...Significant Legal Decisions Involving Hate Speech in America What exactly is Hate Speech? There are many different variations to this answer. According to dictionary.com, it is “speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation” (“hate speech”). Anthony Lewis’ description of hate speech focuses more on the people it aims at: “Hate speech, it is called: virulent attack on Jews, blacks, Muslims, homosexuals, or members of any other group. It is pure hatred, not based on any wrong done by an individual” (157) Throughout history, many cases involving hate speech have been brought to court; each of them differ in their own ways and each brought a significant change to our Constitution. Our country prides itself in having freedom for all, and that includes freedom of speech. But when does freedom of speech cross the line? Many court decisions tried to come up with a solid answer, but there may not ever be a successful way to categorize hate speech. All of the cases covered here played a large part in transforming what the First Amendment covers. America started to recognize the significance of hate speech beginning in 1940, and policies began to form to protect offensive speech. At this point in history, hate speech was better known as “racial and religious propaganda” (Walker 62). The Holocaust was a major turning point for America, because we realized the destruction that it caused, and the government wanted to make sure nothing...
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...Americans paused a few months ago to mark the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination and to reflect upon the meaning of the event for the 1960s and the post-Vietnam era in general. Everyone agreed that it was a signal event that changed the trajectory of national politics. Yet there was little agreement as to how it did so and how, fifty years later, Kennedy's death should be interpreted or understood. Judging by the anniversary ceremonies, the passage of five decades has not dimmed the public's fascination with President Kennedy and the Kennedy family or allayed the confusion and controversy surrounding the assassination. All of this makes JFK'S murder unique among other politically consequential assassinations that have occurred throughout history. The assassination of Caesar led to a long civil war and eventually to the defeat of the republican faction in Rome. The assassination of Lincoln complicated efforts to return the southern states to the Union on the basis of civil rights for all. The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 ignited a series of events that led to a disastrous world war. No one...
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...Shenae Leslie September 28, 2014 English Period 6 Do countries have a right to place restrictions on religious practices such as clothing worn in public? What would you do if the government placed restrictions on your religious practices such as clothing worn in public? How does society justify punishing some people for practicing their religion because it made others feel uncomfortable? After careful consideration, one may conclude that the government does not have a right to put such restrictions on clothing worn in public. In this piece, we will explore the controversy and debate surrounding this topic in France. Some believe that the government has a right to place such restrictions, while others disagree. According to the article entitled “Unveiling Europe”, the focus is centered on France’s burqa ban. For example, the article states “ an estimated 2,000 French Muslim women are affected by this law.” This enactment in France is affecting Muslim women because they are fined or jailed if they cover their faces in public. “This law has made my life miserable”, Muslim women feel this way because the niqab is a part of their religion and this law is violating there right to freely practice their religion. Another quote that captures the negative impact of this law can be seen where the author states “this law was meant to protect women but it has only imprisoned them instead”, the government believed that men forced women to wear the niqab but most women...
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...Islam vs. the Rest of the World Islam vs. the Rest of the World Introduction There are hundreds of different religions and cultures throughout the world today and each is interpreted differently within the religious communities, families, or individuals and many of these cultures and religions have been morphed into a different form with different practices based on how each deems appropriate for them. There have been great strides in recent years to reduce discrimination and prejudice towards minority groups that are of a culturally different background than the dominant, more accepted groups and there is still a long way to go to meet total equality. While it is true there have been many improvements for some cultures in recent years, the opposite is true for those of the Muslim decent. Since the terrorist attacks starting from September 11 and since then, Muslims and those of the Islamic faith have been unfairly stereotyped negatively as demons and as many as 46 percent of Americans view the group as a whole as having terrorist tendencies. (Deane, Fears 2006) Not only are their religious practices criticized and viewed negatively, but nearly every other action they commit is thought to be “suspicious”, from the way they dress, to the way they talk, how they practice their religion, and how women are viewed and treated in their culture. Some view their form of lifestyle to be geared towards hatred and violence, with every action being held under a microscope and...
