Counter Speech Taxonomy
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Counterspeech can be many things, including:
- exposing hate, deceit, abuse, stereotypes
- promoting counternarratives and clarifying facts
- advancing counter values
- uniting communities
- sharing experiences
Directed at whom?
- Speaker
- Target
- Community
- Public
Aim
- Change norms
- raise awareness
- support target
- educate
- mock
- challenge
- understand
- connect
Who’s doing it?
- target
- bystanders who know target
- bystanders who know speaker
- unknown bystanders
- organizations
- government
- media
- *gender/race/orientation/status matters
how are they doing it?
- humor/parody
- documentation
- “fact” checking
- call for harassment or consequences
- questioning, socratic method
- sharing personal experiences
- “killing w kindness”
- “fuck you”
- harass/abuse back
What are the effects (intended and unintended)?
How do we define and measure success?
Example | Directed at... | Aim |
Dickwolves (Penny Arcade) | speakers | challenge |
#YesAllWomen | public | raise awareness |
#direnkahkaha #resistlaughter | speaker (political figure in Turkey) | mock challenge protest |
wikistorming and edit-a-thons | public/community | change norms/educate |
#weturnourbacks #sirtimizidonuyoruz Turkey | Speaker (president of Turkey) | Challenge & protest |
#metomé una foto de snuda y qué, #I took a naked picture so what
after Ibero university students found out about a DB of naked photos of students |
Men sharing photos but especially female students - started in female bathrooms first | change norms; support “victims” |
#KillAllMuslims after Charlie Hebdo massacre | community/public | change norms |
State Dept. (US) tweeting at potential terrorists | community/public/speaker | education/change norms |
video song response to ACLU students’ anti-asian rant | speaker/public | mock |
Ijeoma Oluo engaging racist troll on MLK Jr. Day | speaker | educate/connect/understand |
Everday sexism in the UK | community/public | change norms |
“Let Love Happen” photograph | public | change norms |