Products

About

©2019 StudyMode.com

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...
Continue Reading

Please join StudyMode to read the full document

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Essay on Free Speech vs. Hate Speech

    ...over the issue of free speech. The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Even though free speech is one of the core American values proudly embedded in each citizen, some poopAmericans find themselves torn between whether or not to limit the freedom of speech on behalf of hate speech. Most law-abiding citizens disagree with hate speech, but must realize even speech that promotes hate, racism, and even crime is still protected by the Constitution of the United States. Free speech should not be limited, because it would infringe on one of the basic rights of Americans and would prevent students in public universities from practicing their freedom to learn. Many moralpoop, law-abiding American citizens find themselves divided between the balance of hate speech and free speech. The Oxford English Dictionary defines hate speech: "speech expressing hatred or intolerance of other social groups, especially on the basis...

    Read More
    1366 Words 4 Pages
  • Hate Speech Research Paper

    ...Hate Speech Edward Oliver, Jr PHL-305 3/102013 Colette Palamar Hate Speech Hate Speech Thomas Jefferson one of the founding fathers once said, “A democracy cannot be both ignorant and free.” The first amendment structured to give United States citizens the right to speak freely is an essential law that builds the foundation of the United States Constitution. The first amendment is one of the most controversial laws that higher instructions of learning, churches, state, and local governments have debated for several centuries. So the question is should the United States government place a measure to regulate people from hateful language? When a rap artist writes music to degrade women and display expletive lyrics that warrants a disclaimer for underage children listening to their music should the government stop the rap artist from expressing their genre of music? Most people would agree that hate speech is an abnormal behavior, which warrants some form of punishment to individuals in involved in hate speech. However, some people in society may have a different definition of hate speech, then the next person. In addition, some may even believe that because there is a first amendment that all speech should be permissible. Lawmakers have made...

    Read More
    869 Words 3 Pages
  • Essay about Free Speech

    ...Free speech is one of the most controversial and confusing of the amendments. Throw it into a college campus setting and it’s an extremely complex matter, especially when “Hate Speech” is involved. Many people have different views and definitions on what hate speech in tales, for instance in “Hate Speech on Campus”, Joseph S. Tuman, defines it as “Written or spoken words directed towards a particular group (typically although not exclusively a minority group) with the purpose or effect of verbally harassing and harming them” (413). A personal interpretation of hate speech is speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. With this being said, hate speech is a form of free speech. By removing, or writing codes against hate speech on college campuses would be injustice, because it goes against our First Amendment, censorship, and hate speech codes are ineffective.
 The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive it’s content. The First Amendment states: 
 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting 
 the free exercise...

    Read More
    988 Words 3 Pages
  • Hate Speech Essay

    ...Hate Speech Hate speech is a form of communication that discriminates against one person or one group. “Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. The term covers written as well as oral communication.” (USA Education Guides). In many countries, the right to free speech is guaranteed under the constitution, however, it is a right that should not be used to discriminate, abuse or undermine other people. Many people do misuse of the rights that they have in a democratic society and it can often hurt others in many ways. Although freedom of expression should be respected, hate speech is a form of discrimination that should be punishable by law. Many people believe that freedom of expression gives them the right to talk about absolutely everything and they can really talk about everything, as long as it does not discriminate against another person. Hate speech ridicules and belittles people who do not need to hear it. Freedom of expression has to be a limit; the right of freedom of expression is not absolute because it can influence the other people' life. People cannot say anything calumnious or slanderous without consequences,...

    Read More
    1193 Words 3 Pages
  • Hate Speech Essay

    ...Hate Speech Essay In the first amendment of the United States constitution, American citizens are guaranteed the right to free speech. This is a fundamental right of American law, and one of the foundations of the U.S. Constitution. It is also the breeding ground for one of the most widely debated issues in America: What, if any, measures should be put into place to regulate hateful language? Most people will agree under one definition or another that hate speech is a socially deviant activity and worthy of some form of punishment. However, each person's definition of hate speech is different from the next. Some might say that there is no such thing as hate speech, and that because of the first amendment any and all speech should be allowed. However, there are laws against slander and libel, which make it a criminal action to defame any person in speech or writing. Some might say that any and all speech that is negative in any way towards any group is hate speech. However, many religious groups are opposed to homosexuality because of their religion, and are allowed to speak out and protest against it in the United States. Hate speech is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as "Bigoted speech attacking or...

    Read More
    1542 Words 4 Pages
  • Free Speech Essay

    ...At the school, teachers took sides, and because she was miles away from her parents and other means of support the young student felt ostracized. She felt like she had come to the land of the free and when she decided to speak her mind, she was shot down. (Daszkiewicz, personal communication, February 15, 2012) Karen Miner, the teacher, also felt her own freedoms had been brought under fire, and although she had been supported by her school and local school board, she certainly was not promoting Nazi ideology. (Associated Press 1996) What the student and the teacher had experienced here was a classic clash over when and if our freedom of speech should be censored. In either position; it is hard to know how we should respond. This was a balancing act with the teacher on one side representing the government, her students, and herself and the student on the other representing the individual. Both sides would probably describe their own freedom of expression to be the one that was threatened. And both have a reasonable claim to have their rights being protected. In the United States of America, the right to freedom of speech has been held as one of this country’s highest values, as nationally recognized by the Constitution of the United States of America. Censorship of speech is a controversial subject matter, and will probably always be debated in the U.S. as long as this country exists. Balancing...

    Read More
    2331 Words 7 Pages
  • Free Speech Essay

    ...The Constitution of the United States states in its First Amendment that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances" (Funk & Wagnalls 162). This Amendment guarantees each person of free speech. Does this mean that a person can stand in the middle of the street and yell anything he wants? No, society, even though it cherishes freedom of speech, does give this freedom certain restrictions. Why does society find it necessary to restrict freedom of speech? Does this ensure a more controlled society? Let us imagine a society that has no restrictions of speech. For example, anyone can publish a false story of another person, just for revenge perhaps, and the offended person would not be able to defend himself because there is no restriction of speech. A neighbor in a residential area decides to use a loud microphone to announce his beliefs in the middle of the night, and wakes everybody up. Because that person has every right to speak, nobody can do anything. Even though this is "freedom of speech" it is not allowed in a civilized society. Free speech is a very controversial issue...

    Read More
    806 Words 3 Pages
  • Essay about Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, & Talk Radio

    ...Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, & Talk Radio Brice Hinchman Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, & Talk Radio What is Freedom of speech? Well, the definition for freedom of speech is the ability to speak freely without being subject to censorship or without fear of retaliation from a governing body. There are at least two documents, the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that acknowledge that free speech is an unalienable right and protect it for all. There is another form of speech that may or may not be protected, depending on the circumstances, under the same documents and that is hate speech. Some of the limitations that are put in place by Government, employers, and educational facilities are a violation of what freedom of speech is really about, being able to freely speak your mind, but are necessary to protect the rights and liberties of other individuals. The freedom of speech is a very powerful right that is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Our Founding Fathers set the stage when they wrote the Declaration of Independence by stating that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,...

    Read More
    2461 Words 7 Pages

Popular Essays

Become a StudyMode Member

Sign Up - It's Free