“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist” Salman Rushdie. The quote perfectly sums up the never-ending debate about freedom of speech and hate speech. It is a well-known fact that freedom of speech and expression belongs to the group of fundamental human rights of every person on this planet. can tolerate and respect each other’s opinions, then there is no need to restrict freedom of speech. As humans, naturally, we always have different perceptions and opinions that instigate the choices we make in life. The only sane way we can uphold freedom of speech is by being tolerant and respectful of each other’s opinions and views. Sensitivity reader are group of people who will read through and edit …show more content…
Speech that attempts to persuade is broadly protected under free speech, even if some people find it offensive. Sometimes even in an opinion piece authors try to persuade others and people will deeply offend other. Does that mean is offensive speech is a harm that should be prohibited? No because if it were people who disagree with the opinion the most would have the most control over what others are allowed to say. People who are easily offended and vocal about it would have more freedom then everyone else. Prohibiting speech people that others find offensive violates the basic human right. However, if we start banning people from expressing their beliefs, then what comes next? After one thing, there always comes another and, eventually, the citizen would live in fear of saying anything. It would become like an alternative country like North Korea, where the restrictions on speech are so stringent that if you speak out against the government you end up in a prison camp. With that being said, it's obvious that free speech is a better choice than violence. The reality is that the society has become over sensitive; everything one does not agree with is considered insulting and branded as
If limitations are placed on some things, but not others, then it will lead to a great deal of conflict. Freedom of expression is a great thing, however it does come along with a few negative side effects. This including, hateful, ignorant, and rude individuals who do not care what they say. Some want to be able to control these hateful people and restrict what they are permitted to do or say. But, where is the gray line?
Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”. Although this amendment gave people the right express thier opinions, it still rests in one’s own hands as how far they will go to exercise that right of freedom of speech.
When the individual gets attacked verbally because of their controversial statements, they claim that they had the right to speak their mind no matter how disturbing their words were. They use the First Amendment as a cover for their wrong-doings, and that is never okay. They need to be educated on what they can and cannot say. Just because the First Amendment guarantees a person the freedom of speech, does not mean that they are entitled to say whatever they please. The article “Freedom of Speech” explains if an individual were to use “fighting words” then they are automatically not covered under their First Amendment. The Supreme Court decided in the case Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire that “fighting words” were not constitutional, so they would not be protected under the First Amendment (2). Many people misunderstand that much of their opinions that they speak consists of words that are unclear. More than half of the time the words they use in their statements are considered to be fighting words, for they are rude and ignorant. There is no need for the obscene words that they use to be protected under the First Amendment. They must become aware of their lack of knowledge for what “fighting words” are; furthermore, they
Living in the United States we enjoy many wonderful freedoms and liberties. Even though most of these freedoms seem innate to our lives, most have been earned though sacrifice and hard work. Out of all of our rights, freedom of speech is perhaps our most cherished, and one of the most controversial. Hate speech is one of the prices we all endure to ensure our speech stays free. But with hate speeches becoming increasingly common, many wonder if it is too great of a price to pay, or one that we should have to pay at all.
Restricting what can be said would contradict the first amendment, which says that every citizen is guaranteed freedom of speech. The first amendment will be useless if the government dictates what can be said. For instance, many people were split on which side to support when a Canadian magazine published an article about the increase in Muslims population. During the trials, half of the people felt it was hate speech and the other half felt it was freedom of the press (Liptak). This shows that there is no common ground on the regulation of hate speech and the overlapping of the rights given to citizens
I admit that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and freedom speech. However, several questions come to my mind: Do people really need to use offensive speech to say what they think about the other? Does offensive speech resolve problems? Is really necessary to use it? As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes says, ‘“…separating speech that deserved protection from dangerous speech that did not’” (Richey, 61). The position shows us that offensive speech that provokes violence action should be ban. So, why are people using offensive speech, to provoke violence actions where many people could die? Every time when someone uses offensive words, those are going to incite some people’s response, it could be just a verbal response back or grave disturbance or confrontations between both sides. As a result of offensive speech or the right to say whatever people want; some people will die. Therefore, what is the purpose to use offensive speech? To provoke violence and to harm, and whoever heard it directly or indirectly most probably want to respond in the same term and experience any emotional pain. So, offensive speech could incite rampage worldwide. People around the world have different beliefs, education, and religion, which is the essence of human being, to be
There was an article saying that in 2007, the government subpoenaed amazon.com to obtain book purchasing records of amazons customers. Judge Stephen Crocker said that, “ the subpoena is troubling because it permits the government to peek into the reading habits of specific individuals with out their knowledge or permission. It is an unsettling and un-American scenario to envision federal agents nosing through the reading lists of law-abiding citizens while hunting for evidence against somebody else.” This article brings into question the constitutional rights of the 4th and 9th amendments, of warrants and privacy of citizens: should the government be able to look into private records showing purchases and other private businesses of citizens without a warrant?
