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Free Speech Freedom Of Speech

Decent Essays

University of California, Berkeley is undergoing a political movement unlike any other. The issue? Free speech. Protesters from both sides of the the political spectrum are outraged. leftists claiming that free speech is “being used as a cover for spreading hate in America”, that people like the infamous Yiannopoulos (a conservative political commentator known for making offensive statements and supporting “white supremacy, transphobia, and misogyny”) are doing harm with their first amendment right, while conservatives are claiming free speech is being threatened by the liberals. Are these demonstrators really challenging the definition of the phrase ‘freedom of speech’? No. The phrase ‘freedom of speech’ has not changed in definition, but …show more content…

Yes. Was Ms. Vidalia purposely using her words to create ‘clear and present danger’? No. The Reed protesters assume that all offensive speech is protected by the First Amendment, but Ms. Vidalia did not use her rights to purposely harm those around her. This is not an example of freedom of speech being misused, therefore Reed demonstrators should instead focus on real dangers to freedom of speech, like Mia Yiannopoulos. Mia Yiannopoulos’s case is an example of speech not protected by the First Amendment, thus not defined as freedom of speech. According to the article Fighting Words: A Battle in Berkeley, by Katy Steinmetz, Yiannopoulos is a political commentator, right leaning, and infamous for his support on “white supremacy, transphobia, and misogyny”. From the article, he is states that "never stop making jokes about taboo subjects"; this is a protected by the First Amendment, and said jokes is his exertion of free speech. However, the author Steinmetz presents that “there were swirling fears that he would publicly target undocumented students at Berkeley, having promised to use the event to launch a campaign against ‘sanctuary campuses’ “. Now is Yiannopoulos going to use his words to create ‘clear and present danger’? Yes. The evidence shows that harm is going to be done to undocumented Berkeley students with Yiannopoulos’s appearance in Berkeley, and for that reason, his speech is not protected by the First Amendment. Risking the safety of

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