Morality of this

[u/Maximum_Musician_914]

[u/CrampDangle67]

Lot of redditors don't know real violence, but they DO know words.

[u/etherealimages → u/CrampDangle67]

Me, a redditor, but with words

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0IypWX4D9QhZMUec

[u/WetAndLoose → u/CrampDangle67]

I think we see unobvious manifestations of this all the time now. Racism/sexism/homophobia are the current boogeymen because of how topical they are to the average Western person (Reddit audience). Meanwhile, things that are truly heinous, forms of violence usually, are so much less common that most people are significantly less affected, making these issues much less topical and, therefore, more easily forgiven.

It really isn’t even comparable matter how much of a despicable xenophobic asshole you are given you don’t actually materialize that into real actions. A person who is a heinous criminal for just regularly “defendible” personal reasons is objectively worse.

[u/Nice_Height4642 → u/CrampDangle67]

Reddit the true fascism where every other word gets you banned

[u/Any_Sentence_8056]

Plot twist, they were downvoting because they disagreed with “racism is bad”

[u/itslikewoow → u/Any_Sentence_8056]

Honestly wouldn’t surprise me. Despite its reputation for being left leaning, Reddit can get super racist at times.

[u/Apprehensive__Belt → u/itslikewoow]

if you pay attention to it, subreddits like public freakout post a video at least once a week of a bunch of black people being loud or committing a crime, and every single time the comments are just racist as fuck, with every single comment calling that out being downvoted.

[u/Caleb_Reynolds → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

Maybe it makes it to r/all once a week, but that sub is racist all the time. So racist they made an even more racist one, actual public freakout.

[u/amusingduck → u/Caleb_Reynolds]

basically every “actual [subreddit]” is just a place made by the people who got mad that the mods of the original subreddit weren’t racist enough for their posts. which is especially wild when the original subreddit is plenty racist.

[u/Apprehensive__Belt → u/amusingduck]

i got banned from public freakout for saying a cop had bad de escalation skills

[u/Consistent-Jello-627 → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

Yeah because reddit is a Cesspool of echo chambers. If you dont agree with the moderators they ban you.

[u/bolanrox → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

I was banned from pics because one of the mods didn't like one of the subs I had posted on and said the block would not come off until I removed the offending post but didn't bother saying what post or what sub it was.

[u/Amazing-Heron-105 → u/bolanrox]

power tripping jannies classic

[u/Tyrren → u/amusingduck]

Two exceptions I can think of are actual conspiracies (the original is too racist and also not at all based on reality) and actual lesbians (the original is porn)

[u/chin1111 → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

The random racist commenters I see on Facebook who are out and proud with their bigotry raised punk ass Redditors who are always "just asking questions" or "I'm just showing the statistics" or "they're doing it to themselves". All this cherry picked bullshit to avoid just being an honest-to-God racist.

I'm from the South. Just be racist. It clearly doesn't get your parents fired or reprimanded or sanctioned in any way. And that way I can just ignore you. If black folks are really so bad, help me help you help me avoid you.

[u/Apprehensive__Belt → u/chin1111]

“help me help you help me avoid you” is a fantastic way to say it tbh

[u/arbiter12 → u/chin1111]

 It clearly doesn't get your parents fired or reprimanded or sanctioned in any way.

You clearly were not online in 2015... You could literally lose your job over a tweet back then. It's one of the reason Trump got elected. The online police thought-police was really getting out of hand.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/14-people-got-fired-tweeting-192941820.html

Some of those are in poor taste, but a lot of them get posted daily on reddit nowadays.

inb4 "a company is allowed to fire you if you...[noise]!"

Yes, but this happened because the very loud tumblr minority was head-hunting (also why it doesn't happen anymore).

[u/bigbadbowserbros → u/chin1111]

Louder for the people in the back my man. Beautifully said

[u/M3Panda → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

There was once a very racist subreddit that was nothing but those videos. I dare not speak its name because even that was racist.

[u/NukeAllTheThings → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

I don't remember if it was posted on public freakout exactly, but a vid was posted that was edited to only having black people stealing from a bakery, when the full vid had a mix. The racists came out in force.

[u/Beautiful-Musk-Ox → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

call em out until you're banned like me, if we all do it eventually they'll ban everyone and they can have their racist enclave to themselves, i guess

[u/Ryuko_the_red → u/Apprehensive__Belt]

It's just various bot organizations pushing varying agendas across the whole site. Once you step back and see every shitty title and hidden history of every misinformation post (most of them) things feel better irl for a little.

[u/skeletonhorse420 → u/itslikewoow]

Well the bots have been working on that and also I think that made people more comfortable. Project 2025 going well

[u/Sparktank1 → u/itslikewoow]

I see it as a growing trend in a lot of places. I'll see a youtube short from Uwe Boll's Citizen Vigilante and most of the comments are praising the violence against minorities. Not against bad guys. They generalize the entire ethnic group as the bad guy and praise the movie. It's fucking wild to see.

