I wish I had an easy answer but it starts with everyone who sees how out of control the hate language has become. Reasonable people looked the other way, assuming the venting would only continue until those ranting got winded. Hey, we all need to vent sometimes, right?
Well, yes, but when that venting does not end you realize that tolerating the words was the wrong decision, at least the wrong way to view the phenomenon. Hatred feeds on fear and ignorance and with record cuts in education and the current popularity of hate speech as punditry on both the television and on a lot of AM radio dials there's too much fanning the fires and not enough fire prevention. You can't count on the news media to to arrest the spread of this sad situation because the hate speech pundits will just turn to the internet and foment even more divisiveness among their loyal listeners.
Now, we can't save all of these people from what they're doing to themselves and the country, but we can intervene in an effort to minimize the damage and hopefully stop the spread of this social disease.
How do we do this?
1. Remain patient with the offender but also do not roll over for them. Hate speech does not have to be accepted, just understand the source.
2. Hard as it may be to see most people respond well to information. Example:
Muslims Hate America!!
Remind them that if that were true the insurrection would have already started. The fact is Muslims, even in this day and age, love America. They came to the USA to find the same freedoms we hold dear. We live in a free society and Muslims want to be a part of that. Many even fled their countries of origin to escape extremists. The fact is we have extremists in all religions. Most of the millions upon millions of Muslims love peace just as other Americans do.
3. Speak to those who disagree with you to let them know where you stand and why. Even if they don't appreciate your honesty they know where you stand. That beats them assuming they know you or your opinion.
4. Talk to those with less extreme opinions but also listen to them. Everyone arrives at the philosophy that they somehow relate to for personal reasons. With this information you might be able to get someone who experienced something similar who came to a better conclusion, and have that person casually engage the other when the opportunity comes along. People with shared experiences are often better at communicating with each other.
5. Never assume your position is superior to those you're trying to talk to. We all have something to learn from one another. Yes, that hate speech is wrong but the emotions that fuel it will not go away simply because you pronounce your superiority. In fact that attitude is more likely to make the other person more stubborn and more committed to their ideology regardless of how flawed it is.
6. Outwardly project the confidence you have in your life. If you're happy the hate speech is useless on you. Even though ignorance is hard to stomach sometimes, consider the source; these are bitter people. Something in their life is not right and the projection of hostility is a symptom of what's wrong, not the source.
7, As much as you'd like to do not surround yourself all the time with like minded people. It's great to get together with people who share your view but it's also wise to know how others around you feel. If we only interact with others we agree with we're not engaging the hate and anger. Worse, we'll seem aloof and arrogant.
8. Since hate speech is a symptom it might also be a ruse. Some people try to fit in where it's convenient and if those who are intolerant dominate your workplace or other social settings they're likely to have people in their group who are just hanging with the "winning" team. Show that confidence and don't bury your opinion. When asked, state how you feel. You may have a like-minded peer in their midst who just needed to know there were others who shared their opinions. We're social animals, sometimes, to our detriment
9. Neutral people are rarely, really neutral. These people tend to be loners or just exist at work and other settings, doing their thing and never making their feelings known. Be friendly and be open to talking to them but don't assume you have a fence sitter looking to be a convert. They may not be neutral but they may also be tired of what they see as the 'confict'. Let the neutral person know you're ready to talk at any time.
10. Pick your 'fights' wisely. Being an underdog may seem cool in the movies but in the real world it's a tough position to openly maintain. Don't bow to others opinions but also don't look to the crowd to back you up. Sometimes tolerant people find themselves to be the sole voice of reason in a crowd. For this reason it's fine to limit or refrain from any engagement with others. If it's the workplace do your best to find a friendlier environment, another job in the same building or another job all together. Bottling up your opinions and feelings while hate speech is the rule of the workplace will make you resent yourself, your work environment and even your work mates. If you feel like you can try to reason with them allow a little of how you feel to be known. But, if there is palpable resentment, dial it back.
This may feel cowardly but it is self-preservation.
While the overwhelming majority of hate speech is venting you can count on at least one person to be a step ahead of just ranting in any crowd. In situations like this the best argument is almost worthless. It's more likely to be resented and in some cases that resentment might be acted on.
The civil contract in our society is wearing thin and some people are looking for an excuse to rip a big hole in it. Violence in out country is on the rise for good reason. Hate speech has been tolerated for so long that speech alone is starting to lose it's potency. Even good people who are normally tolerant and peaceful find themselves acting against their best interests because they feel like they've been pushed int action.
We all have a lot to lose if we continue down this path.
Reasonable people need to act by calling the radio stations, TV stations and their sponsors to say they will not support their products if they advertise and broadcast the hate speech.
If we do this everyday it will change things. We can't just change the station and hope the hate speech goes away. As you can see, that's gotten us in even worse shape.
We need to act now.
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