ipl-logo

Hate Speech In Canada

1176 Words5 Pages

Why a Total Reform of The Current Hate Speech Laws Needs to Happen The debate of hate speech versus free speech has been going on in Canada for as long as most Canadians can remember. In fact both Canada and America struggle with issues regarding hate speech versus free speech. There are many different sides to this argument. Many people saying that, we as a society need to “toughen up” and not focus on small versions of hate speech. Others showing that hate speech can lead to actual emotional damage. After doing some further research into the topic I decided on the later of the two arguments. Not only should hate speech be a criminal offence in Canada but we should also put efforts into redefining what hate speech is. In short, a total reform …show more content…

The problems that occur due to the lack of knowledge on the topic are frankly ridiculous, which I will further explain in depth later. I will also be explaining why hate speech is such an issue in Canada and how it only brings on further acts of violence. It may seem to some a long and tedious journey that is for no benefit, but implementing these new ideas will not only help those affected, but also the efficiency of the Canadian legal system as a whole, and enforcement of the new placed rules.
First we must ask what hate speech is, similar to explaining what is god, some will say it doesn 't exist, others will debate what it actually is or what it means. Hate speech unlike our other laws and rights has yet to be clearly defined to a point that you can say whether or not something is actually hate speech. This raises many issues regarding the actual belief of hate speech. In a famous case that showcased a neo-Nazi group that sought to …show more content…

The resolvement of these issues can lead to only positives, less mental trauma from those attacked or at the very least a sense of justice and closure. Hate speech is a slippery slope that can only lead to more crimes and punishments. Which is why we must make it a criminal offence. The clarification of hate speech can also lead to quicker and more efficient decisions in cases that present hate speech in them. I can not see a negative side coming from a reform regarding hate speech. People who oppose these changes can state that the reform will be a long and tedious process that produces little reward, but hate speech is one of the most common problems people face today. Solving this will clear up any confusion facing the many charges and also make cases go by fast. To anything an opposing side would say the easiest rebuttal would be: Is it worth it? The answer being, yes, the efficiency and clarification on an important rule is always better. If we make no changes we do not progress with this

Show More
Related

The Negative Effects Of The Christie Pits Riot In Canada

858 Words | 4 Pages

We have had a good history and is known to be diverse, and when a great act of hate uproars like this, it would taint our history. According to an interview done by CBC, during Hitler’s time period, “Catholic’s were attacked and Jews, Blacks, and Chinese were hated” (CBC, 2013). Nobody had seen this much hate in Canada. If the province or government wanted to do something, they would have stepped in. But the event was unaccounted for.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Slurring Perspectives' By Elisabeth Camp

656 Words | 3 Pages

In “Slurring Perspectives,” Elisabeth Camp begins with the argument that slurs are “powerful” and “insidious” precisely because they “present contents from a certain perspective, which is difficult to dislodge despite the fact that it is precisely what a nonbigoted hearer most wants to resist.” It is this reason why slurs are considered more offensive than “pure expressives” like “damn,” because they denote certain negative properties which are meant to contain harmful, “truth-conditionally robust properties” (Camp 330). Camp then goes on to say that slurs “conventionally signal a speaker’s allegiance to a derogating perspective on the group identified by the slur’s extension-determining core” (Camp 331). It is this derogating perspective

Read More

October Crisis Analysis

1774 Words | 8 Pages

Greatly valued in the west, Canada is proud to have a set of rights and freedoms granted to every one of its citizens. Under the Canadian Charter Rights and Freedoms, it dictates what the state’s citizens are entitled to, which can involve the right to expression and the right to equality. Of course, there are reasonable limitations to these rights, such as restricting what sort of speech is free, but since the September 9, 2011 attack in New York City (hereby referenced as 9/11), the Canadian government has been passing legislature that has been cracking down hard on these rights. These legislatures, such as Bill C-36, has been created specifically to fight off terrorism, but this fight has been done almost blindly and in a rash manner. Cases

Read More

Robin Lakoff Hate Speech Analysis

151 Words | 1 Pages

In Robin Lakoff’s “Hate Speech”, Lakoff claims that not everyone is able to understand hate speech because not everyone goes through it, or they don't find it a big deal because it doesn't happen to them. Someone might claim that they know that hate speech doesn't happen that often but, what is hate speech? Hate speech is to “promote violence” and it is “created by people who are a majority of the population; directed toward people who are a part of a minority population.” (bsu.edu). The First Amendment allows people to speak what they want, and express themselves.

Read More

Racist Speech As The Functional Equivalent Of Fighting Words

707 Words | 3 Pages

Hate speech includes, but is not limited to, gesture, conduct, writing, or verbal communication that might encourage discriminatory behavior to a protected individual or group of individuals. Many universities are committed to creating an atmosphere of equal opportunity that harbors talent, creativity and ingenuity. Speech codes are not only justifiable, but are also essential to campuses because they do not allow the use of hate speech. One who is for the use of speech codes on campuses may argue alongside Lawrence in saying that it is unacceptable to use hate speech in any scenario or environment because it suppresses the voices of minorities. Lawrence presents the idea that “the subordinate victims of fighting words are silenced by their relatively powerless position in society.”

