# Is this hate speech? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 18, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714 "2010-06-18T21:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/21 "2010-06-18T22:39:02Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Catholics? Did you miss the threads where Doper after Doper posted about being taught science in Catholic schools? Including evolution? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/22 "2010-06-18T22:41:18Z")
Yes, fortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/23 "2010-06-18T22:46:02Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Catholics? Ironically - or not - this comes much closer to hate speech than the comments about woo. 😉 > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Dio made a personal attack on several people at once. He comment was directed at a small group of specific individuals who had posted in a particular thread. So, he was insulting several people at once rather than one person at a time. > > Would I be permitted to say something like _“The people in this thread who disagree with me are obviously a bunch of morons”_ thus insulting a group without identifying any individual? It’s the same thing as Dio did. You would not be allowed to refer to other posters as morons even if you did not name names. But morons and comparisons to Klansmen and Nazis are a lot more insulting than “woo-woos.” I wouldn’t warn you for calling another poster in the same thread “woo-woo,” much less a different thread. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/24 "2010-06-18T22:46:57Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Yes, fortunately. Why fortunately? You prefer to remain ignorant on the subject of Catholics and science? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/25 "2010-06-18T22:56:02Z")
Let’s not go there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/26 "2010-06-18T22:58:58Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Let’s not go there. Good idea. Let’s refrain from more comments of this kind in ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/27 "2010-06-18T23:15:20Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The KKK is an organization that has been involved in the violent repression of black people and other minorities, including murder, beatings, firebombings, and other crimes. > > I’m not really seeing a close similarity in the level of insult to the use of “woowoo.” Okay, then. What about Skep-dicks? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/28 "2010-06-18T23:27:59Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Like **Bosstone** says, you used one as a hypothetical insult of one person. **Diogenes** made a general statement. > [@Marley23](#): > > I wouldn’t warn you for calling another poster in the same thread “woo-woo,” much less a different thread. There’s a bit of a contradiction between those two statements, isn’t there. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/29 "2010-06-18T23:47:30Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > I think that there is as much hatred packed into that word as there is in \*faggot \*or _kike_. How about you make a poll in IMHO and see if the majority agrees with you on that. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/30 "2010-06-18T23:51:40Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > There’s a bit of a contradiction between those two statements, isn’t there. > [@Marley23](#): > > But morons and comparisons to Klansmen and Nazis are a lot more insulting than “woo-woos.” **Diogenes the Cynic** was indeed making a comment about a group of posters. I meant to acknowledge that explicitly in post #23 but I deleted that line for some reason. The word he used isn’t nice but it doesn’t rise to the level of being a personal insult. It does not compare in terms of nastiness to sKKKeptic, faggot\*, Republicanazi, or skep-dick. Any of those words would merit a warning. “Woo-woos” doesn’t. “Woo-woos” means “posters who believe in things I am characterizing as woo.” Not polite, but again, not a personal insult and not even within light years of being called hate speech. \*So faggot and kike are the only word used in this thread that would probably qualify as hate speech. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/31 "2010-06-18T23:54:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s not what “woo” means. It’s a catchall term for New Agey spiritual-type stuff. ([Cite from www.skepdic.com.](http://www.skepdic.com/woowoo.html)) … And actually he used the word in an unusual way. Usually it’s the _ideas_ that are described as “woo,” not the people who believe in them This isn’t correct, by the way. As a counter cite, just see any page from Randi’s website. Approximately every 100th word is “woowoo” or some variant. It is not just New Age stuff, it’s anything from a scientist expressing an opinion that ESP might possibly be real, to a musician expressing the opinion that Stradivarius violins sound better than other types. Both the people and the ideas get called “woowoo”, but 9 times out of 10, it is the people. Dio’s usage is the usual. