Do you remember a time when we worried about pollution? About smog? About toxins in the water? In the air? We want, for us, our kids, clean water, clean air, so we can all live and grow healthy full lives the best we can.

But how about information? How about telling your kids that speed limits are a conspiracy and driving at 150k/hr is okay and you should do it in school zones? How about drinking brown water is good for you? Eating rat poison? Taking as many sleeping pills as you like all in one hit will make you strong?

Is there a limit on information that is toxic? Dangerous? How about redheads are baby killers? Blondes are all rapists? How about people with brown eyes have lower levels of intelligence? How about that white men, once they hit 50 years old, start to transform into racists that want to deport every single non white person from whatever country they are in?

Should any of these statements be promoted to all and sundry? Should we allow them to be broadcast on TV? How about in the movies? Big billboards next to a school? A hospital? A church?

How about we make sure every single person with a mobile phone gets to watch a very convincing, well produced video declaring that the Pope has eaten babies? Would that be okay? Or how about, we declare, that as a decent species, as a caring, supportive human race, that outright lies and bullshit, have no place being promoted in any medium?

That anything that states some of the awful garbage that the Nazis would be proud of, that Goebbels would look at say ‘Nicely Done’ doesn’t get any support from any form of media or technology more sophisticated than a pen and ink.

Does that sound reasonable? Does that sound decent? Does that sound like the foundation of a caring, loving compassionate society?

Or do we just let any old, deluded hate monger looking for money or power just say whatever deranged bullshit that gets attention do whatever they like because they should be free to come into our home, our workplace, and call us scum?

I know what I think, and I hope any decent, caring, loving human being would think so too.

And it doesn’t involve letting Nazis get their way, no matter how much you think they have a right to.

 Fuck them and the millions they murdered for now and all time.

And fuck you too if you agree with them.

Saeed Parker  -  Speech at Public Discussion of Technology and its place in Society