Confucius Use Of Freedom Of Speech In Campus Culture Wars

Confucius said, “Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.” Confucius was right when he said this. We need to know the meaning of the words we use in order to understand them, and words like slave are particularly loaded especially when directed at other people in any context. Most people do not use the word slave lightly; they know better. It is important to note that free speech does not protect all kinds of speech. Depending on how one would define ‘harm,’ this incident might fall under the category of speech that freedom of speech does not protect. Furthermore, Professor Core’s eccentric comments concerning a fictional conspiracy perpetrated by colleges around the nation were delusional, to say the least. First, this documentary, Campus Culture Wars, presented the situation as if the case of one racially insensitive professor would be the “shot heard ‘round the

In truth, most people are able to not offend people on accident. When your average person speaks, they quite easily stay away from words that would offend like “slave.” To not say something offensive is not particularly difficult, and this professor was an exceptional case in his oversight of basic social norms. The website of the United States Courts states that, “Among other cherished values, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech. The U.S. Supreme Court often has struggled to determine what exactly constitutes protected speech.” So, what does the United States Courts say about this case? Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that it is alright to “To use certain offensive words and phrases to convey political messages,” but not to “To incite actions that would harm others.” It seems to me that the