Messages of hatred were posted on a Facebook page that featured a picture of two daycare workers wearing niqabs leading children on an outdoor activity in Montreal. The picture was reprinted on the front pages of newspapers and became a hotly-debated subject on radio talk shows.
Secular charter unleashes hatred
This is the latest uproar sparked by the government of the province of Quebec and its proposal to forbid public service employees from wearing any religious clothing to work. The proposal is widely viewed as an attempt by a minority government to increase its support in the rural regions of the province where there is more fear and suspicion of ethnic minorities than in the cosmopolitan city of Montreal.
In the Facebook postings there was mention of bullets, burning and rape. Politicians said they were shocked. Some people were horrified.
“A breeding ground for hate speech”
Social media can be a breeding ground for hate speech, says Matthew Johnson, director of education for MediaSmarts, a non-profit group promoting digital and media literacy. He says certain aspects make it much easier for people to say things they would not say in person.
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“A lot of it has to do with the fact that when we are communicating with people on line we lack a lot of the physical and vocal cues that make us feel empathy towards someone. So we don’t see the effects that our words and actions have on other people…So it’s much easier to behave as though the other person doesn’t have feelings or isn’t real in some ways,” explains Johnson.
“So certainly when we’re already talking about a group we may not feel empathy towards for personal or political reasons it really can have a combined effect of giving people free reign to express some really hateful feelings.
More skewed news on the net
People also can select their news sources on the internet and are more likely to access sites and stories with biases and views similar to their own, says Johnson. “If you want to it’s entirely possible to get all of your news from outlets that agree with you politically. This means that you’re never having your opinions challenged and naturally, they’re going to become more and more extreme the longer you remain inside that bubble.”
“Essential” to recognize arguments based on hate and fear
Education is the solution, thinks Johnson. People, especially the young, need to recognize the difference between arguments based on hate and legitimate political discourse. That is one of the goals of his group,MediaSmarts, which prepares resource materials to help people use the internet wisely.
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