Hate Speech
Have you ever wanted to say something, but feared that the consequences of your words might be too great? Or, have you ever had to tell someone to watch their language because they might be offending other people? What if the leader of a white supremacist group, like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), was giving a speech, would you tell them to watch their language or think that they are wrong for speaking their mind? There is really nothing that can be done to stop anyone from expressing him or herself verbally. Sure, there will be consequences for their actions, for example: riots, fights, etc, but nevertheless, people can speak their minds wherever and whenever they want. Hate speech is defined as the contemporary means by which the majority subjugates minorities (unt.edu). Hate speech is a topic of issue for many people and right's activist groups also. There are those who oppose hate speech, while others defend it, since hate speech is protected by the first amendment. The controversy of hate speech has resulted in the establishment of speech codes. These speech codes were put in place to prevent fighting words, but most universities went beyond preventing fighting words. Some examples of the
The controversy of hate speech will never disappear. It is an issue that can be debated for hours, even days without any interruptions. Hate speech is not a black and white issue, there is a lot of gray area, but since it is protected by the Constitution, political leaders and the American people should uphold it. As Americans, we must also fight to have the unconstitutional speech codes removed from our colleges and universities. The two codes restricting "verbal behavior" at the University of Michigan, and University of Wisconsin, were found unconstitutional by the federal courts, but why do other universities continue to be allowed to have speech codes. If we Americans live by the Constitution, we should live by the Constitution to the fullest. We should not abide to one amendment while disregarding or challenging another amendment. If Americans allow for unconstitutional codes to be placed on the Constitution, how far will codes be taken? If people feel that another part of the Constitution is too controversial, will that be changed also? The Supreme Court must intervene. They need to do their job and protect the Constitution, which in turn, protects our rights as Americans. After the attacks on September 11, many people who, for the most part, do not attack specific groups of people, race, or ethnicity, have been noted for making racially motivated comments. For example, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly declared that "the United States should bomb the Afghan infrastructure to rubble - the airport, the power plants, their water facilities, and the roads...The Afghans are responsible for the Taliban. We should not target civilians. But if they don't rise up against this criminal government, they starve, period" (Heather Gain). Bill O'Reilly clearly expresses his resentment of the Afghan people in this stat
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Approximate Word count = 1238
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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