Read More

Hate Crimes In Canad An Overview

893 Words | 4 Pages

Hate Crimes in Canada: An Overview. ## Introduction Hate crimes are criminal offenses motivated by bias or prejudice towards certain groups based on factors such as race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. These acts not only harm the direct victims, but also spread fear and mistrust within targeted communities. In Canada, addressing hate crimes has become a pressing concern as incidents continue to rise, particularly against specific groups.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Hate Crime Laws

1014 Words | 5 Pages

Hate crimes have been a long-lasting reality in the United States beginning in the nation’s history with eradicating Native American populations, slavery, and xenophobia. As a result, forty-five states have adopted hate crime laws to combat organized hate groups from preying upon the most vulnerable groups in society. Hate crime laws provide special protections to the groups that are most frequently targeted by hate crimes including African Americans, LGBT, Jews, and Muslims. Although there has been much debate over what groups should be protected by hate crime laws, evidently there are groups that have been historically targeted at a much higher rate than others. Hence why most states exclude other groups that are not in as much need for protections in hate crime legislation.

Read More

Charles Lawrence Racist Speech Summary

770 Words | 4 Pages

Charles Lawrence in his racist speech tries to convince that racist speech needs to be regulated. He argues that hate speech is intolerable in the United States because it represents discrimination which Everyone defines hate speech differently. I define hate speech as anything that incites aggression regarding one person or a group of people. Now a day’s people uses free speech as a defense for saying anything but discriminating someone is not free speech.

Read More

Hate Speech College Campuses

1116 Words | 5 Pages

From the speeches proclaimed in Nazi Germany, to the words spoken by Stalin, that were utilized for nothing more than power gain in the world stage, no hate speech was factually driven and meant to not create a detrimental impact on those it was personally

Read More

Arguments Against Hate Crime Laws

1481 Words | 6 Pages

The argument for hate crime laws is supported by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Wisconsin v. Mitchell (1993) that hate crime laws punish conduct rather than thought.

Read More

Hate Crime With Criminal Intent

177 Words | 1 Pages

My source of information will support my opinion as in the case of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in the United Kingdom in January of 2015. This was a deliberate hate crime with criminal intent. On January 7, 2015, at about 11:30 local time, two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, forced their

Read More

Crime Vs Hate Crime

1816 Words | 8 Pages

A criminal offense against a person or property motivated by a prejudice of race, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, or disability is defined as a hate crime. Imagine a person being killed in spite of the dislike for the color of the victim’s skin or their ethnicity. Or think about a criminal committing arson by setting a mosque on fire for the reason that they do not agree with the religious affiliations attached to the mosque. Both are clear examples of a hate crime, and hate crimes have been committed for hundreds of years dating back to, as Tom Strissguth (2003) identifies, 1649 (p. 104). Current hate crime laws that are in place have every good intention in mind to keep victims safe, but there are arguments from scholars

Read More

Should Hate Speech And Should It Be Protected Under The First Amendment?

285 Words | 2 Pages

Although hate speech is bigoted, hate-mongering, and can potentially lead to hate crimes, it should still be considered free speech. If citizens of the United States are not allowed to be verbal about their beliefs, whether or not they are offensive and hateful, then there is no use in allowing free speech. Placing limitations on free speech contradicts the First Amendment, therefore making it inaccurate and useless.

Read More

Ridicule: A Rhetorical Technique

776 Words | 4 Pages

Hate speech is concerned with any speech act, gesture, conduct, written or graphic form of communication which is judgmental and pejorative towards a person or a group in regard to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality or religion. The most infesting form of hate speech incites violence. For Rita Whillock and David Slayden hate speech is an operational tactic and rhetorical tool of persuaders. They claim that hate may be used to dominate the opposition by rhetorical force. Whillock and Slayden claim that hate speech is employed to “polarize particular groups in order to organise opposition, solidify support and marshal resources toward forcing a ‘final solution’ to a thorny problem” (Whillock, Slayden, 1995: xiii).

Read More

The Consequences Of Hate Speech

2345 Words | 10 Pages

looks at how it ultimately affects society and targeted groups. There are a myriad of arguments for and against the allowance of hate speech. Some citing Democracy and the first amendment others stem from the fear of eroded freedoms of expression and have valid points, but ultimately, it corrodes society’s human rights and freedoms. The two fold issue being intolerance of the freedom of self-determination and the fact that some are born a color or culture and have no choice. Therefore, hate speech is anti-social and damaging to society as a whole.

Read More

More about Hate Speech In Canada

Related Topics

Open Document