# What's the best way to fight hate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 17, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847 "2017-08-17T02:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847/21 "2017-08-17T14:37:31Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Lots of people will disagree on what “relates to their job responsibilities” – such responsibilites can sometimes reasonable extend to “treat people with tolerance and kindness”. If a statement is hateful enough, that could be in question. My examples didn’t involve any of that though. A good example of someone who should have been fired was the Dodgers GM who said that blacks didn’t have the capacity to be managers. But I think that was appropriate only because he would be hiring managers. I don’t think it would have been appropriate to release a player for saying that. Let him deal with the boys in the locker room. Same goes for Colin Kaepernick and now Michael Bennett. If the boys can handle those differences there’s no reason for the teams to take action. > [@](#): > > I’m sure this is true, and I support a wide variety of tactics for this issue. Some people will be swayed by calm and gentle discussion, and some will need more of an assertive style, etc. All tactics can work and fail to work with different individuals. True, but Yglesias seems to be taking a practical approach, as in when in the minority, be reasoned, when in the majority, yell at people. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847/22 "2017-08-17T14:42:17Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > If a statement is hateful enough, that could be in question. My examples didn’t involve any of that though. A good example of someone who should have been fired was the Dodgers GM who said that blacks didn’t have the capacity to be managers. But I think that was appropriate only because he would be hiring managers. I don’t think it would have been appropriate to release a player for saying that. Let him deal with the boys in the locker room. Same goes for Colin Kaepernick and now Michael Bennett. If the boys can handle those differences there’s no reason for the teams to take action. I don’t have a problem with your position, but I also don’t have a problem with someone who feels differently about certain people (though I’d philosophically disagree if they wanted Kap to get fired for his political advocacy). But this is a tactic, and you still haven’t convinced me that it’s always inappropriate. Somtimes this tactic works and is appropriate, sometimes it’s not. There are no hard and fast rules. > [@](#): > > True, but Yglesias seems to be taking a practical approach, as in when in the minority, be reasoned, when in the majority, yell at people. I don’t think that’s exactly what he’s saying – I think he’s saying that there needs to be more calm and gentle reasoned discussion. And I’m fine with that – that tactic may be more effective in this circumstance. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847/23 "2017-08-17T19:56:12Z")
It’s not always inappropriate, I’m just against it being a go-to thing whenever people are offended by someone’s beliefs. Offense should not be enough. Society should mirror the government in that retaliation for speech should be viewpoint neutral. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847/24 "2017-08-18T00:03:45Z")
Politely. Seriously: just calling them rude names back is counter-productive. Call them out, but do so clinically, factually, in neutral language. Don’t attack them; don’t feed their victim complex. Simply oppose them, using legal means. I was at a protest once where one of the guys on the other side was outrageously rude and offensive, saying things that are beyond any possible justification. Some of our side wanted to shout at him and drown him out, but cooler heads persuaded our side to turn our backs upon him, silently, whenever he came near us. I honestly believe this was more effective, as it left room for the moderates, on his side, to admire us for our restraint. (And some of them actually did. A handful of them were apologizing for him, also.) We want to encourage the moderates, if at all possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-hate/793847.md?page=1)