Everyone should be able to live free from hate. And that includes online.
Online hate speech is on the rise and we can all do something about it.
Pledge to Remove Hate From The Debate here
WHAT IS HATE SPEECH?
Hate speech is language that humiliates or threatens others based on culture, race, gender, disability, religion or sexuality. It can be directed towards a person or a group.
Hate speech is language that humiliates or threatens others based on culture, race, gender, disability, religion or sexuality. It can be directed towards a person or a group.
WHY DO PEOPLE HATE?
People develop extreme views towards different groups in society for different reasons.
HOW TO DEAL WITH HATE?
When hate is met with fear and more hate, the situation gets worse. So ‘flip the script’. For example, by responding with compassion and empathy.
10 TIPS TO REMOVE
HATE FROM THE DEBATE
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1. Be safe
Before you respond to a hateful comment, first ask yourself – are you safe? Ensure that you are not putting yourself at risk of physical harm or exposing yourself to abusive online behaviour. Then ask yourself, are you cyber safe? Don’t share personal information online, your safety is important.
2. Stay cool
Take a breath. Emotions can get the better of us. You may be tempted to reply while you are feeling angry and emotional. Give yourself time to reflect and respond in a way that makes you feel in control of the situation.
3. Humanise the situation
Make people feel heard, even if you don’t agree with their opinion. Be genuinely curious about the real experiences people have had.
4. Respond to the issue
If you don’t agree with someone’s comment, talk about the issue and how it affects you. Don’t attack the person back. They may not have boundaries, but you can try to establish some. When people feel threatened, they may not listen or might respond defensively or with further hate. Listen and respond respectfully to the issue.
5. Be open minded
Agree to disagree while always modelling your values and being curious about why someone thinks the way they do.
6. Be respectful
Telling someone they’re racist, sexist, or a hater will just make them defensive. Share feedback with thoughtful consideration and a positive attitude towards others. This way we are modelling the behaviour that we expect other people to demonstrate.
7. Let people feel heard
You can’t change people’s thinking before you have heard their opinion. Thank people for their comments or let them know that you’ve heard what they had to say. If someone feels like they have been heard and respected, they are more likely to continue the conversation with a more reasoned approach.
8. Keep it simple
When you’re having a discussion with someone online, don’t let your point get lost by adding more to your comment than what is needed.
9. Be prepared for the response
Sometimes you may receive a positive response. Often you may not. Evaluate the situation and decide if you want to reply again. It is important not to just back away from difficult conversations. Sometimes it will take a few comments for the other person to calm down. If you think the conversation has merit and you see the attitude of the other person changing from emotional to rational, then continue the conversation. Sometimes it’s best to leave a conversation if you feel unsafe or the person is getting more aggressive.
10. Debrief
Talking about it helps! So, if you’ve dealt with a difficult hate speech situation online, talk to someone who you feel safe with about it.
JOIN OUR FEARLESS AMBASSADORS
We’re proud to be working with some fearless Australians who are committed to flipping the script on hate. Join them and make your own pledge to remove hate from the online debate.
L-FRESH THE LION
An ARIA nominated Hip Hop artist from Sydney, L-FRESH’s music breaks down barriers and inspires us to make society better. He was selected by YouTube as a Creator For Change.
JAMES FRY
James is an author whose memoir That Fry Boy addresses the horrific impact that bullying and teen extremism has on young developing minds.
STEPHANIE KURLOW
Stephanie is training to become the world’s first professional hijab wearing ballerina and wants to inspire young people by breaking barriers and stereotypes through dance.
JARROD MORTON-HOFFMAN
Jarrod was the youngest survivor of the 2014 Sydney Siege, and was awarded the 2016 Premier’s Champions of Community Harmony Award for promoting harmony and unity in our multicultural community.
NIROMI DE SOYZA
At 17, Niromi ran away from home and became a guerrilla fighter for the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. Her memoir Tamil Tigress tells the tale of survival and redemption.
“I WAS TAUGHT LOVE ALWAYS WINS BECAUSE HATE CAN NEVER LAST”
L-FRESH THE LION, HIP HOP ARTIST
Pledge to Remove Hate From The Debate. Spread the word. Let your community know that you’re part of a bigger effort to challenge online hate speech.
Even if you don’t win the haters over, you may help others feel empowered and know how to respond in a similar situation.
EXTRA INFORMATION
By engaging and educating, rather than labelling and insulting, we grow and strengthen what makes Australia so great. However, it’s important to always act in the best interests of your own and other people’s safety.
Tips for Cyber Safety and How to Report it