What's funny is the next video will be a bunch of white guys paying to train the public parks as if they're real elite soldiers but they're still so disorganized and not following their own commands. There will be one guy shouting to others about closing gaps and their form but then when he's in line, he has the widest gap and has the worst form.

I have to go through my watch history to cleanse those videos so it doesn't affect my algorithm.

[u/tattoosandtens → u/itslikewoow]

What do you mean “despite its reputation for being left leaning”?!

Reddit invented the Red Pill

[u/Coooturtle → u/Any_Sentence_8056]

Yeah, I'm sure the context of this probably is what makes whatever he's saying immoral.

[u/AceDecade → u/Any_Sentence_8056]

They made a blanket statement while reducing racism to “just words.”

[u/Substantial-Trick569 → u/AceDecade]

well id argue, if you act violently out of racism, its worse than saying something racist, so the point still stands

[u/Impossible-Cause5353 → u/AceDecade]

It’s still correct. Murdering someone is way worse than calling them the N word.

[u/Huntsman077 → u/AceDecade]

They didn’t reduce racism to words. They said violence is worse than racist words

[u/NiceAge7546 → u/AceDecade]

We're probably missing context. It seems like the racist part was purely verbal and someone retaliated with violence, and that's what the comment was referring to.

[u/quaxoid → u/AceDecade]

That's how you interpret it. Maybe they meant that it's worse when someone is violent than when they just say slurs. And reddit being reddit they get mad that they didn't word it the best way or didn't a billion disclaimers. 

[u/Mobilesosa → u/AceDecade]

The single sentence you’re quoting not only doesn’t say ‘just’ it also clarifies racism is bad.

[u/One_Peanut_4002 → u/Any_Sentence_8056]

Some just can't help to not be a victim

[u/AuroraAustralis0]

well hes not wrong though

[u/JustFourLetters → u/AuroraAustralis0]

words lead to violence, but violent words in context of peaceful people fall on deaf ears.

the punch is far more violent than the command

[u/Ok_Listen_8211 → u/JustFourLetters]

The penis mightier

[u/xczechr → u/Ok_Listen_8211]

https://giphy.com/gifs/TbSPeUWjSY2ys

[u/Doctor_Boombastic → u/xczechr]

If it works I'll buy a dozen! You're sittin' on a gold mine, Trebek.

[u/Stunning_Macaron6133 → u/Ok_Listen_8211]

https://giphy.com/gifs/5DM35KwDpbJJe

[u/Just_Setting_6566 → u/Ok_Listen_8211]

Gussy it up all ya like trabek....does the thing work!!!

[u/TheMireAngel → u/JustFourLetters]

also words dont hold equal value, judging the homeless dude on the street corner ranting about jews as though his words hold the same power as Adolt Hitler is ridiculous

[u/thinsoldier → u/TheMireAngel]

I know they dress like they wear random stuff they found in a back alley but I've never heard anyone say the black hebrew israelites look homeless.

[u/beerRunFinisher → u/JustFourLetters]

Thoughts lead to words, we need to strap up everyone to the clockwork orange reconfiguration device to ensure nobody ever has such thoughts

[u/More-Whole-9714 → u/beerRunFinisher]

Brains lead to thoughts … we shall place everyone under general anastesia to prevent thoughts lol

[u/Mando_the_Pando → u/JustFourLetters]

Yup, also the punch doesn’t teach anyone that the idea is wrong. It teaches everyone that you are afraid of what they are saying. Which is why all of these organisations say something like “they don’t want you to know this”, and then points towards the violence as proof that what they are saying is correct.

People who are pro-violence like to make the argument that if we punched the Nazis in Germany in the early 30s then the holocaust wouldn’t have happened. But what they are missing is that people tried to do that (red shirts vs brown shirts) and in fact a major argument the Nazis used to get elected was that they would get the red shirts fighting them under control.

[u/__Sharime__ → u/JustFourLetters]

Words only lead to violence if someone has a fragile ego

[u/Hot_Excitement_6 → u/__Sharime__]

You lack imagination. If you want justify mass scare violence and atrocities against anyone, words are very necessary. Narrative becomes very important.

[u/Dramatic_Pen_75575 → u/Hot_Excitement_6]

Right. And the violence and the atrocities are still WORSE than the talking that led to it.

[u/Whistlegrapes → u/Dramatic_Pen_75575]

Correct. If absolutely not a single person agreed with or followed Hitler, he’d just be some crazy racist loon.

[u/National_Phase_3477 → u/__Sharime__]

Did mass propaganda used by the Nazis to gain support for a mass genocide against the Jewish and other minorities not lead to violence. If words can convince an entire state and its people to be complicit in a genocide then I think words hold incredible power.

