And, so, the germ spreads and mutates. Did a politician in Northern Ireland last week really say: "There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children." Or: "Child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy." Does it matter? The germ is already out of the lab: this form of moral cleansing starts by casually mentioning a minority group and rape/child abuse in the same sentence, slyly attaching one to the other.
Hate speech is not always so easily identifiable from words that truly serve the public good. You must read between the lines, look at the timing, examine the intentions, question the sensation it causes for the perpetrator, watch the damage it does and see how it weakens judgement. It is not just deluded politicians or fundamentalists.
You may hear it in your local shop, on the street corner or down the pub.
The germ is always there, lying dormant, patiently awaiting its time.