Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Hate Speech
What I didn't know about hate speech is the fact that it is protected by the 1st Amendment, which means you can blurt out racist slurs and you have freedom of speech to do so. There was an example of an American Nazi Party marching through a Jewish suburb and I find that really shocking and unbelievable that people have the right to do that, but then again church members are allowed to bash gay people because apparently "god hates fags". Personally, I think that hate speech should not be protected by the 1st Amendment and it should be illegal to hate on people because they might be different from us or because they share different beliefs. Everyone should have the right to have their own opinions about whatever but nobody should be put down and bullied for not sharing your beliefs. Freedom of speech should not include hate speech. Other countries have banned it for a good reason.
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Meow Mix,
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who has ever been excluded from a game or ridiculed for their acne, weight, or sense of style the argument of protecting freedom of speech by allowing any slurs to go unquestioned or unpunished is simply ridiculous. People often argue that it is better for ten guilty to go free than for one innocent to be found guilty. Is this the same premise behind our unrelenting protection of the 1st Amendment? Is the right to free expression worth having to deal with hate and ignorance? I really don’t know because I have always lived in this kind of world and I don’t know what the alternative would be like. I think we would be better off restricting speech because some of it is undeniably intended to cause pain and suffering. I know we all have the right to happiness, and if people’s mean spirited comments don’t allow this, then those mean spirited people should be punished until they learn how to “play nice”.
Interesting take on freedom of speech and hate speech. While I agree 100 percent that i think this would be a better world with out hateful and demeaning speech, i do not think anyone or any government has the right to restrict people on how they express themselves, unless that expression is in a violent form. There are cases where I agree that freedom of speech should not be allowed, for example the American Nazi movement because that probably invoked fear and insecurity in the Jewish neighborhood. I also do not think that in any case, signs or protests should involve chanting or writing of swear words. However, i do think people have the right to express themselves. Some citizens do not like gay people. They should have the right to express that in any non-violent form possible. Expression and protection of speech should always be insured as long as it does not promote violence or civil unrest.
ReplyDeleteReppin Bel Air Since '91