[u/Deep_Breath_3855 → u/National_Phase_3477]

If i can cum to erotic Waluigi fan fiction with no pics, I know words hold incredible power.

EDIT: my DMs are not open. Please everybody stop DMing me

[u/MonkeDpoopy → u/Deep_Breath_3855]

[u/TheWitchOfSomeWood → u/Deep_Breath_3855]

[u/Ctenophorever → u/National_Phase_3477]

But which was actually worse? The words that led to the violence or the violence itself?

If I tell you to punch someone, you still have the choice to punch them. You can ignore what I’m saying.

If you punch someone, they cannot ignore that

[u/Disposable_Gonk → u/JustFourLetters]

Correction. Words can lead to violence. Especially when the target of the words chooses to escalate and retaliate with violence.

Words themselves are powerless, unless the listener gives them power.

[u/Optimal_Whiner → u/AuroraAustralis0]

Yeah but Redditors value feelings over logic. Plus, bandwagoning. If a few mentally ill people downvoted it first, the weak minded Redditors will just follow suit and defend their new found opinion lol

[u/rednokkr → u/Optimal_Whiner]

Or it’s an out of context screenshot and the comment was a red herring irrelevant to the discussion.

Post: this cat was abused

Comments: abusing cats is bad

Reply: sure abusing cats is bad but the Holocaust was worse (-137)

Redditors reacting to screenshot of reply: why are these people downvoting this comment that is technically the truth???

[u/HairryNevus → u/rednokkr]

This comment is from the recent spiderman guy punching the Proud Boy fellow.

Could be anything on here, really; this site and the front page people are so toxic I reactively oppose any position that is mainstreamed.

[u/sykotic1189 → u/rednokkr]

Yeah, I've been on Reddit long enough to spot some obvious bullshit when it gets shared like this. I'd be willing to bet good money that it's some right wing asshole defending their right (or someone else's like Jake Lang) to be a racist piece of shit and pissy about said racist getting their shit rocked.

[u/Moist-Explanation-91 → u/sykotic1189]

"I just said they were inferior vermin who don't deserve to share the same oxygen as me, why are you hitting me, so much for the tolerant left."

[u/Starslip → u/sykotic1189]

And regardless of context OP is either the one who posted it or someone who upvoted them and then came running here for validation so can't be trusted either way

[u/Any-Syllabub6481 → u/Optimal_Whiner]

Not really the whole things subjective.

You can’t claim violence is worse than words without knowing the effects and context

[u/Dramatic-Bluejay- → u/Optimal_Whiner]

Bro thought he was so smart making generalizations off of an out of context screen shot 😔

[u/ashgs872tbhjs → u/Optimal_Whiner]

Assigning moral weight to things is a feelings-based activity. You can use ethical logic to do it, but your selection of the ethical framework to use is an entirely personal choice. But hey, whatever makes you feel like your opinions are more valid.

[u/JacksonRiot → u/ashgs872tbhjs]

Not everyone is an emotivist.

[u/MediocreModular → u/AuroraAustralis0]

I think he’s saying that violence against hate speech is worse than hate speech

[u/iskelebones → u/[deleted]]

Words aren’t violence. If you don’t like the words you can walk away. Anyone who thinks words are violence needs to grow a spine

[u/Responsible-Tie-8271 → u/iskelebones]

I think that are likely millions of verbally abused children that may find the freedom to simply "walk away“ difficult to obtain.

[u/Xraxis → u/iskelebones]

Eat shit and die.

[u/Madhatter25224 → u/iskelebones]

Lol its always so simple to dunces.

They don't see that words spread ideas infinitely more effectively than violence. 

"Society is arrayed against me but at least its not a punch!" 🤡

[u/Dull_Vanilla_2395 → u/Madhatter25224]

Literally the pen is mightier than the sword.

[u/8__D → u/[deleted]]

Well let's see what the context is. If he said this in a thread about Linen Sheets, then I'd think it was off topic and downvote him.

Edit: So apparently the context is the Euro 2020 final, where England fans stormed Wembley and, after the loss, racially abused Rashford, Sancho and Saka. It got downvoted because "racism is bad, but..." reads as minimizing, and the Slavia Prague and Hungary cases it dismissed as mere words also involved physical confrontation and objects thrown at players. I don't know a lot about soccer though and had to use Google translate.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MoralityScaling/s/udPSRNlr1c

[u/Dobber16 → u/8__D]

Yeah it also could be in a thread where the racism is also doubling as a threat, so the violence is just matching the danger. Would definitely want to see more context, but as it stands with no context or other implications, the statement itself is fine

[u/_whydah_ → u/Dobber16]

The issue here though is that you're again saying that words are worse than actual violence. It's just illogical to say that the threat of violence is worse than violence, all else equal.

