Does shock jock hate speech lead to violence?
BY JENNA KERN-RUGILE | Jenna Kern-Rugile is a frequent contributor to Newsday.
August 13, 2008
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-oprug135798395aug13,0,425365.story (http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-oprug135798395aug13,0,425365.story)
On July 27 a man walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville and opened fire, killing two people and seriously wounding seven others.
As someone who has chosen Unitarian Universalism as her faith, I was shaken by the news. Unitarian Universalism congregations, like ours on Long Island, define themselves as a "liberal religious community" - not liberal in the political sense, but because we believe in open-minded discourse and welcome people of all persuasions.
How could such a community become the target of hate?
I want to see the below become a call to action:
QuoteWhen I asked Rory O'Connor, author of a study of shock jocks and hate speech, for his take on the shootings, he replied, "Sure, these guys hold some responsibility for what happened, but we all hold responsibility - particularly anyone who hasn't stood up and spoken out against hate speech. We're all contributing to the climate where people are being dehumanized because of their beliefs."
Too many people think that 'free speech' means that your position prevails without challenge.
Karen