...United States, where diversity grows from coast to coast and the freedom of speech is instilled in all American citizens. America’s inception created the need for people to be safe and secure while pursuing the right to speak out against its government and instill change. The thousands of immigrants who poured into the U.S. left homelands full of tyrants and voiceless societies. Many historical events in America’s history would have never happened without free speech. The voices of many were often quieted and banned from returning because speaking against your government was seen as disgraceful. How can this be possible? The look to America, as it provides freedom and free speech for all. Free speech has been...
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...Freedom of speech is an integral part of human rights. My opponents have rightly said that we cannot be free unless we are free to speak our minds. We cannot be free unless we are free to learn from others experiences and opinions. We cannot be free unless we are able to criticize politicians, policy makers and whatever is happening to us in different ways. I fully agree that freedom of speech is important for a democratic society and it is now an integral part of our culture. Surely we have the press, media and the internet which are wide open like a blank canvas with us all using it for our expressions. But there are a few questions we must ask ourselves about this freedom of speech... Where is it all going? Who will control it? What are the limits? What sort of society it will create? Should individuals be able to say whatever they feel no matter what? How might this work in a global community? And it is worth to go to the extent of fighting for it? I am sure that all of those present here would be aware of what followed after the publication of the caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) drawn by the Danish cartoonist. Muslims all over the world were outraged, extreme opinions were voiced and violence ensued. Without going into the details of who was justified and who was not. One thing is for sure, both parties were exercising their right to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is our right but we seem to forget that it is also our responsibility too. And with...
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...Virtually, everyone believes in freedom of speech in any liberal society because it is one of its fundamental and most valuable tenets but how ‘free’, freedom of speech should be has been a bone of contention in diverse liberal society. The discourse about freedom of speech and the offense and harms it can constitute in a society has been an issue since the inception of liberalism. The Rushdie’s affair in 1989 brought into public view “the nature of Islam and its relationship with the West” (K. Malik 41).The Rushdie’s affair, generated as a result of a book, Satanic Verses, written by Rushdie Salman, it aggravated the Muslim society to the extent that a fatwa was issued ordering his death. In 2005, the publication of the Mohammed cartoons by Jyllands-Posten reignited the debate on freedom of speech and its limitations and there were two sides to it. On one hand of the debate, there are people who argue that for social harmony and progress in a plural or diverse society, “constraining free speech” or limiting it out of respect for the deeply held views of the different group is important (K. Malik 53). There are also those who argue for the right to free speech only when it is to their benefit or interest, which is double standards. That is, they use freedom of speech as a means to an end. To this end, Kenan Malik, a London writer and strong proponent of free speech, disagrees with both sides of the debate, calling them “enemies of free speech” because they in one way or the other...
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...Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, & Talk Radio Brice Hinchman Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech, & Talk Radio What is Freedom of speech? Well, the definition for freedom of speech is the ability to speak freely without being subject to censorship or without fear of retaliation from a governing body. There are at least two documents, the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that acknowledge that free speech is an unalienable right and protect it for all. There is another form of speech that may or may not be protected, depending on the circumstances, under the same documents and that is hate speech. Some of the limitations that are put in place by Government, employers, and educational facilities are a violation of what freedom of speech is really about, being able to freely speak your mind, but are necessary to protect the rights and liberties of other individuals. The freedom of speech is a very powerful right that is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Our Founding Fathers set the stage when they wrote the Declaration of Independence by stating that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Choices, 81). One of these liberties and unalienable rights was the Freedom of speech. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified...
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...Rough Ideas Should freedom of speech have some legal restrictions? Abstract The report given below tells us about the “freedom of speech”, its history and why it has become a problem in the modern world today. The term freedom means that you have the complete right to live however you want, without any interference from a second or third person. It also means living the life you want and not living the way any government wants. Similarly, freedom of speech is the concept of the inborn human right to be heard, and to give voice to their own outlook, beliefs and judgments without the dread of being penalized and rebuked. This freedom is not limited to speaking publicly, and is usually taken to comprise of other forms of expression. It is the right to put forward your opinion without hesitation, to worship whoever you want, to criticize whoever and whatever, and to express yourself liberally. The freedom of expression is a topic talked around the entire world. In this report, I will talk about whether freedom of speech should have legal restrictions or not. This report will also include all kinds of visual aids, stats, and a logical conclusion in the end. Introduction (history) It is believed that the idea of free speech goes back to ancient times. It was the Romans and Greeks that first recognized their right to be able to raise their voice and say what they believe in. Free Speech is closely linked to democracy, as democracy created the basis of free will and other similar...