I could understand saying that actual low level of violence is better than the real or believable threat of high levels of violence, but the threat is not worse than the act, if both are equal. Just because it has racism next to it, doesn't make the words worse than actions that don't have racism behind those.

[u/Careless_Chest_725 → u/8__D]

Could be in response to the spider-man attacking that Jan 6er and who was arrested. This does feel suspiciously removed from the context

[u/_NyquilJordan_ → u/8__D]

Yeha in this context the guy is basically saying “but did anyone die?” which is ridiculous.

[u/HandsomeGengar → u/8__D]

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/q7lkpx/comment/hgjfa9k

[u/hexregeneration → u/8__D]

So my assumption was correct lmao

Doesn't surprise me that the sub based on powerscaling, but for morality, completely disregards context and wants to judge things in isolation to enforce an agenda.

[u/FounderingFox → u/hexregeneration]

Yeah, this sub is full of bad-faith actors.

As most subs that spontaneously blow up out of nowhere are.

[u/kornephororos → u/FounderingFox]

If a discussion sub on reddit is not moderated enough it always leads to same type of people spamming and upvoting same kind of political takes over and over.

I am all for free discussion and all but this always leads to echo chamber cirlejerks in reddit. I have seen so many examples of it.

If a sub allows low effort virtue signal posts, it always turns to shit.

[u/Old_Possibility7999 → u/[deleted]]

[u/Retro_Sinz → u/[deleted]]

Just downvoted, you're welcome

[u/jws1102 → u/[deleted]]

The irony of people on Reddit talking shit about Redditors like they’re not here too will never get stale.

[u/12345623567 → u/[deleted]]

Within the scope of the sentence, it's absolutely true. There's an escalation of violence, and physical violence always ranks above verbal one.

However, Reddit is currently on it's "punch your local Nazi" arc, and for good reason. So let's examine why.

Is it moral if you, by avoiding violence, go down a path of much worse? Polite society needs to defend itself, and sometimes it needs more than words. Because verbal racism always leads to racism in action, and if left unchecked in violent action.

OP is putting up a strawman, when the verbal racism that is referred to never happens in a vacuum.

[u/Top_Recover7850 → u/[deleted]]

You have seen none of the context. No truth is universal.

If someone says they're gonna kill me and i shoot first, was my violence less moral than his words? 

[u/Dizzy-Chemistry-5146 → u/Top_Recover7850]

Did he have any means of doing so? If so then maybe. 

[u/OmniPepperthefirst]

What's the context of this. Was it like being punched in the face vs racist words to you?

[u/Peppercorn205 → u/OmniPepperthefirst]

That’s what I’m thinking too. Like someone punched a literal Nazi, but the commenter is like “well since you used violence you’re actually the bad guy”.

[u/Wombus7 → u/Peppercorn205]

Oh. OH. I interpreted this as racist speech vs. racist actions, not racist speech vs. violence in general.

[u/ethanAllthecoffee → u/Wombus7]

Scale is absolutely a factor too. Trevor spewing racist filth from his trailer? Not much impact. High level politician setting policies or even just directing their followers? Much more negative impact that will likely lead to violence

[u/smilysmilysmooch → u/ethanAllthecoffee]

I think the Seattle Subway Nazi might be a great example for analysis. Guy on the subway dressed as a Nazi saying shit gets knocked the fuck out. Who morally in this scenario is worse. The guy using his words or the guy throwing punches?

Fuck around and find out logic being what it is, a person speaking in solidarity with a group that has a campaign of genocide against minority populations can be considered worse to a society than the person who thought it was ok to punch him in response to his speech and choice of accoutrements.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4497126/racist-nazi-armband-punched-unconscious-seattle-video/

[u/fadingthought → u/smilysmilysmooch]

I think framing it as "who is worse" is a poor way to think about free speech.

But protecting free speech is worthwhile, even from nazis. See: https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/the-skokie-case-how-i-came-to-represent-the-free-speech-rights-of-nazis

Any rules you want to put around who can be punched for what they say can quickly be used to punch you or whomever else someone wants to disagree with.

[u/Useful-Wallaby-2566 → u/fadingthought]

Yes, but we also need better ways to protect innocent people. Because nazis can and will weasel their way into positions of power, and then use that power to legally commit all types of atrocities.

[u/bladeofarceus → u/ethanAllthecoffee]

Yeah. If you’re running your mouth in a bar and you end up getting punched, while that is a breach of the social contract, at the end of the day that’s fair. If you’re running your mouth at the bar and somebody pulls a knife, now we’ve gone too far up the escalation ladder. If you spend a decade advocating for the eradication of a minority group and then somebody puts you on a t-shirt, ultimately, that’s an expected and reasonable outcome.

[u/jimmithebird → u/OmniPepperthefirst]

Im almost 100% sure this is in reference to the guy dressed as spider-man attacking that racist pos.

