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Why The Right To Free Speech Should Have Limitations Essay

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America is a beacon of freedom and justice. It is a place where anyone is free to live any way he or she wants to live. America is a place where all people can live together in peace regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. All across the world, people look at America and dream of being a part of such an amazing world. The foundation of freedom is the recognition of every citizen’s right to express his or her own beliefs and opinions without limitation. Therefore, even if someone has an opinion that is considered inappropriate or unpopular they still have the right to express that opinion. Without the right to free speech, no one would be able to protect the rest of his or her rights. Limiting an individual's right to free speech because their opinions are deemed unpopular by any government, university, or group is a threat to the very foundation of American society. …show more content…

For instance, someone could refer to a black person as a racial slur with the intention of being hateful, and defend his or her hatefulness by claiming to only be exercising his or her right to free speech. Obviously, black people do not like the idea of being referred to by hateful slurs. However, they cannot take matters into their own hands and assault whomever is calling them names, so they believe that it is the government’s job to make laws and regulations to prevent people from abusing their right to free speech. Travis and Scott (2017), say that “Because the use of slurs can cause discomfort or even pain for the listener, some advocate restrictions on uttering or even printing especially damaging slurs” (Travis & Scott, 2017, p. 293) meaning some would prefer if laws were in place to prevent minority groups from hearing slurs . In conclusion, supporters of regulated speech would argue that hate speech should be

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