Lesson 4-3 Breaking Down Hate Speech Adapted from Common Sense Media for Rockdale County Public Schools

Warm-up Hate Speech: Making cruel, hostile, or negative statements about someone based on their race, religion, national origin, ability, age, gender, or sexual orientation. Stereotype: a simplified and often negative assumption about a particular group of people. Derogatory: intentionally hurtful and harmful, designed to insult or degrade What are some general ways that hate speech can be used in the offline world? What are some general ways that hate speech might be used online?

Recognize Hate Speech Q1: What are some examples of hate speech from the video? Q2: How do you think you might feel if you were the recipient of derogatory messages? Q3: Why do you think people make derogatory remarks? What might their motives be? Q4: How are these kinds of attacks similar to or different from calling your opponent a "loser"?

Turn Down the Dial on Cyberbullying Have you ever encountered online cruelty? How do you think someone might feel after being the target of it? What do you think you might have done if you were in Amanda Todd's situation? What could you have done if you wanted to be an upstander in this situation?

How Targets and Upstanders Can De-escalate Online Cruelty Ignore and block the bully. Offenders often want attention. Take it away and they may give up. Save the Evidence. You may need it later for documentation Change your privacy settings. Allow only people you trust to see or comment on your pages. Tell trusted friends and adults. Create a support network. Stand up to the offender when appropriate. If you see something negative, say something. Make it clear that you think online cruelty is wrong, and tell the offender to back off. (It may be easier to do this if you have good standing with the offender.) Point out the bully’s motivation to the target. Comfort the target by explaining that many offenders act cruelly just to gain control, power or status. Help the target advocate. Help the target find friends and school leaders who can help de-escalate the situation. It’s easier to stand up to cruelty when you are not alone.

Closing Why do you think it is important to talk about hate speech? Why might it be important to have guidelines for preventing or dealing with hate speech online and offline, and what might those guidelines be? Why is it important to be an Upstander rather than a bystander?