pull down to refresh
0 sats \ 5 replies \ @SimpleStacker 1 Oct \ on: Stacker Saloon
How would you explain to someone why words are not violence?
Is mental health less important than physical health? If yes, why? If not, then why are hurtful words not equivalent to physical violence?
I think this is a missing link in my ability to prosecute my arguments about free speech.
I don’t agree, words can be violence.
If you damage mental health you’re left with good physical health that cannot be use.
Recovering from a physical wound can be relatively fast (excluding mutilation). Recovering from even a light mental wound can take years, decades, maybe also never.
I think the fact that people can’t value mental health as much as physical health, is partly because you can see someone bleed and you cannot easily avoid feeling empathy from your eyes.
Stuff that you cannot see, and you don’t have the intelligence to imagine and empathize, can be really easily ignored.
reply
Then:
-
Is it acceptable for the state to make hurtful words illegal?
-
Is it acceptable to use physical violence to defend oneself against hurtful words?
reply
reply
But how would you justify the "no", and "no", when we currently accept the state making physical violence illegal, and even endorsing physical violence as a proper response to defend one's self against physical violence?
And further, if there are people who oppose government spending on mental health awareness, or people who do not acknowledge the importance of mental health, such that mental healthcare in the country never gets better, when does physical violence become justified, if ever?
reply
Mental health is fundamental, even more so than physical health in many cases. You can have a great body, but if your mind is in bad shape, there are thousands of people with good lives, physical health, etc., committing suicide because their mental health was on the rocks.
Now, that doesn't make words physical violence.
Hurting isn't the same as hitting.
If we treat every opinion as violence, we end up limiting freedom of expression, which is what allows us to discuss, grow, and overcome harmful ideas instead of hiding them.
reply