Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

How should a liberal society respond to those who preach, or practice, hatred toward some of their fellow citizens? The issue is an agonizing one for liberals because it seems to expose a conflict between their two most cherished values. A liberal society prides itself on its acceptance of a wide diversity of communities and on its fostering of a climate of equal consideration and respect for members of those communities. It therefore rejects all forms of discrimination or intolerance based on such factors as race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, gender, age, disability, and sexual orientation. At the same time, liberals are commited to a vigorous form of freedom of expression which requires them to tolerate the advocacy of opinions which they regard as false, offensive, and even malicious. The activities of hate groups threaten to reveal a contradiction between liberal equality and liberal freedom. The ideology of these groups decisively rejects the liberal ideal of equality of respect and the public advocacy of this ideology arguably serves to undermine the equal social status of its targets, whether they be members of visible minorities, Jews, or gays. However, as a form of political expression, that advocacy seems to call for particularly robust protection in a liberal society. Liberals must therefore decide how far they are prepared to tolerate the activities ... log in or subscribe to read full text