The Era of Hate Play: How the Far-Right Operates

The controversy surrounding the Baejae High School baseball team's discriminatory chants is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a pervasive issue: the normalization of hate speech as a form of 'play' in the digital age. Hate speech, often found in hip-hop lyrics and sports chants, serves as a 'cost-effective' tool to gain attention. In an environment where attention is currency, hate speech becomes a lucrative strategy.

“

Hate is a 'cost-effective' tool for attracting a lot of attention with few resources. Furthermore, in the digital media environment, attention is currency. That is, hate attracts attention, and attention becomes money.

Those who engage in hate speech as play likely understand the harm they cause. Their actions are driven not by ignorance but by a keen awareness that provocative language generates reactions and attention, providing a sense of efficacy. This 'playful' engagement with hate stems from a 'disappearance of guilt' rather than a lack of knowledge, indicating a prior erosion of existing norms. Therefore, simply shutting down platforms like Ilbe or punishing hate speech is a misdiagnosis; it confuses the symptom with the cause.

The root of the problem lies in the weakening of democratic values and the perception of equality as a target for cynicism and mockery. While economic inequality is often cited as a cause for the rise of the far-right, it fails to explain the phenomenon in less unequal Nordic countries or why the lower-middle class, rather than the poorest, often supports far-right movements. Recent research points to 'status anxiety', a problem of perceived inequality rather than inequality itself, as a primary driver. In South Korea, meritocracy, which justifies inequality based on credentials, exacerbates this anxiety and, when combined with hate speech, can lead to the dehumanization of marginalized groups.

“

The playfulness of hate stems from knowing too well that it attracts attention and provokes reactions. There is no play without efficacy.

The pervasive influence of meritocracy, even among younger generations, creates a 'dual norm' situation where democratic ideals clash with the reality of a status-anxious society. This environment makes democracy vulnerable and provides fertile ground for far-right ideologies. Furthermore, a deep-seated distrust of hypocrisy fuels the far-right's appeal, as 'honest hate' is perceived as preferable to 'hypocritical friendship.'

“

The crisis of democracy did not come about because of Ilbe or hate speech. Democracy has become precarious because the value of equality has become a target of cynicism and mockery, and as a result, hate speech and the far-right have become rampant.

Combating the far-right requires a multifaceted approach beyond legal punishment. While Japan's experience with its Hate Speech Elimination Act offers some lessons, South Korea's situation demands a critical examination and reform of its meritocratic culture and winner-take-all system. Ultimately, the most effective way to counter the far-right is to restore faith in democracy.

“

Meritocracy justifies inequality based on qualifications and, when combined with hate, can lead to treating social minorities as parasites.