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How important is freedom of speech
How important is freedom of speech
How important is freedom of speech
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Xe, xem, xyr, xey; what comes to mind when you think of these words? Are these words anything more than gibberish, or are you able to form the mental picture of an individual who uses these words as pronouns? Regardless of your own answer there are many that can’t manifest such images in regards to their ‘comrades’. (careful not to use labels such as countryman or woman.) Not what if I told you that if you didn’t force yourself and retrain your brain to use these words you would be in violation of the law? It’s unbelievable isn’t it? Unfortunately truth can be stranger than fiction. If you improperly label someone using “archaic” pronouns in Canada you are committing a criminal offense, and we’re not just talking about a traffic ticket; this …show more content…
I mean, look at the conversation we’re having right now, (In reference to the rather brash interrogation he received from Cathy Newman.) You’re certainly willing to risk offending me in the pursuit of truth. Why should you have the right to do that? It’s been rather uncomfortable... You’re doing what you should do, which is digging a bit to see what the hell is going on. And that is what you should do. But you’re exercising your freedom of speech to certainly risk offending me, and that’s fine. More power to you, as far as I’m concerned.” In saying this he rightly put that there can be no double standards, and there can be no avenue which we do not explore as a means to reach a compromise that will help mend our relationship with our fellow country-man, it’s because of this and the dire consequences should we not mend the gap forming between the populace of western civilizations as a whole that makes any such proposal to censor free speech unacceptable. To finish I’ll say this, it is your right to be offended, but it is not your right to deplatform anyone who you deem to be
Through government censorship, many religious, and nonreligious, activities have been stopped, disrupted, and insulted throughout the years. In fact, it is not just government that do this. Many people tend to be bothered by such activities and also work towards stopping and/or disrupting them. "'We stand against the small tide of those who want to make everyone unhappy with conflicting theory and thought'” (Bradbury 59) This quote from the text is when Beatty explains to Montag the importance of firemen. This quote helps to show how in a dystopian government, there are people who interrupt others activities to maintain “order”. In 2016, a youtuber by the name of Adam Saleh was kicked off a plane for speaking in a different language. “I am upset that that’s happening, really upset,” the passenger said. “‘Is there freedom of speech? They can speak in whatever language they want to on the plane.’” “‘In the video, as Saleh panned the camera around the plane cabin, a few passengers waved. Several could be heard shouting: ‘Bye!’” (Wang, Amy “YouTube star known for pranks claims he was kicked off Delta flight for speaking Arabic”) These quotes from an article describe how while some believe that people deserve freedoms, others may disagree. Because of this, those with more power (in this case a greater majority) get the unfair
Though, his motivation comes from exploring a topic that is quite controversial. He wants people to know that there are consequences for saying hurtful and offensive things and claiming that they have a right to do so because of the First Amendment. Using the First Amendment to excuse bad behavior is not acceptable. This is where we see harassment online because websites are rarely regulated to be sure that every user is saying things that don’t affect others. As Sanneh paraphrases what one book he references, “. . .the First Amendment is powerless to protect.” Sanneh also provides other examples of how people are harassed online, such as a story of a journalist, Lindy West, who gets called obscene things like “a fat bitch”. It’s hard to control what can be said online, which is why many people think it’s okay to say whatever they want. Most probably think it’s okay simply because they are a nobody online, and their words won’t affect anyone because it’s not directed towards
“Everyone loves free expression as long as it isn't exercised” (Rosenblatt 501). In the article, We are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid, and Dead, Roger Rosenblatt argues for the people’s right to freedom of speech and expression, that is given by the U.S Constitution. Rosenblatt argues that freedom of speech is one of the many reasons the Founding Fathers developed this country. For this reason, Rosenblatt believes that we should be tolerant and accepting of other’s ideas and beliefs. Even if one does not agree with someone else, they need to be understanding and realize that people have differing opinions.
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.
In the essay “From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime” by Robin Tolmach Lakoff, Lakoff discusses the fact that words are a tool as well when it comes to wars. She talks about the differences between our natural want and ability to kill things, and the mental training soldiers receive to make it easier for them. Lakoff talks about the practice of dehumanizing the “enemy” through nicknames that make us feel superior then our foes, and the repercussions of using this type of language. In the essay by George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, Orwell talks about the decay of the English language, especially in political writings. He discusses the fact that when it comes to writing, political being the main focus, it’s
freedom of speech for two main reasons: a) he finds it abhorrent that the state
Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for simply speaking one’s mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak one’s mind freely one would be forced to agree with everything society stated. With freedom of speech one’s own ideas can be expressed freely and the follower’s belief will be stronger. The words sound so simple, but without them the world would be a very different place.
However, Bok argues that when the times come to decide what is more important, a mutual respect for each other or free speech, the Supreme Court had made it clear that it stands on the side of free speech (Bok, 67). Bok states that he agrees that those who have decided to behave in an tasteless fashion to be self serving and unthinking of the society as a whole. However, Bok then states that just because an individual disapproves an action that express hate or racism, it doesn't give the individual who disapproves any right to ban that action (Bok, 2). Bok furthers argue that because these rules are made to protect the minorities, it is not fair to those who the rules does not extend its coverage to. (Bok, 2) The most important point made by both Hitchens and Bok was if we were to put a censor in place, who is to decide what or what cant be said? There isn’t anyone in the world who would be qualified to decide for an entire country what is considered hate speech or what is not considered hate speech. The simple reason being no matter who the person is, he or she would always have some sort of bias against someone because of his/her race, religion, work or previous dislike for any individuals. With this bias in place, no one would be able to fully take on the responsibility of being a fair censor.
