Destructive messages : how hate speech paves the way for harmful social movements /

Destructive Messages is about hate speech and its role in the development of stereotyping. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 describes the role that ideology plays in the development and perpetuation of ethnic intolerance. In part 2 Tsesis (law, Univ. of Wisconsin) examines scapegoating and the relevant sociological and psychological issues. Part 3 deals with jurisprudence and public policy issues in the US. Relevant court cases are discussed, especially Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes's dissent in Abrams v. United States, which established the "market place of ideas" concept. Tsesis lays out theoretical foundations that he argues should be intrinsic to a representative democracy. He discusses the role that the social contract imposes on governments to protect fundamental rights and to increase social well-being. This is an important contribution to the literature about civil liberties and human rights. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. E. W. Webking University of Lethbridge