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...Hate Crimes- Are they that common? Dr. Joseph Carrier – Multicultural Diversity In Columbia Missouri, we pride ourselves on making national news for our sports programs, academics and becoming one of the top places to live in the country. We live by a code of inclusion and acceptance and have become a liberal Mecca. However, recent events in the growing city have shown another, less attractive side to the home of the University of Missouri. With making national headlines and social media uproars, Mizzou has become a symbol for the fight against hate crimes. However, these crimes aren’t just happening in small towns and conservative states; hate crimes are everywhere. With the introduction to the internet and social media taking off like wildfire, the past twenty years that should have created progress, have created convenience. It’s now easier than ever to target and seek out individuals and to receive recognition for these crimes. Many people have heard the term, but few know its actual definition. A hate crime is defined as a criminal offense committed against persons, property, or society which is motivated, in whole or in part, by offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol website. In 2007, a hate crime occurred once very hour of everyday, totaling an estimated 7,600 crimes. That is a staggering number when you think about all of those crimes being motivated by prejudice...
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...This feeling of hate towards them by members of the community and members of authorised positions, generated anger from the African community. The laws placed in the 1960’s to prohibit discrimination became overlooked and young African Americans were made to endure police brutality, poverty and their opinions disregarded. These circumstances created the rise of political hip-hop in the 1980’s. The first African American political hip-hop group was Public Enemy. The lyrics in Public Enemy’s music included criticism of bias in the American media and frustration over increasing problems in the African American community. Another famous example of messages conveyed in hip-hop music is the rap song called ‘The Message’ by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This...
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...A Nation of Diversity Despite the fact that America is a diverse nation, the existence of racial intolerance is evident. People are empowered to overcome such situation but some choose not to. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy” (King 46). Another Civil Rights leader, César Chávez, once said “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures” (Cashill 234). In the film of producer Paul Haggis, Crash shows different characters, with different lifestyles, and different socioeconomic statuses and how they collide with one another. Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggis, is a 2004 film about how in Los Angeles, during a two day period, people of a multi-ethnic background will track the unpredictable intersections and struggle to defeat their fears as they interweave in and out of each other’s lives. It depicts how African-American, Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians collide in different times throughout the film. It differs from other films and has an impartial approach to the issue about racism. Rather than splitting the characters between offenders and victims only, the cast is shown as themselves being racists in diverse circumstances and conditions. Paul Haggis wrote this film after a life experience of his own – one night, coming home from an evening out with his wife...
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...The Social Problem of Abortion The Social Problem of Abortion From my sociological imagination I believe that abortion is a social problem. I was raised Catholic. My mother comes from a strong Catholic Hispanic family and my dad was raised with strong white protestant values. I was brought up to believe that abortion was wrong. For the most part my mother believed that all abortion was wrong while my dad probably believed that it was okay if the mother’s life was in danger or possible in case of a rape situation. By the time I was born the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 had already been decided. Is abortion a social problem? I believe it is according to the definition found in our text. “Social problems- aspects of society that a large number of people are concerned about and would like changed”. (Henslin, 2014, p. 5) Abortion has the two essential components described in our text. “The first is an objective condition, a condition of society that can be measured or experienced”. For abortion, the objective conditions are: the legality of abortion, who obtains them and under what circumstances. “The second essential component is subjective concern, the concern that a significant number of people have about the objective condition”. With the abortion issue the subjective concerns are: women giving birth to unwanted children and on the other hand, women are terminating their pregnancies (Henslin, 2014, p. 5). This condition and concerns changed through the years. Before...
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...Huck Finn: Comparing and Contrasting the Controversies Surrounding Banning Books The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deemed one of the great American novels, was published by Mark Twain in 1884. From the start, this novel has sparked a lot of negative criticism. There were heated debates among critics, and in schools debating whether or not to ban this controversial piece of literature. In today's society, this book still offends sensitive readers, because it was written in a time when people were not sensitive to the plight of African Americans. Just a month after it was published, The Concord, library in Massachusetts banned all copies stating that it was “Not suitable for trash.” (Ruta1) It was believed, that racism was at the heart of this book, and the content was, and still viewed as being harsh. Louisa May Alcott was a popular author who served on the very first library committee in Massachusetts, where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned. She voted against this book from being sold, read or viewed. Criticizing Mark Twain saying that "Huck should not sweat. He should perspire." (Ruta1) Other libraries began removing their copies stating that it is inappropriate for children to read. The number of concerned citizens continue to debate on this subject today. Derogatory words are seen throughout this story in reference to showcase the difference between the two classes, white verses black. This book not only celebrates an unlikely friendship between...
