Preventing hurtful words and phrases from being uttered in public only increases their power in private. Nobody will ever change minds and hearts until we start taking all the ideas together, throwing them on the same table, and beating them with the same stick. The truth will survive, and the racist tripe will fall away in the cold light of day.
I want people to state their racist bigotry out loud, because then we can confront them. If you tell someone “you can’t use those words,” all they learn is, perhaps, not to use them in front of you. They *will* teach them to their kids, and they *will* laugh about it when you’re not around.
That’s no way to fix a society.
It’s only when my friends and neighbors feel comfortable enough to reveal their latent racism and homophobia to me that I can begin fight it at its roots. Open those doors, keep Don Imus on the air, start those arguments, and help make the world a better place.
The man says abhorrent, horrible things, but I will defend to the death his right to say them.
Words should not be unspeakable: good ideas should have the chance to win out over evil ones.
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