker when it goes too long without exposure to viruses and bacteria, I believe that a person&amp;#x27;s character can and in a certain measure must be allowed to be steeled and sharpened by the unexpected, the random, and, perhaps, the uncomfortable.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jay-barronville</author><text>Well, I’m a black man and I agree with you.&lt;p&gt;It seems everyone nowadays wants to be coddled and there’s just this overwhelming sense of entitlement in the air.&lt;p&gt;The real world isn’t perfect; in fact, it’s quite chaotic, just how it’s supposed to be. A lot of folks seem to only want to look at the world from a utopian lens. The elephant in the room is, your utopia isn’t my utopia. Put differently, our differences create the very imperfections that actually make our world interesting and keep society functioning as it should.</text></comment>
<story><title>Court blocks NY law mandating “hateful conduct” policies by social media</title><url>https://reason.com/volokh/2023/02/14/court-blocks-new-york-law-mandating-posting-of-hateful-conduct-policies-by-social-media-platforms-including-us/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>GalenErso</author><text>On one hand, as a heterosexual, white, culturally Christian and conventionally attractive man raised in a middle class neighborhood, I&amp;#x27;ve never been the victim of hateful speech. I cannot fully relate to those who have been. My family, friends, and coworkers are all from similarly conventional backgrounds. I am thus privileged, in a certain way.&lt;p&gt;On the other hand, I cannot help but think that too many people have become soft these days. I am not old enough to remember a time before the late 90s, nor do I glorify a forgotten &amp;quot;Golden Age&amp;quot;. But, when I occasionally watch old movies, documentaries, and TV shows, it is clear that people used to have a much thicker skin. This is not to say that I believe that free speech shouldn&amp;#x27;t have reasonable constraints. I am not denying the emotional impact that words can have on people, or the potential unhealthiness of excess emotional fortitude. But it is to say that it would be misguided and, in my humble opinion, a disservice to future generations to envelop them in a sanitized cocoon of sterile experiences, where they cannot be uncomfortable. Because the real world is full of colorful characters, and surprises, generally speaking. Like an immune system that grows weaker when it goes too long without exposure to viruses and bacteria, I believe that a person&amp;#x27;s character can and in a certain measure must be allowed to be steeled and sharpened by the unexpected, the random, and, perhaps, the uncomfortable.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>trpv</author><text>Seems like you think you’re exempt from being a victim of hate because of your demographics, and likewise that others of certain demographics, whatever they may be, are implicitly victims of it.&lt;p&gt;There are white, heterosexual, etc (the list of ways people say they privileged is ever expanding lol) men who have been on the receiving end of hateful speech because they are white, heterosexual, etc. and there are black or gay men who have never been personally attacked based on that identity.&lt;p&gt;But yeah, shielding yourself from speech or anything else you may find uncomfortable may make you feel better in the moment, but hurts you in the long term</text></comment>