Destructive messages
Subtitle: how hate speech paves the way for harmful social movements
By: Alexander Tsesis.
Series: Critical America
Publisher: New York University Press, c2002.
Published: 2002
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
Subjects: Oral communication -- Social aspects; Hate speech; Racism; Freedom of speech
Description: "Destructive Messages argues that hate speech is dangerous not only when it poses an immediate threat of harm. It is also dangerous when it is systematically developed over time, becoming part of a culturally acceptable dialogue which can foster the persecution of minorities.".

"Tsesis traces a causal link between racist and biased rhetoric and injustices like genocide and slavery. He shows that hate speech and propaganda, when left unregulated, can weave animosity into the social fabric to such a great extent that it can cultivate an environment supportive of the commission of hate crimes.

Tsesis uses historical examples to illuminate the central role racist speech played in encouraging attitudes that led to human rights violations against German Jews, Native Americans, and African Americans, and also discusses the dangers posed by hate speech spread on the Internet today. He also offers an examination of the psychology of scapegoating."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-238) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1 Introduction; title: I Historical Lessons about the Dangers of Hate Speech; title: 2 The Heart of German Anti-Semitism; title: 3 Endearing Racism in American Minds; title: 4 The Politics of Savagery and Indian Removal; title: 5 A Glance at Contemporary Hate Speech; title: Mauritanian Slavery; title: Bigotry in Contemporary United States Society; title: II Hate Propaganda's Socially Destructive Force; title: 6 The Social Psychology of Scapegoating; title: 7 Spreading Group Hatred; title: III Legal Response to Hate Speech; title: 8 United States Jurisprudence; title: The Roots of First Amendment Jurisprudence; title: Contemporary Formulations of First Amendment Doctrine; title: 9 Reconsidering Supreme Court Precedents; title: "Marketplace of Ideas" Doctrine; title: Imminent Threat of Harm; title: Content Regulations; title: 10 Out of the Quagmire; title: The Reciprocal Duty of Humanity; title: Equality of Right; title: 11 Destructive Messages' Threat to Justice and Equality; title: 12 But Will It Work? Regulation of Hate Propaganda in Other Countries; title: 13 Regulating Hate Speech; title: Developing a Policy Dealing with Hate Speech; title: Five Policy Considerations; title: Delimiting Restrictions on Hate Speech.