“Hate Speech is Like a Weapon… It Destroys People”- Attitudes in Georgian Society towards Hate Speech

Abstract

It is well-known that language is often employed as a tool for gender oppression. Therefore, feminist and gender studies in linguistics ultimately aim to represent the problem, reflect on it, and propose ways to solve it. Together with technological advancement in communication, a new form of discrimination has arisen- hate speech used against women in electronic media discourse. Due to the nature of social media and the internet, messages containing hate speech can spread in seconds and reach millions of people. However, only a few know about the detrimental effects they may have on the addressee and society. This paper aims to analyse the answers to the anonymous questionnaire conducted on an electronic media platform. The questionnaire aimed to elicit what Georgian people know about hate speech and its detrimental effect on people. Altogether 200 people participated in the survey. As the research revealed, participants have heard of the hate speech, and have even been victims of it at a certain point in their lives. However, they do not know how to identify it. Thus, raising awareness about hate speech is of utmost importance to tackle the issue at hand.