So, just to confirm, hate speech is cool with you? "I think that people with trait such and so are less than human."

I want to be clear: believing anyone is "less than human" is an awful idea. We agree on that. But our disagreement is about how we actually cure hate.

First, we have to be careful not to reduce complex issues to extreme hypotheticals. Much of the UK immigration debate is about an overburdened post-COVID welfare system. Wanting stricter borders isn't inherently declaring anyone "subhuman."

But even if a random citizen does say something genuinely vile, we have the agency to not let a stranger's words break us. An awful opinion is just an opinion.

Most importantly, we need to know why they hold that view. Extreme views often stems from profound, unaddressed trauma. Look at the tragic reality of the grooming gangs scandal, where horrific abuse was covered up for years by authorities terrified of being labeled "racist."

If a victim of that systemic betrayal develops extreme, xenophobic views out of trauma, what does a street mob accomplish?

Letting someone speak isn't about validating their conclusion. It’s about giving them the space to reveal the root of it so we can actually address it and shift their perception.