The fact that daily cohabitation with others who, like us, have particularities is often characterized by moments of cordial jokes, should not make us lose sight of the fact that depending on the context or circumstances, there are limits to do not cross.
Misplaced banter can very quickly create tensions between people who have made a habit of expressing a joy of living together through friendly remarks free from any form of incitement to division. Hate speech takes shape when we go beyond the stage of a well-placed joke, to another very inappropriate one which goes so far as to negatively offend the other's sensibilities. A socio-political crisis, for example, always has an influence on habits or the quality of relationships. What was mundane can turn into a verbal weapon that creates additional and unnecessary conflict. Justifying the responsibility of a third party in the perpetuation and resurgence of a conflict on the basis of prejudices and stereotypes is hate speech. Likewise, placing responsibility for a bad action, not on an individual but on an entire tribe, is to give a point of view of a hateful nature which denotes a lack of consideration towards others; it is hate speech that incites hatred. Always in the same order of ideas, two peoples called to live together in the same space, and who cannot agree on the efforts that each party must undertake to ensure peace reign, constitute a source of discord which could lead to bloody clashes with tragic consequences; in particular: loss of human life and material, massive migrations from one Territory to another, and the risk of seeing other components of the Territory follow the same example to make themselves heard or respected. The multiformity of hate speech includes both hate speech against a certain class of society or a certain ethnic group, as well as intolerance including anti-Semitism, acts of contempt towards Christians and Muslims, the contribution to the stagnation of unsanitary environments, violation of the physical integrity of other, stoning of homosexuals, trivialization of the flag of an independent Territory, desecration of sacred places, to name but a few.
But if any “malicious” acts or remarks can spread quickly on the web to the point of becoming viral, before sanctioning it would be better to ask the question of why the other person acted in this way, in order to better prevent certain acts. If the means used to achieve a goal may be reprehensible, the reasons which motivated such an act can make it possible to find a way to healthily prevent such reactions in the future because, beyond a devastating effect, the speeches of hatred can also be restorative. In other words, they can help give a more pleasant face to corrupt societies. We cannot simply adopt repressive measures without trying to identify the real reasons which motivated these reactions. How can we prevent a disease without first studying the pathogen? The tendency to judge without knowing the true motivations or to criticize and call for insurrection without worrying about the limits not to be crossed is characteristic of a world which has lost the sense of patriotic duty. A society where what we advocate is out of step with what we practice. A society where we can allow ourselves to do to others what we want because we have the power. A society where we tarnish the image of others out of pure selfishness, especially when our interests are threatened. A society which nevertheless teaches us that hate speech should not be considered only as odious acts to be severely repressed, but as a means likely to enable the containment of evils which tarnish its image both nationally and internationally.
A heated reaction can be lifesaving in certain specific circumstances. If there are limits that should not be crossed, there are also times when it would be better not to remain silent. The fact that speech can be censored and repressed does not justify not denouncing the bad actions of a community. The African and the Cameroonian in particular are a tribe called to integrate into other tribes with the help of the latter, so that each of the components of the society they constitute naturally contributes to the maintenance of peace by denouncing unhealthy acts.
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