Speech Vs Freedom Of Speech

Freedom of speech allows us to freely express ideas, to worship in the way we choose, to agree and disagree with each other and to stay informed. As long as we don’t incite violence on others or any of the other things that the First Amendment does not protect us from, we are free to express ourselves as we wish. An individual can support or condemn anything they want;
“don’t eat red meat, it’ll kill you”, “the president should be praised”, “the president should be impeached”, “the Chicago Blackhawks are the greatest hockey team ever.” These declarations can be well thought out, researched and fact-checked, or simply phrases repeated because they sounded good to whomever heard them at the time. When topics of exchange become heated, are insulting to, or are hateful, people start to

According to a Wall Street Journal report, “a survey of 800 college students found that
51 percent favored speech codes” (Friedersdorf). According to the Foundation for Individual
Rights in Education (FIRE), a speech code is “any university regulation or policy that prohibits expression that would be protected by the First Amendment in society at large.” In California, there’s an attempt to adopt such code that “would formally ban various forms of Israel criticism,” in an attempt to combat ‘anti-Semitism.’ This is viewed by those in favor as protection from a form of hate speech (Friedersdorf). Initiatives like these and others sound on the surface,like a good idea, but as one explores it further opens the door to stifle free expression on any group or anything that virtually anyone finds offensive. Other examples include Pennsylvania, where students of Lebanon Valley College demanded that a building named after Clyde Lynch be renamed because ‘Lynch’ has racial overtones. Without Lynch’s financial support, the