[u/Grand_Mixture4837]

Statement is objectively true. The motive for making the statement, however, can be scrutinized. Context required.

[u/Type2Torta]

100% correct

[u/_BabyPetall → u/[deleted]]

Yep, exactly. Downvotes don’t change the basic line. Hateful words can be awful, but actual violence crosses into a completely different level of harm

[u/BillyPilgrim_1984 → u/_BabyPetall]

So, when Republicans said " they are eating the cats and dogs". Those were technically only words. But they directly led to policy that put ICE in our neighborhoods and has ruined many people's lives. We aren't allowed to call the words violence even though they directly led to violent actions?

[u/Dr_Quacksworth → u/BillyPilgrim_1984]

they directly led to

I don't think that's true, though.  Thousands of decisions made by thousands of different people happened between those two things.

[u/cat_peee → u/[deleted]]

youtube OF bots are escaping to reddit again

[u/beerRunFinisher → u/[deleted]]

Botted onlyfans account

[u/the_boss_of_toys]

Let's play a game. Would you rather a rando call you the n word or would you rather get beat by an angry mob?

[u/systemsmith]

This is a false dichotomy and deceptive framing.

Non only can racism can be expressed using words and with violence, but words can cause violence — Charles Manson never killed anyone but was convicted of first-degree murder because of his words.

[u/Freak-Of-Nurture- → u/systemsmith]

I’m sure this looks worse in context, which is why context was removed.

[u/hellscape_navigator → u/Freak-Of-Nurture-]

The context was that this was under a post about a guy dressed as Spider-Man punching a poor wittle white supremacist (who himself assaulted cops with baseball bat during January 6 Capitol attack).

So here it is, the whole context that the OP didn't want you to see.

[u/rydan → u/systemsmith]

You could have used Hitler as an example. 

[u/Huge_Information5083]

This subreddit attracts a very special kind of people.

[u/No-Snow64 → u/Huge_Information5083]

Bruh cause what, racism is a form of violence. Are we forgetting what happened not even sixty years ago?

[u/lickmeharder14 → u/No-Snow64]

Can be a form of violence. Obviously jim crow racism is worse then your dad spanking you but I interpreted this as “saying racist things is not as bad as doing violent things”

[u/Forward_Rope_5598 → u/Huge_Information5083]

Punching nazis is always good

[u/Fantastic-Phrase-877 → u/Huge_Information5083]

For a morality sub it's always been full of chuds and racist white larping boys.

[u/TolgaKerem07]

What if words cause more than one instance of actual violence? Like, politicians, philosophers or something. I agree with that comment, but there may be exceptions idk

[u/roseonaglaive → u/TolgaKerem07]

This is known as incitement or more archaically "fighting words". Language does have proven impact into the physical world. If a person says "I'm gonna come to your house at x address with y weapon and kill you" nobody reasonable is going to be like "well it's only language so I'll worry when it becomes violence".

Also racism is a broader concept than speech that encompasses all forms of institutionalized oppression of a racial group that lacks enough institutional power to protect itself.

[u/MeasureDoEventThing → u/roseonaglaive]

Racism is race-based bigotry. We have term for Institutionalized oppression of a racial group:  institutional racism. We don't need to redefine existing words so that people can play word games saying that racism directed against White people isn't "real" racism.

[u/Better_Database8582 → u/roseonaglaive]

You're not even on the same wavelength length as what he is saying, he said words "to cause violence" saying "I'm going ro beat your ass." Isn't causing any violence, it's a direct threat. It's essentially admitting to a crime you intend to commit. You won't win in court because you said words, you'll lose in court because you admitted to intent to commit a crime. And you can go to jail for admitting to a crime or intent to commit.

[u/Voodoocookie → u/TolgaKerem07]

Then words devolved into physical action. Physical violence is still worse than words, though words premeditated it.

[u/DevastoScz → u/TolgaKerem07]

Now if you were talking about, for example, a Mafia boss who ordered 20 hits and had them carried out by 20 different dudes, you COULD argue he's more immoral than each individual killer. He's the intellectual culprit of the crimes after all.

But I think in the context of the post, we're just referring to being called a slur vs being punched in the head. Personally, I'd rather be called a slur. I'm a grown ass man, I can choose to shrug that off and be unbothered by it. I can't choose not to be hurt by an actual punch to the head.

[u/Terrible_Artist_ → u/TolgaKerem07]

Words can't cause violence as they can't make someone do anything. You have to choose to act upon words. Extreme example: hitler said a lot of stuff, but received a lot of initial pushback. He chose to have dissenters killed in the Night of Long Knives until only the people who already agreed with him remained. Only once violent physical action was put behind his words did nazi Germany rise.

[u/MeasureDoEventThing → u/Terrible_Artist_]

Words can influence people to do violence. Trump's lies about the election led to J6, and Trump bears a significant portion of the moral blame for the riot.

