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What is League of Legends definition of "hate speech"?

Tumlain·1/31/2019, 7:34:07 AM·1 votes·2,921 views

Hello, So years ago I was chat banned for being angry and it was "hate speech." I used the N word which is not a good thing to do. But hate speech is defined by "abusive or threatening speech or writing that expresses prejudice against a particular group, especially on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation." However I cannot identify the person I used this speech toward, so isn't it just negative attitude or bad language? It cannot be hate speech if I do not know the person I am using an angry word toward. Now, based on everything, isn't it hate speech to use the word "noob"? Be real everyone wants their pronouns these days, but the only way to identify who you are is based on rank, if you harass someone because they are bad at the game like I am, and categorize me as a noob or what not. I believe this is hate speech, you are having prejudice against me based on the fact that well I am bronze so you should expect me to be a bronze player to insult me as a noob, this is hate speech in the gaming world. The N word is not hate speech because we cannot identify each other by ethnicity, but we can identify players by skill and ability. Targeting those is hate speech, I play in my league the game and owners know this as well as the players I play with. I should not be insulted and categorized negatively because just like in the past people looked down on people for other reasons and that was wrong. Why in this Esport am I looked down on based on my play by people who "smurf" to sell accounts and are mad they get a "noob". These words are offensive to me, I am a player trying to have fun, it does not matter if I am good or bad. I should not be harassed as a noob or anything while I decide to play this game. if that is the case, then let us all know RIOT that you support harassment to new players or players that don't commit as hard. That play for fun and enjoy watching professionals play here and there during your LCS, LCK, LPL etc. So we know that it's ok to harass us being not as skilled players in the community.

People may not agree with me here but I will still say it. At one point it was ok to call someone the N-word, or bash people that identified as homosexual. Is this not the new way to target and hurt people for no reason on gaming? Why is this company not protecting most likely it's majority base which is players that aren't very good just like real sports. The "fans" who play for enjoyment and entertainment, and let us be attacked OVER and OVER this way. I identify as a not very good player who plays for fun, but I do not identify as a noob and this is hate speech to my gaming identity, I'm just a player who plays for fun, I want RIOT to ban players for real gaming hate speech the same as using racial slurs and negative religious speech and so on. GAMING is a real thing just like going to work, you don't want to deal with negative speech and so on. Well you shouldn't expect it here either and people get away with it all day long cause it's considered not as severe as a other verbal abuses (hate speech), and I got that from their own words.

I hope we can all play games friendly and for fun and no hate speech is used, this game I believe has a language filter. But gaming hate speech exists, we are players who don't want to be harassed for being bad. Gaming hate speech is not blocked by the filter, but the rest is. I'm tired of constant insults, you know my game play I'm bronze don't insult me for it THANKS!

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -Tumlain

35 Comments

Copic1/31/2019, 7:36:09 AM2 votes

IF you use the N word in any form of manner, and someone reports you, you get an auto restriction. You're lucky you didnt get 14 day banned.

MegaLobunny1/31/2019, 7:39:40 AM2 votes

Hate speech has a real world weight and history behind it. For comparison, there’s a vast difference between calling someone an idiot and calling them a f*g. While both can broadly be called insults, the second has historically been used to dehumanize, assault, and subjugate an entire group of people. The word has a large body count associated with it and thus has a heavy weight attached regardless of who it’s aimed at.

Even if you don’t know the identity of a person, the weight of the word doesn’t disappear. The “insult” of the word in my example is that you’d be calling them gay and it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not for example.

Fermi Paradox1/31/2019, 7:47:19 AM2 votes

"abusive or threatening speech or writing that expresses prejudice against a particular group, especially on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation."

Using the N word as an insult is exactly this. Using any word like that to insult another person, who- or whatever he/she/it is, it is considered hate speech. Using "gay" to insult the enemy's gameplay? Hate speech. Calling someone a "f-ing jew" to insult him? Also hate speech.

At one point it was ok to call someone the N-word, or bash people that identified as homosexual.

Yes, at that point it was also ok to have slaves and to beat women if they "misbehave". Also, Germany had some interesting ideology about certain religions.

You wanna go back there?

Also, yes, being called a noob is an insult and is also punishable. But it is not on the same scale as insulting someone based on their gender/ideology/look. Are you really that narrow-minded to think that insulting someone's skill weights as heavy as calling someone a "worthless stick that's only used to light up a pyre to burn worthless people" (I am talking about the British word for cigarette btw) or a "inferior being that's only worth serving as a slave".

I wish some people would use their common sense before writing giant paragraphs about obvious things....

Moody P1/31/2019, 8:51:10 AM1 votes

Hate speech isn't real and 'noob' isn't hate speech. Play with all players muted if you have a problem with being smack talked sometimes.

The Highest Noon1/31/2019, 9:04:09 AM1 votes

I didn't read all that--I'll just tell you that Hate Speech per Riot's definition is any derogatory dialogue directed towards a specific demographic. That means no Ns, SNs, Fs, Ss, Cs, Chs, WBs, etc etc. That's just the most obvious, though. It also included generally derogatory dialogue regarding specific demographics, too.

No calling Pizza a Cheese-face, and no saying "All Pizza tastes like shit".

ModPeriscope1/31/2019, 9:17:38 AM1 votes

I’m locking this thread.

It’s fine to discuss hate speech, but you very clearly defined it in one of your comments, and insistigg that “noob” somehow qualifies as hate speech does not make for appropriate discussion on the boards.

If you have questions about this, feel free to reach out to us on discuss the boards or the boards discord.