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/32 "2010-06-19T00:24:29Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Diogenes the Cynic** was indeed making a comment about a group of posters. I meant to acknowledge that explicitly in post #23 but I deleted that line for some reason. The word he used isn’t nice but it doesn’t rise to the level of being a personal insult. It does not compare in terms of nastiness to sKKKeptic, faggot\*, Republicanazi, or skep-dick. Any of those words would merit a warning. “Woo-woos” doesn’t. “Woo-woos” means “posters who believe in things I am characterizing as woo.” Not polite, but again, not a personal insult and not even within light years of being called hate speech. > > \*So faggot and kike are the only word used in this thread that would probably qualify as hate speech. In the first place, you’ve contradicted yourself again. You said in post #12 that Republicanazi is “allowed in general” but now would “merit a warning” In the second place, you objected to references to nazis, or the KKK. Point taken, but “skep-dick” has neither of those. I think it’s exactly equal in nastiness to “woowoo.” Allowing one, but banning the other is a double standard. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/33 "2010-06-19T00:35:33Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > In the second place, you objected to references to nazis, or the KKK. Point taken, but “skep-dick” has neither of those. I think it’s exactly equal in nastiness to “woowoo.” Allowing one, but banning the other is a double standard. “skep-dick” contains a vulgarity. You’re calling the target a dick. “woowoo” does not contain a vulgarity. The target is being called silly. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/34 "2010-06-19T00:36:26Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > This isn’t correct, by the way. As a counter cite, just see any page from Randi’s website. Approximately every 100th word is “woowoo” or some variant. It is not just New Age stuff, it’s anything from a scientist expressing an opinion that ESP might possibly be real, to a musician expressing the opinion that Stradivarius violins sound better than other types. Both the people and the ideas get called “woowoo”, but 9 times out of 10, it is the people. Dio’s usage is the usual. The word “woo” is synonymous with “magic”. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/35 "2010-06-19T00:39:24Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > In the second place, you objected to references to nazis, or the KKK. Point taken, but “skep-dick” has neither of those. I think it’s exactly equal in nastiness to “woowoo.” Allowing one, but banning the other is a double standard. Skep-dick is only insulting because of the -dick part, because it is a vulgar allusion to a penis. If I called you a woo-dick, that would be equivalent to skep-dick. Woo-woo characterizes your views as not worthy of consideration, but it contains no intrinisic vulgarity. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/36 "2010-06-19T00:40:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > In the first place, you’ve contradicted yourself again. You said in post #12 that Republicanazi is “allowed in general” but now would “merit a warning” You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s been a long week and I obviously need to take a break and resume this later. I was vague about this: I would give a warning if you called another poster a SKKKepdic, skep-dick, faggot, or Republicanazi. If you were making a comment about (say) the Republican party in general, Republicanazi would not merit a warning. > [@](#): > > In the second place, you objected to references to nazis, or the KKK. Point taken, but “skep-dick” has neither of those. I think it’s exactly equal in nastiness to “woowoo.” Allowing one, but banning the other is a double standard. The double standard exists only in your head. If you call another poster a skep-dick, you are _clearly_ calling him a dick. It’s the second half of the word. It’s still a much nastier insult that “woo-woo.” I am happy to continue on this vein later if you like, but I don’t think your argument holds any water. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/37 "2010-06-19T00:42:13Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > “skep-dick” contains a vulgarity. You’re calling the target a dick. > > “woowoo” does not contain a vulgarity. The target is being called silly. woowoo means vagina. See earlier posts in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/38 "2010-06-19T00:44:38Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The double standard exists only in your head. If you call another poster a skep-dick, you are _clearly_ calling him a dick. woowoo means vagina. If you call someone a woowoo you are clearly calling him a cunt. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/39 "2010-06-19T00:46:21Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > woowoo means vagina. See earlier posts in this thread. A) Your personal definition of the word is irrelevant. Society defines the meaning of a word, not you. B) Even if it did mean “pussy”, society defines the relative nastiness of a word not logic. Calling a woman a cunt is not equivalent to calling a man a dick. The former is generally seen in the US as being far more insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714/40 "2010-06-19T00:46:50Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > I think that from now on, all vaginas must now be referred to as “woo-woo’s” > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > woowoo means vagina. See earlier posts in this thread. Woowoo does not mean vagina. **Gimpy** was making a joke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-hate-speech/543714.md?page=3)