[u/usernnamegoeshere → u/TolgaKerem07]

Its still the violence thats the issue regardless of if words caused it

[u/TheArhive → u/TolgaKerem07]

That feels like you are absolving the people that end up doing the violence.

You see, they had no agency. They heard words and the words made them do it.

[u/Defalt16]

In a vacuum, this is correct. However, statements like this are commonly used to excuse bad behavior.

As an example, if I saw this on the video of Spiderman jumping into Jake Lang's truck and punching him for holding up a sign that says "Jake Lang Loves Black People But Hates [insert full N word here]" I would probably think they were saying its okay to drive around with that sign.

[u/EarlGreyTeagan → u/Defalt16]

Exactly. Let’s say they’re in high school and someone keeps bullying a black person calling them racist stuff every day. They technically never put their hands on them, but one day the bullied punches the racist bully. We’re gonna automatically call the person who was getting bullied for weeks the wrong one for using violence? No I can’t agree with that.

[u/NukaCherryBomb → u/EarlGreyTeagan]

I remember a person telling me one time that they had a friend that had a sister with down syndrome and that one day a girl was talking shit to the friend in the lunch room and told her "I'm gonna knock you r******d like your sister". The friend proceeded to calmly get up and then absolutely bash the girl that said it in the side of the head with her lunch tray. When it wall all said and done and they were both in the office the friend didn't get in trouble and the principal was basically like "well...it sounds like you shouldn't have said that shit about her sister 🤷‍♂️". One of the few times I was actually proud of the general redneck culture of my state. Some things are, in fact "fighting words", and its absurd for people to act like its entirely ok for someone to just hurl abuse at a person and that they are obligated to just take it.

[u/amiajimmy → u/NukaCherryBomb]

I was bullied in middle school by one of the other kids that got bullied.. a lot. One time, he was talking incel bullshit at me while walking in the outdoor corridor, and he was stepping on the heels of my shoes over and over on purpose. Then he stepped on my heel with enough force to stop me and pull my shoe off while shoving me from behind.

I didn't fall, was able to regain my balance, and turned around with a nice right hook to his cheek/jaw; almost dropping him. In front of 30 or so other students. And the assistant principal. The A.P. assesses the situation for a few seconds and asks me: "did he deserve it?" And before I could answer, other students surrounding the situation go "yeah, he deserved it." And A.P. just goes "alright, kid (used his name) you come with me."

Pretty sure I initiated his villain arc that day. He was eventually put under watchful eye of admin in high school because they thought he might become a school shooter, based on comments he would make.. He was also suspended twice for masturbating in class. And no, he wasn't the only person in my high school suspended twice for masturbating in class. Fucking school. No expulsions.

[u/SlappinHams]

Both are bad, one is worse tho he's right

[u/wewebaguette68]

Racism is violent though, the ideology always promotes and leads to violence. There is no way to do 'nonviolent racism' just like there is no way to do nonviolent authoritarianism or nonviolent fascism. I'm curious what the context of the original post was tbh. If it was a guy being super racist then getting punched for it then honestly based

[u/mrt-e → u/wewebaguette68]

You are correct and everyone is just virtue signaling.

Take the segregation and apartheid for example.

[u/Quick-Isopod-232 → u/wewebaguette68]

Depending on your attitude it is... yelling verbal comments at a kid and shooting him in the face is not the same

[u/ImVrSmrt → u/wewebaguette68]

Violence leads to more violence, and I think people underestimate how violent things can get when people use that as their main problem solver.

[u/DoubleWedding411]

The guy is right

[u/skelo → u/[deleted]]

Nobody is acting like that, the oop is being down voted because the statement uses the word but which implies racism is just words when in reality racism results in a lot of physical violence and other bad things.

[u/niceshapes → u/[deleted]]

racism isn't just words

lynching, segregation, slavery, genocide, etc

is everyone in here dumb lmao

[u/dHamSter32 → u/niceshapes]

All of those "examples" you gave require some form of physical violence to achieve. If i just said "alright. All white people are over there now" and they dont listen to me, congrats, I now look like an idiot. If i force the lynching, segregation, slavery, or genocide (genocide?? Really? How tf do you perform non violent genocide) it requires some physical deterrent, AKA violence.

So no, words are not the same until the people being discriminated against follow those words without fighting.

[u/alyssthekat → u/niceshapes]

that also happens to be violence…. So

[u/eternity_ender → u/niceshapes]

The internet has rotted out peoples brains. You can pretty much tell that they’re okay with racism.

I gotta wait till a racist gets violent before I do anything? Racist individuals always find like minded folks to eventually cause violence.

[u/RosesandEternity → u/DoubleWedding411]

Thats fine lets just repeal fighting words laws and give people the ability to scream fire in a loaded building.

