Challenges with Freedom of Speech

Limits on our rights limit freedom. Colin Kaepernick, a former 49ers quarterback, took a knee during the presentation of the protested during the U.S. national anthem as a way of social protest. Kaepernick and others following his suit have silently protested racial inequality and police brutality. Protesting the national anthem is an appropriate form of free speech. Due to exercising the First Amendment, nonviolent protesting, and by being national, influential football players, refusing to stand for the national anthem is ethical.

Freedom of speech, Barendt (2005) mentioned, is one of the basic rights of any human being. The entitlement to express one’s opinion and view on anything without the fear of being harassed or penalized by the authority is ensured by this act. For many centuries common people were denied this right. Even now many countries prohibit its citizens to practice this fundamental right. USA is one of the countries, which is known for being vocal about civil rights and freedom. Therefore it is no wonder that the country’s constitution has given special attention to Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression and freedom of rights are uttered under same breath. They have subtle differences. The broad definition of right of speech allows an individual to communicate any idea, the medium being his/her body and property to whoever is interested. Freedom of expression additionally includes receiving, passing on and searching for information through any medium. The first amendment shields the freedom of speech right of the American citizens. Although there are several clauses to this practice, yet USA is one of the countries, which have provided its people with the freedom to put forward their

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. It reinforces all other human rights, allowing society to develop and progress. The ability to express our opinion and speak freely is essential to bring about change in society.” Freedom of Speech grants you the right and privilege to speak your mind without facing any type of consequence . I strongly believe that censorship and the lack of free speech can and will cause a negative effect on our world.

In modern day America, the topic of freedom of speech is widely disputed. More specifically in regards to when you are protected by our first amendment. It is extremely important to know what this right entitles as a way to protect yourself, as well as to keep yourself from looking like an idiot. For example, being banned from a social media site, such as Twitter, does not violate the constitution.¹ This is because Twitter is a private organization. This is also why you can be fired from your job if you say something incriminating on the internet.¹ The first amendment does not apply to private organizations. As well as this, you cannot be fined or punished for something such as not standing for the pledge. This is because it “is an act of political

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” These words were spoken by Benjamin Franklin, one of our nation’s founding fathers, when the United States was still a newly independent country. Free speech, which is defined as the right to express any opinion in public without censorship or restraint by the government, is a subject that is still present in the minds of many people today. At one extreme of the spectrum is a group of folks that do not care the slightest bit about free speech issues and at another end is a group of people who will vehemently fight to protect their right to free speech. In a middle ground, like most peoples’ stance, lay a large group of

Within these rights, however, we begin to find serious negativity, harmful intents, and questioning. “Hate Speech” is the phrase that has been given to identifying words and

This human right has developed through each period from in war time to in peaceful time; it comes with responsible now. Freedom of speech is a basic human foundation right; hence, it cannot be lacked of in democracy nation as America. The American people have no greater freedom than that of the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech is the cornerstone of America’s free society. This freedom is also the most fragile and needs the most protection. Never take speech freedom for granted because no one knows when it might be threatened again. Whether it is from the government trying to silence those that disagree with them or if it is from an individual trying to push their agenda on the country. Never the less the freedom of speech is an essential part of the country and there is no American dream or an America for that matter if there is no freedom of speech. Someone says that, “Freedom of speech constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society, one of the basic conditions for its progress and for the development” (Youth Media,

Recent debates about freedom of speech have become more common across the United States. Social media has now made it much easier to see videos or pictures of how students react to certain speakers, all of which have led to a whole separate discussion about fragility of students.

Like most democratic nations in the world, the United States has had its own fair share of issues with hate speech. There has been a lot of controversy over whether hate speech should be regulated. In analyzing the concept of free speech, one cannot ignore that it does not occur in a vacuum. There have been all types of debasements ranging from ethnic, religious, racial and gendered stereotyping. Freedom of speech inherently includes all other fundamental human rights. Hence, as acknowledged through natural rights, other rights and personhood should adamantly be included within this scope of this protection. Hate speech is a limit on free speech, as it not only puts the victim under deliberate psychological and physical harm, but also

I recognize your acknowledgment that freedom of speech is nothing more than the public society that have a conflicting opposition. I also understand that there is a line people will tend to cross when they become exasperated during a normal dispute in beliefs, and one party will usually concede from the conversation by insulting somebody directly. When two people can have conflicting arguments about topics that are debated on television news, it is in good practice for both parties to take the others opposing story into consideration. Although it is should not be received as evidence that you are being forced to agree with and depart from your initial statement. I have seen many people attempt to scrutinize others for believing in Christ, but

The Founders made the press a First Amendment priority in the United States Constitution as a “protected role” to act as a check on elected officials. The press was part of the Constitutional “checks and balances” in holding elected officials accountable and to be observant for exploitation, as the press were in essence “the eyes and ears of the people.” Freedom of the press is the irrefutable privilege to propagate opinions in print without censorship by the government. Americans enjoy freedom of the press under the First Amendment to the Constitution, which 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

As American citizens we are blessed with rights that many other countries are yet to afford; of those, one of the most influential and powerful is arguably the right to freedom of speech. Its gravity is compounded when one thinks of the many American soldiers who have sacrificed their lives fighting to protect this. The limits of freedom of speech have come into question recently with the rise of the Alternative Right, Nazis, the KKK, and White Supremacists, with some cases turning lethal as witnessed in Charlottesville, North Carolina. Though the importance of having freedom of speech is very evident, the question arises of how far do individual rights extend before infringing on the rights of others. Many argue on how political correctness does more harm than good and is an obstacle in the way of intellectual debate, though this argument has no merit. Many universities and colleges are implementing hate speech codes, which are limits on certain words from being used on campuses. Rules such as hate speech codes are a step in the right direction to counteract much of the verbal expression of racism that takes place on campus.

Thirdly, there should be guidelines or correct or incorrect free speech regulated by Harm Principle. Free speech is a right that everyone should have, however, limitations must be present on free speech. There should be fair discussion regardless majority or minority. Mill expressed, “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others” (8). It showed not to harm other people of the community and free speech should not discriminate people. As well as, there free speech is violated to harm another then actions should be taken place to protect or punish because free speech is a fundamental freedom. Mill explained that, “if, for example, a man, through intemperance or extravagance, becomes unable to pay his debts, or, having undertaken the moral responsibility of a family, becomes from the same cause incapable of supporting or educating them …punished… not for the extravagance” (68). This is significant because over spending is a personal opinion but if other suffer then harm is present. Harm because he is unable to pay back debt and family suffer by doing so. He should be punished for disadvantages he caused to others not because of his choice of spending. Another, Harm Principle showed that position in society can alter self-regarding behaviour. Mill noted that, “no person ought to be punished simply for being drunk; but a soldier or a policeman should be punished for being

The concept of freedom of speech has existed since at least 500 BC, where it was used in Athens, Greece. Athens was one of the first democracies, and possibly the birthplace of the concept of freedom of speech. ("Freedom of Speech", Wikipedia) Free speech is

Freedom of speech should have some limitations. The American people should have the right to say whatever they want, but to an extent. Whether it is on signs or verbally some things should not be expressed. The United States is well known for being “the home of the free,” but some people take their freedom a bit too far. People can burn flags, protest at military funerals, even use the “n” word and watching pornography in libraries.