Abby Koopmann
Ethics
Freedom of Speech
Professor Hunt
Culver Stockton College
Freedom of Speech
Americans have many freedoms that people in other countries can only wish they had. Just imagine a life where you could possibly be killed for speaking your mind and stating your opinion, other countries are living lives like that. According to Katy Davis, The United States ratified the first amendment on December 15th 1791 (Davis, n.d). We as a country don’t know where the government draws the line between hate speech and free speech. This is one of the many reasons why freedom of speech is a controversial topic. In this essay, I am using a Natural Law theory approach because we as people are entitled to free speech and human
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After the terrorist attack on September 11th, the US Patriot Act was expanded to allow the Justice Department to listen in on phone calls, search peoples history, and library records (Judith Boss, Analyzing Moral Issues 425). Many argued that this was a violation of their first amendment rights; this is a gray area on which ethical matters take place. Is it considered ethical to tap someone’s phone lines when it could possibly save millions of lives, or should you respect someone’s privacy and abide by the first amendment?
Some speeches can lead to misunderstandings or can send the wrong message therefore these limitations are put into place to benefit societies as a whole. A libertarian would deem hate speech as free speech because people have the right to express themselves therefore allowing them to say hateful and offensive comments. With the Natural Law theory, we are entitled to these rights such as free speech; however this does not mean we can say whatever we want whenever we want. A balance must be found that doesn’t limit ones rights as a human, but also tries to eliminate the use of hate speech as well.
Hate Speech
According to Hate Speech, they defined it as speech that is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability (Hate Speech, n.d.). Hate speech can
Hate speech is rhetoric which attacks an individual or group on the basis of characteristics such as race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. The impact has taken a social and psychological
Hate speech is defined as “speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on his or her race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.” There has been a controversial issue regarding hate speech and the laws that prohibit it. The right to freedom of expression reassures each person the right to express themselves in ideas and opinions without the government's interference. Hate speech is not protected by the first amendment and should not be expressed towards others because it causes harm. In this essay I will talk about the effects harmful hate speech caused to others and to the groups treated as insignificant. I will also discuss how hate speech cannot
The First Amendment, freedom of speech, has proven to have made a tremendous impact on our history and the course we have taken. Our country has been transformed throughout history to appreciate the different cultures, religions, and traditions; from a simple act as speaking up to what we think is right we have seen our nation grow and prosper. As citizens, we are entitled to express our opinions and this right must be respected. However, we have taken advantage of this amendment. Nowadays, freedom of speech has become more destructive than supportive. Freedom of speech means giving everyone a chance to speak up; this does not give us the right to harm other individuals.
What is hate speech? Hate speech is speech that attack a person or group because of the ethic background, race, gender, sexuality, religion or disability.
Centuries ago in American society, individuals were not granted the free will to act and speak freely. First Amendment rights allowed citizens to do so. On a historical outlook, the oppressed fought for the rights of various groups in the United States. Although laws and situations evolve, groups in America continue to face inequality and issues with freedom of speech. There is room for further improvement; freedom for all citizens needs to be fulfilled. The impression of being free is what gives the United States the ideology of being a part of a democracy. Recent events have revealed issues with freedom of speech and questioning about what kinds of speech is protected. In order to close the gap in
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
Speech that attacks a person or group of people on the basis of race, gender, or sexual orientation is regarded as hateful. It has the potential to incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected group of people. In Millian Principles, Freedom of Expression, and Hate Speech, Mill makes the claim that essentially all speech, including hate speech, should be allowed. This claim holds its validity as long as no harm is done to an individual. Here, I will show that low value speech fails to engage deliberative views that underlie central first amendment fundamental liberties. Subsequently, I will support these claims by comparing the aspects of hate speech to low value speech. Lastly, I advocate for the prohibition against the use of hate speech in a university setting.
As a constitutional right, people often exercise their right to freedom of speech believing that they also have the right to voice their opinions which can be provocative to opposing parties no matter where they stand. There is a defining line between what can be constituted as hate speech and free speech. Depending on the way that it is expressed, voicing an opinion can easily be misinterpreted causing certain people to feel threatened or attacked, then leading to dangerous physical outbursts. The right to exercise one’s own opinion that can challenge or provoke others should be deterred or at least limited if safety of all parties, even those not directly involved, cannot be guaranteed.
This year’s election alone has brought about many emotions and deep rooted feelings that have not come out in years. Hate speech and actions carried out because of hate speech has cause a deep division in American culture. Groups like “Black Lives Matter”, “All Lives Matter”, and “Alt-Right” are all under fire for things that have been said or done in the names of these groups. There has been terrorist attacks in the names of religious groups whom believe that a newspaper or group has insulted their religion, beliefs, and gods. Not to mention our own President Elect of the United States, Donald Trump, has been accused of fueling much of the hate speech we see today. This begs the question, should freedom of speech have any restrictions or be limited in any way, or is that unconstitutional? To look at this we must first identify what “Freedom of Speech” is as defined in the constitution and how it relates to current issues in the world and in America, then I will talk about some situations where regulation is already put in place in America, lastly we will look at some situations where I believe freedom of speech could use some clarification or restriction.