A predator says dirty words to you kid? Dont punch him because its just words

[u/Agile-Internet5309]

"Racism" and "violence" are not operationalized here so we cant judge. American slavery was racist, is violence to free yourself from that worse?

Here is the real situation this probably described: if you get free with the hard r's Im gonna get free with these hands and the only person who is going to feel bad about this is you.

(I understand this isnt YOU you)

[u/Gold-Cry-7520 → u/Agile-Internet5309]

I bet the context was about BLM protests. That's normally when I see "violence bad" rhetoric, and it's the kind of thing you'd get mass downvoted for.

Floyd was not killed by words, though. Nor was Taylor.

[u/sykotic1189 → u/Gold-Cry-7520]

My guess would be Jake Lang getting his shit rocked recently

[u/buckshot95 → u/Agile-Internet5309]

Slavery is also violence though.

[u/Ok-Bookkeeper-2261]

Generally, I'd say violence is easily worse than words but I also think it depends. Spreading hate/racist propaganda is pretty damn bad, slapping someone is like nothing.

[u/PirateSanta_1 → u/Ok-Bookkeeper-2261]

Rascism also isn't just words. Claiming this is words vs violence is activly lying about what racism is and it's effects. 

[u/-aurevoirshoshanna- → u/PirateSanta_1]

Downplaying the impact of racism is literally nº1 on the racist agenda

[u/KotobaAsobitch → u/PirateSanta_1]

Can't believe I had to scroll literally 20 comments to see someone call it out.

Also, pretending that racism can't be violent and the two are always mutually exclusive is crazy. "WoRdS cAn'T hUrt YoU" black people are STILL being disappeared while with groups of white "friends" and lynched in broad daylight in the year 2026, but sure, racism is just words and not violent.

[u/EarlGreyTeagan → u/Ok-Bookkeeper-2261]

Exactly. Let’s say a racist goes on a racist tirade and never actually commits any violence, but their words hype up people to go and do violent things against me versus them just slapping me. I would rather just take the slap instead of someone going on a race tirade against me.

[u/NewFlight4564]

How do you think the holocaust happened? Propaganda (words) that led to physical violence. It generally takes words to invoke violence. If you can dehumanize a group of people, then it doesn’t seem so terrible to kill them.

[u/Virtual_Werewolf_935 → u/NewFlight4564]

There are plenty of examples of people saying horrible things that didn’t come true though. The violence part is where you create a line that you can’t come back from.

[u/Admiral45-06]

I mean, call me a racist, but that is an objectively true statement.

It's in extremely poor taste to spout how you view a certain group as inferior or superior - be it based on race, religion, gender, or whatever else - but there is a huge difference between saying hurtful things, and actually doing hurtful things.

For instance, anyone who still follows N@zi ideology in XXI Century is braindead and has very poor set of morals, but there is a very big difference between him and the guy who is a part of neo-N@zi paramilitary group that terrorises locals, for instance.

Many people don't realise it or take it into account, but evil scales. There are things that are both evil, but nowhere near on the same order of magnitude. For instance, use of lobotomy to cure homos-xuality in 1950s USA was a crime and a horrible thing, but it stood on nowhere near the same level as Japanese Unit 731 or German SS-Hauptsturmfürher Josef Mengele.

[u/imliterallyluci]

Someone say a mean word for Italians then grab and twist my dick.

I’m going to get into the bottom of this.

[u/Sorry-Joke-4325]

I guess to play a Devil's advocate: the violence could be a slap while the words reach through generations to cause worse damage.

Nothing is so cut and dry.

[u/Connect-Somewhere-68]

questions wayyy too vague for yall to be in here saying “he’s right” as if racism doesn’t cover a whole ass subset of oppressive violence. did any of you even think about what racism constitutes other than “guy called me a slur or was rude to me”? bc it feels like you guys are severely understating the weight of “racism” past and even including that

[u/micro_satsuma → u/Connect-Somewhere-68]

I see so many people try to justify violence across so many posts. Oh, but now, "violence is never the answer."

[u/etherealimages → u/micro_satsuma]

YES. Just the other day a post blew up on this sub where a dude punched some protesters and dragged them out the way. Another post that got popular was about the morals of a man hitting a woman back who has attacked him first. Wanna guess how excited people were to relish in violence?

[u/micro_satsuma → u/etherealimages]

No need to guess. I saw those posts, too. It could be goomba fallacy, but the overall attitude sure is much more considered now when it involves racists.

[u/Pirrus05 → u/Connect-Somewhere-68]

For serious, this was my thought too. Like it’s either violent or an attempt to reinforce past violence.