Freedom of speech is archetypally recognised as a basic human right in free and democratic societies. When contending whether speech that may be deemed offensive should be safeguarded one may refer to the judgement of Redmond-Bate v. DPP:
Instead, Bok suggests that we address the problem by communicating with those who are causing these disturbances and understand . Also in the essay, “Freedom of Speech Means Freedom to Hate”, Christopher Hitchens explains why banning those hate speeches may be an unwise decision for society as a whole as freedom of speech does sometimes prevent the tyranny of majority from happening. While the essay, “Why Women Aren’t Welcome on the Internet”, Amanda Hess makes for the argument that the internet have become a new and terrifying way for people to bully women who uses it. The last article, “The Case for Censoring Hate Speech,” Sean McElwee argues that censoring is required to help protect the minorities and to foster a better society. Freedom of expression should not be limited for limiting speech does not help solve the root problem and it would be near impossible for any person to regulate what people are allowed to say and not allowed to say without having any sort of bias against anyone in
Freedom of speech is the right of civilians to openly express their opinions without constant interference by the government. For the last few years, the limitations and regulations on freedom of speech have constantly increased. This right is limited by use of expression to provoke violence or illegal activities, libel and slander, obscene material, and proper setting. These limitations may appear to be justified, however who decides what is obscene and inappropriate or when it is the wrong time or place? To have so many limits and regulations on freedom of speech is somewhat unnecessary. It is understood that some things are not meant to be said in public due to terrorist attacks and other violent acts against our government, but everything should not be seen as a threat. Some people prefer to express themselves angrily or profanely, and as long as it causes no har...
Our textbook clearly says that, “everyone has the right to an opinion – even if it is a horrible opinion. We can punish criminal behavior. We should never punish people for simply expressing their views.” The First Amendment made it possible for people to voice their opinion whether it be hurtful or not.
The Bill of Rights has gained existence since December 15, 1791. Being supported mainly by anti-federalists, the Bill of Rights upheld what was needed to protect individual liberty. From the ratification we have our first ten amendments. The most important and used today is the first amendment. The amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting… petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment is very powerful but cannot be overly abused. Over time the freedom of speech has been constricted. There are many court cases that display the limitation of free speech. Environmental factors and certain materials are not covered in free speech. To understand our rights and know how and when our rights are limited, we must
Freedom of speech has many positive things, one of which is the help it gives on decision-making. Thanks to freedom of speech it is possible to express personal ideas without fear or restraints; therefore, all the perspectives and options will be on the table, giving people more opportunities to choose from. Nevertheless, everything in life has a limit, and the limit of freedom of speech depends directly on the consideration of the rights of others. People is free of believing what they want, thinking what they want, and even saying what they want, everything as long as they do not intrude or violate anyone else's rights. Under certain circumstances freedom of speech should be limited, and this is more than just a political action, this acts represent the urge for tolerance and the need for respect.
Freedom of speech has been the core principle we have fought long and hard for centuries to achieve. It is the fundamental reason why the founders seperated from England and started their own colonies on the idea of becoming free. In recent times the idea of freedom of speech has been put into question as there has been incidents for years of racism, religious differences and discriminatory abuse. What comes into question is what exactly is your freedom of speech rights and what should be and should not be said in the public eye. The problems that we see arising in today’s society is discrimination and abuse against one another for opposing views and what exactly should your freedom of speech rights entail to as many hate crimes have occurred
First of all, what does Freedom of Speech mean to people? According to some, it is the