In the essays, “In Defense of Prejudice: Why Incendiary Speech Must Be Protected” by Jonathan Rauch and “The Debate over Placing Limits on Racist Speech Must Not Ignore the Damage It Does to Its Victims” by Charles R. Lawrence III, the writers express their beliefs on the topic of freedom of speech and prejudice speech; particularly racist. As far as any benefits of prejudice speech go, the two writers thoroughly disagree. Lawrence believes that there are no benefits of prejudice speech and it should not be included in what America’s “freedom of speech” entails, because of its effect on minorities as he writes, “Whenever we decide that racist speech must be tolerated because of the importance of maintaining societal tolerance for all unpopular speech, we are asking blacks and other subordinated groups to bear the burden for the good of all” (Lawrence 624.) Rauch disagrees as he suggests, “…the realistic question is how to make the best of prejudice, not how to eradicate it” (Rauch 1) as he thinks prejudice has benefits that effect not only our freedom of speech in general, but other things such as science and our ability “to challenge orthodoxy, think imaginatively, [and] experiment boldly” (Rauch 2.) Although the two writers disagree on the benefits, they do agree on some negative connotations of prejudice speech. Lawrence believes that there is real harm that can be inflicted upon a person when a victim of prejudice speech, of which is “…far from trivial” (Lawrence 623.) Rauch similarly agrees as he views the prejudice speech to be effecting to the inner body and the soul as he notes, “All of these things are noted preverbally and assessed by the gut” and that “The fear engendered by these words is real” (Rauch 6.) However, Rauc...
"What is at stake here it the right to read and be exposed to controversial, thoughts and language. The most effective antidote to the poison of mindless orthodoxy is ready access to a broad sweep of ideas and philosophies. There is no danger in such exposure. The danger is mind control especially when that control is exercised by a few over the majority" (qtd. in Hunt
Introduction. The basic human right that is the most fundamental to any person’s every day life is undoubtedly freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the inalienable right of any human being living in the 21st Century. Through freedom of speech, people can exercise their basic human need to communicate and express their own thoughts, ideas, opinions and feelings about things around them. It is the most integral factor for successful human communication and interaction. Democracy and politics all rely on different parties voicing their own opinion in order to reach a compromise that represents the majority. Education is based on people voicing their opinions and discussing them with other people in order to learn and grow from each other. And
Words are very powerful, and sometimes the words we use offend people. Freedom of speech is highly valued but what happens when your freedom becomes hurtful or disrespectful to someone else? There are so many different kinds of people and different things that offend each person. In this day where we are more inclined to say whatever we want, we see more and more offense being taken to the words that get said. It's hard to understand why certain words can be insulting to someone when it may not seem that way to you. We have to ask ourselves, why do we care what other people say and should we censer everything that goes into the public just so people don't get offended?
In my work I am going to discuss the aspects of freedom of speech. Today, in the modern world of the law, one of the important factor is freedom of speech. Firstly, we will analyze what does a term - “freedom of speech” mean. It means, the right to articulate one's opinions and ideas without fear of government retaliation or censorship, or societal sanction. The term “freedom of speech” is sometimes used as a synonym of “freedom of expression”. ,,The right to freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Article 19 of the UDHR states that "everyone shall have the right
Freedom of speech is the concept that people can spread their ideas, thoughts or interpret others' opinions freely without humiliating their religions, reputations. People have right to receive or impart information without any interference by governments and other people. Furthermore, freedom of speech is the most precious human right that belongs to everyone so that each of us has a right to freely express ourselves either orally or through writing and also through art as well as internet. However, “when it stands on opposition to other individuals’ interests or public interests , such as privacy ,reputation or national security , restrictions and limitations of freedom of speech should be taken into account”(Sun 153). Despite the common idea, there should be some restrictions on freedom of speech in order to eradicate hate speech, protecting national security and protecting minors.
I mean, look at the conversation we’re having right now, (In reference to the rather brash interrogation he received from Cathy Newman.) You’re certainly willing to risk offending me in the pursuit of truth. Why should you have the right to do that? It’s been rather uncomfortable... You’re doing what you should do, which is digging a bit to see what the hell is going on. And that is what you should do. But you’re exercising your freedom of speech to certainly risk offending me, and that’s fine. More power to you, as far as I’m concerned.” In saying this he rightly put that there can be no double standards, and there can be no avenue which we do not explore as a means to reach a compromise that will help mend our relationship with our fellow country-man, it’s because of this and the dire consequences should we not mend the gap forming between the populace of western civilizations as a whole that makes any such proposal to censor free speech unacceptable. To finish I’ll say this, it is your right to be offended, but it is not your right to deplatform anyone who you deem to be