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...1) Education: The first thing that I would change in the United States would be the education system. The United States doesn’t rank among the top countries in term of education. I believe that changing the education system in the US is a priority and that’s because it will have great impacts on a knowledge-based economy. Unfortunately, there is a huge gap that continues to divide students by race and class. Quality education must be provided equally regardless of race or class 2) Healthcare: The second most important thing that must be changed is the healthcare system. For me the idea of charging people for a hospital visit is just ridiculous. It is very ironic for me that poorer countries provide better healthcare for free to anyone with no discrimination. The United States is spending the peoples’ money on many programs non of which is concerned about providing a better healthcare for all. 3) Income Gap: In the United States there are many people who suffer from poverty and low income, while the few are making so much money that can transform the lives of millions if not billions other US citizens are suffering of hunger and harsh whether in the streets. The people must discuss these issues and the rich must give back to the poor and to society. 4) Obesity: There are some people that aren't obese; some that were born with the genes and those that just plain eat too much. The ones I’m talking about are those who eat too much. There are probably 5 different McDonalds every...
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...Religious and Ethnic Groups The U.S. a melting pot of people from various backgrounds. One would think given our country’s rich variety of people that our culture would be rather tolerant and appreciative of different schools of thought and races. While there are many individuals out there that have this attitude, there are also many that do not. Granted, our country is still much more accepting when compared to many others. However, discrimination against and persecution of those that don’t fit in or follow the rest of general society is quite a problem. When I think about this problem in our country, there are two groups of people that immediately come to my mind: Muslims and African Americans. Though these two groups are in completely different categories, they face many of the same problems in terms of discrimination in America. Within the scope of this essay, we will learn about some differences between Muslims, African Americans, and various other groups. We will also take a look at their overall experiences, as well as some specific examples of discrimination. Islam and Its Followers in America A Muslim is someone who follows the teachings of Islam, a religion believed to have originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century (Pecorino, 2001). What is interesting about Islam is that its roots are in the Middle East and it has stayed very influential there (Pecorino, 2001). Christianity, the predominant religion in America, also has its roots in the Middle East. However...
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...University of Phoenix Material Appendix H Search the Internet for information related to the following: • Women’s rights organizations • Equality organizations • Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) rights organizations Note. You may also refer to the Internet Resource Directory of Racial and Ethnic Groups. Complete the following table related to your search: |Site |Image |Thoughts | |http://www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights |ACLU American Civil Liberties Union |The ACLU works to extend the rights to those who | | | |have over time been denied their rights in the | | | |past such as women, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, | | | |transgender people, prisoners, and those with | | | |disabilities. The ACLU provides a LGBT project | | | |that works toward an America without | | | |discrimination based on gender or sexual | | ...
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...Military Leadership and the Integration of open Homosexuality Michael Hamby University of Phoenix Introduction to Research for College Writing COMM/112 Farid Dalili April 17, 2013 Military Leadership and Management in a time of Integration of Homosexuality There is no more a diverse workforce than that of our Military Services and probably no larger organization that has to deal with leading and managing a vast group of diverse personnel. Even though Military members follow orders and a younger generation is more tolerant of homosexuality, however; gays in the Military is prejudicial to good order and discipline and will negatively affect combat readiness. With the high operational tempo of today’s military, there is no time to adjust and acclimate to a new way of thinking. In the past, and in some ways still to this day, racial prejudice and sexual prejudice still exists. What is relatively new to the military is more and more gay men and women are coming out. This is extremely difficult in any military occupation, especially that of the Army and Marine Corps with units that work in close quarters and live for long lengths of time sharing his or her living and shower spaces together. In 1993 President Clinton enacted the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy. A very controversial, policy change allowing homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they never told anyone their sexual preference or got caught doing anything to be considered of ill prejudice...
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...In the case of of George Zimmerman nobody's exactly sure what to say occurred. Some argue that it was self defense. Some argue he was simply using his stand your ground right. Regardless of what people think there is still lots of controversy surrounding it all. Through this essay I will analyze how the actions of George Zimmerman compare to the actions of Hester in The Scarlet Letter by explaining exactly what happened on the night of February 26, 2012, the events of the trial that led to Zimmerman being free, and Zimmerman’s life after the trial. On the night of February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin went into a 7-Eleven to buy some candy and a drink. He had the hood of his sweatshirt on when he entered the store. He paid the cashier and walked out with...
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...The Chicago Blackhawks, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Chiefs, and Atlanta Braves are all professional sports teams in America that use Native American culture to represent them through the means of tribe names, logos, and mascots. These teams have received a lot of media attention around the debate as to whether the representation of Native Americans is offensive or not. Controversy surrounding Native American mascots first came into the public eye during the 1960s Native American Civil Rights movement, where the use of these mascots was criticized for being insulting. However, the people who conceived these teams, knowingly or not, created an atmosphere of prejudice and discrimination growing the brands into multi-million...
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