Speech Anti Hate Speech - 839 Words

In 2010 during the funeral of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder a group of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas appeared at the cemetery, carrying anti-gay signs and shouting anti-gay slogans. The late U.S. Marine’s father, Albert Snyder, later sued the protesters for inflicting emotional distress to himself and his grieving family and won a jury award. The protest is one of many examples of hate speech, which is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as â€Å"speech expressing hatred at a particular group of people.† In some countries, like Germany, hate speech is a crime that is punishable by fines and years in prison. In the United States, however, hate speech is protected by the First Amendment. Due to recent†¦show more content†¦In his Ted Talk, â€Å"A conservatives plea: Lets work together† he speaks, among other things, about how and why he became conservative, even though he grew up in a liberal family. His speech does n’t even mention race, gender or anything like that. He explains that he became conservative mostly because he believes that Republicans have a better solution to poverty. So, yes, there are conservatives who use their opportunities to speak only to express their hatred towards particular groups of people, but there are also those who only want to speak about issues that are important to them, and sometimes solutions to those issues. Of course the misunderstandings around hate speech don’t end there. Those in favor of criminalizing hate speech often cite other western countries where hate speech is already punishable by law. Most conspicuous example being Canada, where section 319 subsection 2 of the Criminal Code explicitly states that willful promotion of hatred, other than in private conversation, may result in prison sentence of two years. What often seems to be left out is subsection (3) where defenses for this law are described, one of them being â€Å"No person shall be convicted of an offence under subsection (2)†¦ if the statements were relevant to any subject of public interest, the discussion of which was for the public benefit, and if on reasonable grounds he believed them to be true.† So, while yes, some countries do have laws prohibiting hate speech,Show MoreRelatedFree Speech vs Hate Speech Essay1647 Words   |  7 PagesFree Speech vs. Harmful Hate Speech Freedom of speech is instilled at the beginning of the Bill of Rights and it allows citizens of the United States to express their opinions without being afraid of what might happen to them, much like in other countries. Many times people are directly or indirectly harmed by others’ actions that are considered a right under the freedom of speech clause. Though, some people worry that if we do not allow for complete freedom of speech, it is hard to figure outRead MoreThe Broad Term Of Freedom1646 Words   |  7 Pageslegal one and on this essay I am going to focus on free speech. As The First Amendment says â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances† (Cornell Law). Following this, I believe everyone is entitled to their free speech, but as flawed humans being we always cross the lineRead MoreProtecting The Rights Of Minority Groups1538 Words   |  7 Pageshowever, being a liberal society also means that there ought to be a responsibility to protect vulnerable minorities from being harmed by hate speech. 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In the dictionary the word hate crime is defined as â€Å"a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence.† This definition makes us think that why would anyone commit a crime based on those matter? Do they bother someone that much that someone is a differentRead MorePre Nazi Holocaust And The Civil War1181 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Downing asks several tough questions to the believers of more speech: â€Å"What was the ‘healing antibiotic’ [(referring to more speech)] after the 1838 Cherokee Trail of Tears†¦Why will dialogue occur? What kind of dialogue?† (Downing 177), and later, â€Å"..wh ere is the ‘more speech’ during the centuries of slavery†¦Was the Civil War fought simply because Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth†¦and their relatively few supporters spoke† (Downing 183). He also gives the example of pre-Nazi Germany, describeRead More Hate Crime Laws Essay1378 Words   |  6 PagesI strongly support hate crime laws. Now, before I dive into this very controversial subject, I should probably define what hate crime laws are so you will have a better understanding of what I am talking about. As I have understood it, hate crime laws are laws that protect certain minorities or groups from bias motivated violence and harassment, and also more harshly punish people that commit these crimes against them. As I started to do my research on hate crime laws I beganRead More Censorship and the Internet Essay1213 Words   |  5 Pages Some believe this is an infringement of free speech, while others find censorship of the internet a necessary evil in today’s cyber world. When you take an in-depth look at what is readily available on the internet it should make you wonder what should be available and what should not; however, we must always understand the information that is available on the internet can be a valid source of entertainment, education and an example of free speech. The entertainment value of the internet is everRead MoreEssay on Hate Groups on the Internet3671 Words   |  15 Pages The Web of Hate Technology has provided our society with numerous innovations that have been created to improve the quality of life on a daily basis. One such innovation is the Internet. The access to a wide variety of information is perhaps the most valuable tool, as well as the most important tool, that we have entering the twenty-first century. There are virtually no limits on how much can be achieved through the use of the Internet. This is not