Tierney Baumann
Mr. Barnes
Period 1
4/17/23
The First Amendment
Hate speech has increased by 11.6% in the last 5 years. The first amendment allows hate speech. The first amendment is unfair, unjust and needs to change. The first amendment allows hate speech. This causes emotional pain, psychical pain, and an imbalance of power. The first amendment needs to be amended. However, some others feel that the first amendment is fair. They feel this amendment allows them to freely speak their minds.
Amendment one should change because it causes emotional pain for many. For example, “Hate speech causes emotional pain for its victims. It makes its victims feel less equal in society.” (What is hate speech?) This shows that the first amendment causes emotional pain to its victims. This can hurt and impact many in the future, “Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.” (Fulgrum) The first amendment allows this. On the other hand, this amendment should stay the same. It should stay the same because the government shouldn’t be allowed to control what people say. America is a free country; we decided this centuries ago. For example, “A person may be disgusted
…show more content…
In addition, “victims of hate speech cannot speak as freely to defend themselves. For them, hate speech is a part of of a larger system of being treated poorly.” (What is hate speech?) This shows amendment one causes an unfair balance of power because it makes the victim feel less heard. The first amendment causes psychical pain for its victims. “53.1% percent of the hate speech crimes in the last 5 years have been violent and psychical.” (FBI National Press Office) This shows that more than half of the hate crimes have hurt people and might affect them for the rest of their lives. Hate speech is not okay. It hurts people beyond words and causes an unfair balance of power. Hate speech needs to be