Right now, Steven Crowder’s YouTube channel is being investigated for racist and anti-LGBT speech due to complaints being made by Vox’s Carlos Maza, popular for the “Strikethrough” video series.

Maza is upset over the fact that Crowder makes fun of his ideas and attacks him during the course of response videos Crowder makes that debunk Maza’s claims in his videos. Maza tweeted at YouTube, saying he has a thick skin, but that he’s bothered by Crowder’s attacks toward him.

Since I started working at Vox, Steven Crowder has been making video after video "debunking" Strikethrough. Every single video has included repeated, overt attacks on my sexual orientation and ethnicity. Here's a sample: pic.twitter.com/UReCcQ2Elj — Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) May 31, 2019

YouTube responded by publically telling Maza that they’re looking into it and that they sent him a direct message over Twitter.

Thanks so much for outlining all of this–we’re looking into it further. Sending you a DM now. — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) May 31, 2019

In response, Crowder warned his viewers that this isn’t just about YouTube attempting to shut down a channel for supposed hate speech, it’s a multi-million dollar corporation attempting to silence its loudest critics.

This is the long and short version of the story, but this short tale actually opens the door to a much larger conversation that needs to be had. This conversation can easily be started with a simple question: “What is hate speech?”

Crowder did, in fact, call Maza a “lispy queer,” and a “gay Mexican.” In today’s politically correct world this is enough to send clutching hands to the nearest pearls. However, as Crowder said in his update video about the attacks on him by Vox to silence him, these are a combination of both friendly ribbings — something he does with his own co-hosts — and accurate descriptors that Maza himself has used to craft his identity.

In short, Maza is upset that Crowder is describing him accurately, it’s just that Crowder is using from the position of an intellectual adversary.

So it’s not a slur. Crowder hasn’t called for the actual destruction of anyone in the LGBT community and has made it clear that bringing anyone to physical harm is not something he’s okay with at all. He also hasn’t used LGBT terminology that Maza hasn’t used to describe himself. In truth, Maza doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

We as a society have to draw a true line as to where and what we can consider hate speech because, at this time, that goal post seems to be moving by the hour.

For instance, Maza can suggest that Fox New’s Tucker Carlson is in line with White Supremacists because his content generates racist sympathies and suggests that Carlson himself isn’t concerned with things like immigration policies, but concerned with people are “different.” However, since Maza never calls Carlson any fun names, suggesting that Carlson is guilty of racism isn’t hate speech.

However, videos like Maza’s generate a dangerous narrative that Carlson is a dangerous racist promoting hate and violence. It’s a narrative that some have taken very seriously, and they wind up at Carlson’s doorstep threatening him with physical injury and attempting to gain access into his home while his wife and daughters hide in a closet.

At this time, I haven’t seen or heard Maza denounce this kind of treatment of the right as I have seen Crowder denounce that kind of behavior toward the left. If I’m wrong, then by all means, please let me know and I’ll make the correction. At this time, all I have is Maza promoting the idea of assaulting people because he doesn’t like their politics, so my faith in his goodness is a bit shaky.

Milkshake them all. Humiliate them at every turn. Make them dread public organizing. https://t.co/myrCSv07Dx pic.twitter.com/7dozYzJoAl — Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) May 21, 2019

Yet, Crowder can deconstruct Maza’s arguments with actual points that don’t accuse a person of horrid behavior with the exception of dishonest journalism. It’s only hate speech because Crowder referred to him in ways Maza refers to himself.

Hate speech, at least as I understood it, is a malicious attack on a certain race, group, or religion with unfounded accusations and calls, or suggestions, for violence. We popularly associate hate speech with ideals given by the Nazi party and verbalized by Hitler. We still hear it today, only it doesn’t come from the right.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D) suggested: “Israel has hypnotized the world.” Celebrated feminist activist Linda Sarsour said that the flagging popularity of the Democrat party is due to the “Jewish media.” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said she gets a “calming feeling” when she speaks about the Holocaust and made the false claim that Islamic countries were trying to help Jewish people.

These are awful things to say, and yet the media and fellow Democrats work overtime to run defense for it all. What’s more, it doesn’t just stop at speech against Jewish people. White males are consistently targeted by politicians, activists, and the media. In fact, YouTube itself is fine with videos from the likes of Buzzfeed, MTV, and Huffington post that blanket-blame white people for every problem under the sun, while also stereotyping them.

Crowder is known to do this too, only Crowder is doing it for comedic purposes and isn’t at all hateful toward the people he lampoons. MTV, BuzzFeed, and Huffington Post are deadly serious.

Not only is this hypocritical, it shows us the left’s cards. It’s unofficial motto is “it’s okay when we do it.” Even CNN’s Chris Cuomo says as much during his defense of Antifa’s violence…twice. The left’s mentality is that they can say and do whatever they want because they feel their racism, sexism, bigotry, and even violence is for the greater good. Crowder’s verbal jabs, however, are an avenue to evil.

But more importantly, Crowder is usually right in his rebuttals and criticism. This pulling back the curtain is dangerous to an ideological group whose messages and narratives really only thrive in a vacuum. That, beyond anything else, has to be silenced.

Crowder has done absolutely nothing wrong, especially by the standards set by the left. In truth, his crime is saying they’re wrong and proving it.