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...Synthesis Outline Title: “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” Vs “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” Thesis: Both articles, “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” and “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” speak out against University speech codes and the need for free speech based on the purpose of the articles, the explanations for why speech codes exist, and the alternatives given in the place of speech codes. I. Introduction a. Describe what free speech is, and give a general importance of it. b. Thesis: Both articles, “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” and “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored” speak out against University speech codes and the need for free speech based on the purpose of the articles, the explanations for why speech codes exist, and the alternatives given in the place of speech codes. II. Compare and Contrast both article’s main purpose. a. Both articles are against speech codes. b. Define the first amendment c. Describe the importance of free speech in institutions of higher learning d. Give examples from both articles, and how they feel that free speech is important. III. Compare and Contrast both article’s explanations for why speech codes exist. a. “On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes” believes that speech codes started with good intentions, but the institution cannot keep up. A. Give examples, and quotes. b. “Only Speech Codes Should Be Censored”...
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...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.” If you look at that, you may say that’s an easy read. The Amendment states freedom of religion, speech, press, petition and assembly. But interpretation of this is far from easy, and as can be seen court case after court case have tried to determine the limits of these freedoms. How can these words not be understood? In this essay I will be arguing why cursing in public...
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...With unreliable views and values, our culture needs to have unrestricted freedom to speak in relation to whichever and all that alarms us in array to constantly develop our culture. Individual free speech inconsistency would be words that create a constructive, and not pessimistic, picture in mutually long-terms and short-terms. Dictionary.com classifies Freedom of Speech as, “the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.” Freedom of speech is also known as free speech or freedom of expression. Freedom of speech is also known as freedom of expression because a person’s beliefs and thoughts can also be expressed in other ways other than speech. These ways could be art, writings, songs, and other forms of expression. If speaking freely and expressing ourselves freely is supposed to be without any consequence, then why are there constant law suits and consequences for people who do. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression should be exactly what they mean. Although most people believe that they can speak about anything without there being consequences, this is very untrue. One of those spoken things that have consequences is speaking about the president in such a negative way that it sends red flags about your intentions. Because of the high terrorist alerts, people have to limit what they say about bombs, 9/11, and anything they may say out of anger about...
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...other countries have laws against hate speech and that such laws have sometime been passed in the United States, although not nationally. I think this is because, as mentioned by Waldron, many countries consider hate laws in Europe and in other countries in which manifestations of hate are prohibited rather than tolerated in the name of free speech. I also think this because other countries in which have these hate laws, their constitutions acknowledge that basic rights, including freedom of expression, are legitimately subject to restriction. I think it isn’t consistent because many states vary in the extent to which they allow their national legislation be guided by international human-rights laws. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education reviews the narrow definitions of exceptions for the free-speech clause of the U.S Constitution, noting that universities frequently go beyond these exceptions in their speech codes. Those narrow exceptions include: speech that incites reasonable people to immediate violence, so-called “fighting words”, harassment, true threats and intimidation, obscenity, and defamation. I think that universities go beyond these exceptions in their speech codes because of the recent events that have happened. For example, I think the Virginia Tech massacre made a lot of universities scared that something like that could happen at their university, so they started to go beyond exceptions of the free-speech clause to make sure that nothing like...
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...March 1, 2012 Freedom of speech is the idea that people can speak freely without being stopped, or censored. The United States First Amendment states that people have the right for absolute freedom of speech, which raises concern for when freedom of speech should be limited. Being able to speak freely is important. It allows us to speak our minds without being punished for our ideas. Freedom of speech in relevance to our time is very crucial. More and more people are beginning to voice their opinions and the construction of free speech is one of great importance. When thinking of free speech many issues and topics come into play. Today it seems that free speech in social networking has become increasingly prevalent. Over four hundred million people across the world are involved in some sort of social network, thus the importance of their voice when dealing with free speech. People want their voice to be heard, especially using things such as Twitter and Facebook. The issue of this however concerns the creators and if they should monitor what is being said on these sites. If social networking sites were to monitor our every action and every word, would we feel as if they abide by the freedom of speech law? What if one day you logged onto Facebook and there was a notification telling you that you were being monitored and could no longer say whatever you wanted whenever you wanted? Most of us would be outraged and angry that we could not express our opinions. No one wants...
