The Impact Of Hate Speech On Different Groups Of People

People say actions speak louder than words. One word alone may not be loud, but many words are loud enough to be heard and to be hurtful. Hate speech has been going on since the earliest centuries. Different ethnic groups and sexes have been treated differently by their appearance and personality traits. Hate speech is any kind of speech in writing or word of mouth that attacks a certain person or group based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or other factors that identify them. Hate speech, also known as curse words, has become a different meaning through the years. Its impact affects the self-esteem and courage of the person or group targeted.

Hate Speech

“Hate speech” has been used throughout history. The “n-word” started being used during the slave trade. The word “retard” or “retarded” was used in 1865. Each of these words is highly frowned upon to be used in the public or social media. Although that is the case, they are still used today. But, hate words may have had a different meaning now than in the past. The word “retard” is an example. It comes from the Anglo-French or Latin word “retarder” or “retardere” which means “to slow” or “to delay”. This word was used throughout history, replacing the word idiot which was once an offensive slur. Throughout different generations, children turned “retard” into an offensive slang, a weapon used to call out others with a “special” feature or ability. Word caught on and adults started using it too. Parents who had handicapped children scoffed at the word. The more appropriate and popular term is, “special needs”. But, the same event may happen and “special needs” may become an offensive slur in the future. The word “retard” may also fall out of use in the future as well. People and groups are hurt by these hurtful words that have been penetrated at them by others. Differences sometimes make people uncomfortable. People may act out, and treat others differently due to the difference in looks, personality, etc. The targets are hit with words and hurtful slurs. Hate speech is wrong. Some ethnic groups that are hit with these nasty words are women, African Americans and people with disabilities.

Women

Women have been faced with the effects of hate speech for many years. Women were seen as nothing more than objects, second sex. Their physical appearance and personality were seen as negative. Men were above women in some way. They were cat called, told to “stay in the kitchen”. Jobs were limited and there was no equal pay. It was hard for women to escape the label and position they were forced into. They wanted to improve their lives, but their gender overpowered their intelligence and education. Women were used to hiding their thoughts and ideas. On March 31, 1776, the wife of John Adams, Abigail Adams, wrote a letter to her husband explaining the very limited power women had. The letter states “Remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention are not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. '' Thus, the civil rights for women were born and on July 19-20, 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held in New York with 300 attendants. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, women have stood up for their rights. They held marches, protested and created associations. The “National Woman Suffrage Association” was created to earn women the right to vote. After a little more than 50 years, the 19th Amendment in the constitution was ratified and women we earned the right to vote. John F. Kennedy signs into law the Equal Pay Act, eliminating sex-based wage working in the same workplace. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964. It banned employment discrimination based on race, religion, or sex. The U. S. military allows women to serve in combat positions on Jan. 24, 2013. Women have shown that they are more than “objects” and that they can do more than “work in the kitchen”. Tennis great Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in a match on September 20, 1973. The match was aired on live TV, showing the women aren’t lower than men in any way. On July 7, 1981, Sandra Day O’ Conner becomes the first woman to serve on the U. S. Supreme court, showing that men and women are equal in the workplace. Sally Ride turns her space dreams into reality on June 18, 1983, when she becomes the first American woman in space on the Space Shuttle Challenger. Hillary Clinton, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, became the first woman to receive a major presidential nomination on July 26, 2016. Sexism and hate speech is still used for women today. Some people still believe women can’t take on certain jobs or handle certain situations. But, women are showing the sexists they are equal to men. They are overpowering the negative comments and activity that have sometimes been enforced on them. To some women, hate speech is just a boundary they are overcoming.