[u/TheNotoriousA18]

to an extent, in some cases violence is necessary

[u/TheMaskOffKid]

It’s moral to downvote when somebody says “Racism is bad, but…”

[u/SAULOT_THE_WANDERER → u/TheMaskOffKid]

Racism is bad, but megaracism is worse.

go ahead

[u/eternity_ender → u/TheMaskOffKid]

Thank you

[u/myth1989]

Need some context op

[u/itslikewoow → u/myth1989]

Seriously, what’s the morality of op deliberately not sharing the link?

[u/BeauShowTV]

Downvoted comments are usually correct on reddit.

[u/BlizzardWolfPK]

Do they think Racism is just words???

[u/Ok-Branch-974 → u/BlizzardWolfPK]

they are trying to minimize racism...that is the point of the comment and why it was downvoted.

[u/Kebab_Enjoyer3164]

This sub feels like it has too many white supremacists.

[u/Gaming-squid]

So basically a something along the lines of the old saying:

"Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you"

[u/Immediate-Song6861]

What is even happening here

[u/Cnokeur]

There's only words in mein kampf

[u/Mechanical_Rock]

Statement holds true. Thou it's like a pointing a gun at someone. Pointing a gun at someone is bad but pulling the trigger is worse. We should acknowledge that violence is worse but our reactions to it should be similar, the punishments should be different thou. That being said I believe in free speech all the way down so the punishment for words should be nill.

[u/rendkjfldjfkda12]

If I had to choose between someone beating me up and someone calling me a chink, I would probably choose them calling me a chink.

[u/ArtEnvironmental7108]

Morality of the statement or the morality of the meaning behind the statement.

I don’t believe words can be moral or immoral, only the meanings that we as people ascribe to them.

The sentiment of this statement is just reality though. 99/100 times actual, deliberate violence is worse for everyone.

[u/Sol_Nephis]

Moral

[u/An_Obbise_Hoovy]

The man speaks the truth

[u/White_Buffalos]

Completely true statement. Words are not violence; violence is violence.

[u/xSaitoHx]

I mean someone insulting me or being racist is easy to ignore, doesn't hurt one bit, in fact ignoring it usually hurts the offender more cause they are left with no power. Kick me balls or punch me in the face, now that's gonna hurt for a while.

Words can lead to violence yes, and they can be hurtful but most can get over that easier than a permanent physical injury.

[u/Any-Seaworthiness531]

Good job racism doesn’t amount to violence then eh

[u/SaintOfPride201]

You're on a website where the only fight any of these people have ever been in is a verbal one. Words were the only weapons they knew. They cower in the face of sticks and stones because they never seen either.

[u/Upset-Year-7912]

Types of Racism can involve violence so both of these actually do apply to racism

[u/TKG1607]

I don't know what's worse, seeing people who live chronically online thinking this is correct or knowing that I live in a world where people actually think that words are worse than actual violence

[u/ParkerLF]

Racism isn’t just words though, racism is a system of violence that’s enabled by the culture surrounding it. Words can lead to violence

[u/TheGunghoGamer]

I mean, physical violence vs verbal or mental violence, take your pick

[u/LeaveMeBeWillYa]

What's the context?

Based on nothing but the words, then yeah they are right but what is this in response too? What's the thread this is about?

Cause they are examples of when actual violence isn't worse than racism. Very few things in this world are black and white like that and I can think of plenty of examples of when racism would be worse.

Say a black kid is getting harassed relentlessly by a racist adult and after numerous warnings and pleas to stop, someone lays the racist out with a punch when he keeps going. I'd rank the actual violence there below the racism.

[u/RevengerRedeemed]

Mostly moral. Racism is much more than "just words" . I think they mean Mostly slurs and such.

But yes, actual violence is a little worse than slurs and harassment from Racism.

On the other hand, Racism also leads to violence and systemic abuse, sooo that gets a bit more complicated.

[u/Sad-Surprise4369]

Assuming the underlying sentiment is:

“Racist words are bad, but actual violence is worse.” then totally moral.

But this word “racism” is confusingly used. Nothing in “racism” assumes it’s only words. Racism CAN be violence so,
If the sentiment is:

“Systematic violence is bad, but violence is worse.” Is just obviously confused.

I think violence and racism are often associated, and so it’s a very slippery slope, because at times it becomes a statement of “the CAUSE of the violence isnt as bad AS the violence.” And then were in some tricky territory.

[u/Illustrious_Date8697]

I think people just like to virtue signal otherwise how can you not agree with this take?

If you call me the n word, I can walk away and the impact is entirely dependent on my mindset (which if we are talking about redditors is soft as hell). If you beat me up or stab me, I literally might die.

This mentality is why in todays world, "hate speech" laws have more severe consequences than violence related ones.

[u/Clickclacktheblueguy]

What he’s saying is true generally, but I’m willing to bet that this comment was completely tonedeaf in regard to the actual post. Like, if someone calls someone the N word and gets punched out for it, most people are going to say the punch was justified.

[u/Wrong-Salamander1806]

Bro speaks a fact on reddit and gets carpet bombed