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...Limitations on freedoms of society are crucial, especially in America. As Roger Rosenblatt noted in his essay, “We Are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid and Dead,” many people express their freedom of speech in very offensive and controversial ways. Often their expressions violate other amendments and freedoms as well. A few examples given by Rosenblatt included acts of freedom of speech performed by professional sports players. Many believe these were just their statements of opinion and in turn, their right as an American. However, I find them offensive to say the least. One problem with their open dialect is the position they hold in society. As a public figure, representing a professional sports team, they should not be able to vocalize such ignorant thoughts. Not only do many people in America and other countries as well, idolize them, they also represent the team they are employed by. This gives the whole team a bad reputation, among others. As an American, we all equally have the right to be whomever we choose. By stating their opinions of non-acceptance, they are violating other freedoms expressed by those they offend. In his essay, Rosenblatt made a very relevant point when he said, “Freedom is like a legal drug. How far will we go?” Limitations of our verbal freedom are not only necessary but important for our society’s wellbeing. His example of the interview with Philip Morris was a seamless example of what offends me personally about American freedoms. Rosenblatt’s...
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...politics, the right to freedom of speech was given to all of them. Without this right the participants would not have been able to express their opinion on the political state of affairs in Athens. This would make Athens less of a democracy and more of an autocracy, ruled by either one or several of the same ideologies. (Smith, D., & Torres, L. (2006)) An important figure in the...
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...Freedom of Expression in UK Jan 15, 2014 Student Name: Question: Freedom of expression should be guaranteed in UK? Introduction Several countries oversee media in distant ways. The reason behind is to interpret the laws and regulations or principles of Human Rights as per Universal Declaration in divergent manner. The constitutional principles regarding Human Rights might include freedom of media, freedom of expression, freedom of thoughts and freedom of opinion. However, no particular universal definition is there for “Freedom of Expression.” All the events and current happenings play as a beginning point for government rules and regulations for freedom of expression in distinct contexts and peculiar political contexts. Mostly people agree upon that in a democratic society freedom of speech or freedom of expression is essential. The broadcast media, the press media and opponents of political parties must have the freedom of speech to over those who so ever are in power. This is the way to take individuals opinion about their leader’s accountable and express as a free citizen whatever they feel. So it does not make any difference how vulgar, indecent/coarse specific kind of expression it might be, an individual has got the right to express it and those who got to know this have the right to react on it. In order to cite the freedom of speech’s and expression’s role in a democratic society, this is necessary to pageant the demands of democratic society that is addressed...
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...address three fundamental liberties all citizens have: religion, speech and peaceful assembly. On closer inspection, there are six very different ideals melded together into one defining statement. When the U.S. Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, it did not contain important freedoms that are now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers viewed some of the freedoms as unnecessary. However, after vigorous debate, the Bill of Rights was adopted. The first freedoms guaranteed in this historic document were expressed in 45 words written by James Madison that we have come to know as the First Amendment. The First Amendment states that “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.” Freedom of expression, artistic or otherwise in the United States is governed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Without a doubt the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is one of the most important rights afforded to us as Americans. Our freedom of expression and right to freedom of religion from government interference is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Freedom of expression consists of the right to freedom of speech, press, and to petition the government for a...
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...It is timely to consider the benefits and abuses of adolescent's free speech in school in this era when false news stories, that are nothing more than opinion have escalated and the freedom of the press is so often under attack. The freedom of speech is a core principle and right given to the American people under the Constitution. This freedom ensures the continuing development of democracy, as well as many other freedoms that our nation can easily take for granted. Institutions of free speech and freedom of press ensure that the truth is exposed and that ideas improve (Stark & Soltis, 2015). However, John Mill in his essay, “On Liberty,” points out that these same freedoms are cut back for minors still in the care of their parents (as...
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