The Argument Against Hate Speech

Flames, teargas, riots, city blocks destroyed, in consequence to a statement. In today 's modern society, rude acts of communication known as hate speech, have become a controversial topic in America. Although hate speech is awful, it should be protected by the first amendment. Hate speech should be permitted because omitting such phrases would set a precedent for censorship and repress the minority. Such censorship would lead to a totalitarian rule by the majority . While hate speech should be better understood, bigoted acts should not be included in hate speech or harmful subjective phrases. hate speech has become a spotlight topic and there is a discussion if free speech should protect it. The main opposition against free speech being an

If we were to continue allowing hate speech where do we draw the line with hateful actions. In America, as a first world country, people should feel safe with who they are. In the case of the Westboro Baptist church, they protested funeral after funeral of a veteran after veteran(Mears). This caused people morning at the funerals to feel unsafe when they are at their weakest. A consensus along the side of banning speech is that we are to civil to have hate speech. “this issue has already been decided; impugning someone because of their race, gender or orientation is not acceptable in a civil society”(McElwee). Because of this people shouldn 't be up to someone 's genetics to decide how they should be treated modern society. The consensus from the other side is all speech should be protected, but only blatant offensive actions should be banned. Speech is a fundamental right and should be protected. “Think about it. It’s always easier to defend someone’s right to say something with which you agree. But in a free society, you also have a duty to defend speech to which you may strongly object”(mighty constitutional opposites). that is what separates the united states from a fascist country in that they protect all forms of speech. On the topic of hateful actions, only actions such as direct threats should be prosecuted and general hatred should be allowed. “The spectrum of hateful expression is broad, encompassing acts that are clearly illegal — such as firebombing a mosque

“The Case for Censoring Hate Speech.” The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 July 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-mcelwee/hate-speech-online_b_3620270.html.

Mears, Bill. “Anti-Gay Church 's Right to Protest at Military Funerals Is Upheld.” CNN,

Cable News Network, 2 Mar. 2011, www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/02/scotus.westboro.church/index.ht “Mighty Constitutional Opposites.” ABA Division for Public Education: Students:

Debating the "Mighty Constitutional Opposites": Hate Speech Debate, ABA Division for Public Education, www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/initiatives_awards/students_in_action/debate_hate.html. Schulzke, Marcus. "The Social Benefits of Protecting Hate Speech and Exposing

Sources of Prejudice." Res Publica (13564765), vol. 22, no. 2, May 2016, pp. 225-242. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11158-015-9282-1.

Stanley, Jay. “Civil Rights Movement Is a Reminder That Free Speech Is There to

Protect the Weak.” American Civil Liberties Union, American Civil Liberties Union, 30 May 2017, www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/civil-rights-movement-reminder-free-speech-there-protect-weak. Tucker , Eric. “How Federal Law Draws a Line between Free