The freedom to be able to express your own opinion is an ideology that is supported by many, however the act of promoting harm or hate is where freedom should be restricted. Freedom of speech is a right for citizens of many countries, but these citizens may agree or disagree on what is allowed to be expressed. Many people share the belief that they can say anything they want because their freedom entitles them to express any opinion they would like. In contrast, many people believe that you shouldn’t be able to say anything you want and that there should be restrictions on the type of things that you can say. In the novel On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, Mill argues that freedom of speech should be limited if and when it is harming other people in the process. Mill explains this argument by stating that silencing an unpopular opinion is unjustifiable because in order to successfully express your opinion, you must listen to the criticism. I agree with Mill’s position regarding freedom of speech based on the fact that he doesn’t support hate speech, and that there should be reasonable limits on freedom of speech in order to have an ideal democratic society. This essay will outline the justifications for Mill’s argument surrounding freedom of speech, the limitations that Mill believes should be set on freedom of speech as well as the assumptions that his argument depends on, and finally my personal viewpoint on Mill’s argument. Freedom of speech is a right that should be guaranteed to every citizen around the world, however when this speech negatively affects or harms other humans in the process, it is thereby considered hate speech which must be condemned.
While some believe freedom of speech violates the rights of others, it is one of the most fundamental rights that individuals enjoy. In this argumentative essay, I’ll discuss why freedom of speech is important, but it’s not the only important right that we have. Yes, freedom of speech should be absolute, but we should not give anyone the chance to define reasonable restrictions. But 'hate speech' should strictly be restricted, as it infringes on free speech of others.
Nicholas Shackel argues in his article “The Fragility of Free Speech” that “false notions” have caused people to lose understanding of what free speech really is. He believes that even if they do not agree with a specific opinion, it still needs to be respected. Shackel also discusses what is protected and what is not protected by freedom of speech. Once speech becomes violent or instigates violence, it is not protected. Shackel is frustrated with the creation of laws that limit free speech because, without free speech, we are not truly free. While Shackel’s argument about the “fragility” of free speech is hard to refute, the overly emotional and aggressive tone, Shackel’s contradiction of himself, and his lack of evidence for his claims cause his argument to falter.
Democracy is one of the most significant contributions of the ancient Greeks, and it became one of the central sources for the development of Western civilization. The ancient Greeks were pioneers of free speech. Their theater, literature, and educational institutions explored the human experience, freedom of expression, and questioning of authority. Freedom of speech is the power or right to express one's opinions without censorship, restraint, or legal penalty, cornerstone of democracy. Throughout history freedom of speech has been the most feared threat to those in political, religious and administrative power positions. Consequently, freedom of speech is a powerful resource in order to approach truth and change, but now taken for granted, is misused. Freedom of speech does not give a person the right to do things that are harmful to society. Limitations are necessary in a democratic society for the protection of others such as false speech that harms reputation, threatening speech and speech intended to cause criminal activity.
Freedom of speech is the right that grants everyone and anyone to speak their opinions and ideas aloud without fear of censorship. As someone who believes that every opinion should be considered, I believe that sharing viewpoints allow students in college and everywhere else to freely express themselves and allows people to be who they are. Just like teachers from high schools and professors from colleges preach, students should be allowed to speak their minds without being scared of facing major consequences. Even though someone may disagree on someone’s point of view, it is the idea of proposing new ideas in order to obtain new knowledge about certain topics. Another important concept about assessments is they allow for debates to take place, which open people's minds to new ideas or help them understand different ideas. The sharing of ideas allow students to develop new ways of thinking about certain situations and it is essential for students to have their beliefs challenged by their peers, so they can develop knowledge on a certain topic, however, censorship does not allow students to be as open minded but the exact opposite.
COMMUNICATION IS a fundamental human requirement and is the underpinning of all human dealings since it is the mode through which humans exchange information. The free exchange of ideas and knowledge take place when there is unrestricted full-fledged communication. It is guaranteed through the “freedom of speech and expression”, the most cherished fundamental right, as envisaged under various international covenants and most of the constitutions including the Indian Constitution. The right to freedom of expression has a wide ambit which includes the freedom to hold opinions, freedom to impart information, the freedom to receive information and even the freedom to dissent against the democratically elected governments of the day. It is also related to free thinking, imagination and deliberation which are prerequisites for a human being’s self-realisation. Moreover, it is a vital right to form a good democratic government where citizens are well informed about political happenings.