One of the major principles of the United States government has always been the freedom of speech given to its citizens, but what really comes with this freedom? Does this founding principle make it socially acceptable to create uncomfortable environments and use words to injure others? I think this right has limitations anywhere you go. Countries like Israel are making the word Nazi outlawed. And this isn’t because they’re trying to limit and control freedom of speech but rather because of its symbolic meaning in history. (Thane Rosenbaum page 165) And I believe this limit is crucial especially in places of diversity and higher learning such as college campuses. There is a difference between “trying to persuade and trying to injure.” (Rosenbaum page 166) So while many people believe that freedom of speech on a …show more content…
It is important to let people express their views and discuss disagreements; that’s what democracy is. Being able to express your views and opinions is what makes America different from other countries. So why wouldn’t we allow these same rights on a college campus? Wendy Kaminer says in her essay Progressive Ideas Have Killed Free Speech on Campus, “It’s not just rape that some women on campus fear: It’s the discussions of rape.” She then goes on to talk about a university that canceled a discussion about rape because students felt like it made an unsafe environment. It is important to maintain an environment for victims to feel safe in but I don’t think it’s right to be silenced to the point where even talking about it for educating and information purposes is looked down upon. Morally, it’s always important to not have your speech make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe but especially for educational purposes it’s important to not feel like you must walk on eggshells because someone might find it offensive. Kaminer uses another example in her essay where she was “quickly branded a racist” because she used “the n-word” while teaching Huckleberry
In the story “Should This Student Have Been Expelled?” by Nat Hentoff was a very good argumentative passage. Hentoff argues that freedom of speech should be valued no matter how offensive it is interpreted by others. Dough Hann abused his freedom of speech when he blurted out “Fuck you niggers” to black students at Brown University. A student asked Hann to stop screaming and Hann yelled “What are you a faggot?” Next, Hann noticed an Israeli flag in the student’s dorm and asked “What are you a Jew?” and shouted, “Fucking Jew!”
Yes, we are allowed freedom of speech, but should there be a limit on this freedom? We can only justify these points based on the Bible. Ephesians 4:29 states this point quite well. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Ephesians shows that we may use the law of freedom of speech only when what proceeds out of our mouth is edifying and useful to the situation and to those around us.
For example being on a plane and yelling bomb or being in a crowded room and yelling fire when there is no bomb or fire. Yelling those things will cause people to panic and can cause problems and might injure people. Everything else should be protected under the first amendment. A quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as publick Liberty, without Freedom of Speech; which is the Right of every Man, as far as by it, he does not hurt or control the Right of another: And this is the only Check it ought to suffer, and the only Bounds it ought
The Free Speech Coalition claims that these prohibitions are overbroad and vague and,
While the freedom of speech is protected under the constitution, there are several types of speech that are restricted by the government. In general, if the speech is found to cause harm or threaten the safety of the public, it is restricted. According to Oliver Wendell Holmes, “a restriction is legitimate only if the speech in question poses a “clear and present danger”—i.e., a risk or threat to safety or to other public interests that is serious and imminent.” (Volokh, E., 2015). There are restrictions placed on fighting words, defamation, threats, and false statements of
Vindictive protectiveness is stopping students from learning anything in the four years or more that they spend in college. If they aren’t allowed to speak their mind there is no room for growth. The only thing they are learning is that speech should be under strict control by authorities. Thus teaching them that there really is no freedom of speech under the first
1st Amendment and the College Campus Have you ever wondered why some college campus protests are shutdown even though the first amendment is in place? The first amendment does not always protect in every situation. The first amendment wasn’t enforced much until the 1960’s and 70’s, when the anti-war and gender equality protests first started. College campuses have a right to impede on the first amendment if it is restricting someone else’s rights. In many cases some protesters will block off an entrance to an event or will start to harass people walking past.
Due to all the Supreme Court cases there have been over the years, what is free speech and what isn’t has evolved into laws. Freedom of speech includes the right to not speak, for students to share constitutional rights at school, use certain offensive words for political messages, contribute money with special regulations to political campaigns, advertise with some restrictions, and to engage in symbolic speech. Although freedom of speech has its dos, it in addition has its don’ts which includes threatening verbal language to others, distributing obscene materials, burning draft cards, for students to print articles in their school newspaper over the disagreement of the administration, making obscene speeches and promoting illegal drugs at sponsored and school events. In conclusion, you are allowed to voice your opinion as long as it doesn’t promote or involve crime ("What Does Free Speech
The United States didn’t invent freedom. The Greeks and Romans had their democratic principles and the British had their Magna Carta before we were a nation. We are not even considered the “most free” nation in the world. In fact, we were ranked 20th in the world earlier this year by the Cato Institute in the “human freedom index.”
“53.1% percent of the hate speech crimes in the last 5 years have been violent and psychical.” (FBI National Press Office) This shows that more than half of the hate crimes have hurt people and might affect them for the rest of their lives. Hate speech is not okay. It hurts people beyond words and causes an unfair balance of power.
Charles Lawrence in his racist speech tries to convince that racist speech needs to be regulated. He argues that hate speech is intolerable in the United States because it represents discrimination which Everyone defines hate speech differently. I define hate speech as anything that incites aggression regarding one person or a group of people. Now a day’s people uses free speech as a defense for saying anything but discriminating someone is not free speech.
Hate speech includes, but is not limited to, gesture, conduct, writing, or verbal communication that might encourage discriminatory behavior to a protected individual or group of individuals. Many universities are committed to creating an atmosphere of equal opportunity that harbors talent, creativity and ingenuity. Speech codes are not only justifiable, but are also essential to campuses because they do not allow the use of hate speech. One who is for the use of speech codes on campuses may argue alongside Lawrence in saying that it is unacceptable to use hate speech in any scenario or environment because it suppresses the voices of minorities. Lawrence presents the idea that “the subordinate victims of fighting words are silenced by their relatively powerless position in society.”
Free speech and hate speech can be classified as different topics and when arguing for one, we can also criticize the other. Free expression and free speech on campuses are crucial for sparking important conversations about equality and social justice, and the suspension of free speech and expression may have dire consequences on college campuses. First, freedom of expression allows students to show their own political, social, and cultural views, while also allowing students with common beliefs to align. Free speech and the call for free speech allows those who have been historically systematically oppressed to use their voice.
Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is the freedom all people have, to express what they consider and express any opinions. It is an ability to express our opinions freely without being punished or censored. All people throughout the world are entitled and must have right to freedom of speech. However, how much do we know about freedom of speech: when did it occur? Does every countries have it?
As human beings, we are all born with an entitlement of freedom of speech or synonymously known as freedom of expression as it is a basic human right. It is stated in the Federal Constitution and it is important for us human beings to protect our rights to freedom of speech and expression as it is the backbone for a democratic society. Having the right to express oneself freely without any restrictions is an essential part of what it means to be a free human being. Article 10 in the Federal Constitution states that; (a) every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression; (b) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; (c) all citizens have the right to form associations.