African Americans

African Americans have been targeted with hate words for centuries. The most well known, the n-word was used in place of a slave’s first name in the nineteenth century. It helped distinguish a slave from any white person with the same name. The n-word was accepted in the past by whites but the meaning has severely changed now. This racial slur was once common but is now debated who should say it and if it should even be said. It is still used today by African Americans and white people. Some people believe African Americans have earned the right to use the word. They use it as a greeting. Others believe it's okay for black and white people to use the word because they are not being racist by calling black people the n-word, but just using it as another greeting. Most people believe that no one should be able to say the word and that it is completely racist. We hear the n-word in music, movies, and books. But, the debate on the usage is still ongoing. Slavery started around 1619. Six to seven million slaves were imported to the United States during the 1700s. After the Revolutionary War, many colonists started to connect the mistreatment of the black slaves to their oppression with the British. Although states in the north had abolished slavery by the end of the 8th century, the south still kept it. Slavery was very important to the south because of its plantations that produced tobacco and cotton. The import of slaves was outlawed in 1808 but the slave population tripled in the next 50 years. In 1793, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. It made it a crime to help a slave escape. Many slaves fought for their freedom. A slave named Nat Turner killed his owners and killed 60 whites with the help of 75 other slaves in August 1831. The south was shaken by Nat Turner's revolt which was followed by many more. Harriet Tubman was a slave who escaped to the north. She is famous for returning to the south to help other slaves escape to the north using the Underground Railroad, a series of routes and systems used to help slaves to the north. John Brown was a white man who traveled to different states trying to support his family. He grew a big hatred for slavery. On one October night in 1859, he and other white men attempted to raid the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His goal was to use the ammunition to rebel against slave owners. He and the others we captured, but he became a voice against slavery. Finally, slavery ended in 1865 with the end of the Civil War. Although slavery ended, African Americans were still mistreated. A system was invented, segregating whites from blacks. Blacks were cut off from whites socially, economically and politically. African Americans had segregated schools, restaurants, and even restrooms. Drinking fountains were reserved for blacks and whites and they had different bus seats. Segregation was kept in place through the threat of violence and no right to vote. Blacks fought for their freedom throughout segregation. A series of nonviolent protests became known as the civil rights movement. Protests increased during World War 2 when blacks fought in segregated military units and were given the lowest pay. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister who became a huge voice activist during the segregation period. He led to marches and protests. He was most famous for speaking in front of 250,000 people in Washington D. C. There he said his famous “I have a dream” speech. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Sadly on April 4, 1968, he was assassinated. Other people also became a huge role in the Civil Rights movement. Ida B. Wells Barnett was born into slavery and became a teacher, a writer, and a supporter of the vote of women. Emmett Till was only 14 years old when he was murdered in Mississippi for talking to a white woman in 1955. His killers were found not guilty. Muhammad Ali became a heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 1964. He was stripped of his title but then regained it in 1974. Autherine Lucy tried to attend the University of Alabama but was met by an armed white mob. She was expelled with the excuse that was for her protection. Rosa Parks was arrested for not moving her seat of a white person on December 1, 1955. She sparked many civil rights movements such as the Montgomery bus boycott. Segregation finally ended in 1964, but racism wasn’t completely gone. It is still seen today.

Special Needs

The word “retard” or “retarded is used to describe a person who is handicapped or has a disability. It was used in the past to replace the word idiot, which was seen as a very bad swear word. Today, retard has become a very offensive term. Kids use it, calling someone a retard for doing something idiotic or dumb. It is now seen as a hurtful slur that is offensive towards the handicapped or disabled. Calling someone who is handicapped or disabled a retard or retarded is also now very offensive. The word “special needs” is now more appropriate. Going back to the 11th to 15th century most people thought people born with a disability were a punishment of sin or that they were born under the planet Saturn. Others thought that disabled people were closer to god. They believed they were suffering purgatory on earth and that when they die they would go straight to heaven. From 1400 to 1600, hospitals were lost from the 11th and 12th centuries. Nuns and monks were kicked out of monasteries so people with disabilities could be held. From the 17th to the 19th century, disabled people were thought to be caused by God or astrology. They thought disabled people could be fixed from their “madness”. A disabled person had suffered misfortune and deserved charity. During the early 20th century, people believed that people with disabilities were a threat to the health of the nation. They wanted to eliminate disabilities so their society could be stronger. People with disabilities were separated from everyone else so that the “human race could be perfect”. After 1945, disabled people were given rights and freedom. Jobs were open to them. Campaigns were held and the Paralympic Games were formed. Disabled people were now included. Many disabled people have made history. Albert Einstein had a learning disability and didn’t speak until he was 3. Thomas Edison also had a learning disability and couldn’t read until he was 12. He also became deaf when he went up to a moving train car. George Washington had a learning disability and could barely write and had poor grammar skills. Helen Keller was blind, deaf and mute. Marla Runyan had a disease called Stargardt disease. She couldn’t see in front of her well, but she still competed in the Olympics. Stephen Hawking is known as one of the most famous scientists. He was paralyzed. All these people overcame their disability and changed the world. Their disability was just an obstacle they overcame.

Conclusion

Other ethnic groups are attacked with hate speech. Although hate speech is bad, it is still going on today. Many ethnic groups still face the hurt words that come from peoples' mouths. But, they all have shown that they are more than just a hateful word someone may call them. Overcoming hate speech is a centuries-long task. Most hate speech hasn't been overcome yet. But each ethnic group is working hard to end the hateful words people have said to them. They are showing people they are more than a hateful word. Hate speech is just an obstacle fighting to be overcome.