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Free Speech vs Hate Speech

Topics: Hate speech, Freedom of speech, Censorship Pages: 4 (1644 words) Published: April 11, 2013
Free Speech vs. Harmful Hate Speech
Freedom of speech is instilled at the beginning of the Bill of Rights and it allows citizens of the United States to express their opinions without being afraid of what might happen to them, much like in other countries. Many times people are directly or indirectly harmed by others’ actions that are considered a right under the freedom of speech clause. Though, some people worry that if we do not allow for complete freedom of speech, it is hard to figure out what the limits are. So how can we distinguish between what is covered under our freedom of speech right and what is not if there are no limits? Freedom of speech is a constitutional right given to every citizen, entitling them to voice their opinion however they see fit. However, in order to be protected in schools and businesses, many boundaries have been placed on free speech in order to regulate harmful hate speech. However, this comes with a disadvantage, people are supposed to be protected from harmful hate speech in schools and businesses; actions are taken to protect this, though, other factors of free speech are taken away when what is considered harmful and what is not can not be distinguished.

Freedom of speech is a big problem on school campuses because the rights state that we, as United States citizens have the right to say and express our opinions. Schools, on the other hand, have their own rules stating what can and can not be said or done on campus. Although we have this freedom, upon walking onto a school campus, these liberties are taken away due to the rules and regulations of each individual school. Yes, it is to protect the students and school as a whole, but schools these days have gone to great lengths to keep students from expressing their opinions because they believe it is harmful to other students. So what does having the freedom of speech actually mean if one can not express their opinions? In the case of one Texas High School, where a group...
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