Should Hate Speech Be Limited?

            

               Should hate speech be limited? That’s a difficult question for many people. For many of our great- grandparents, grandparents, and even parents, hate speech was never an issue when they were growing up. Many of the issues that deal with hate speech today were either a part of life or not a part of life back then, such as racism or homosexuals. All of the hate speech issues were viewed in the same negative way so it wasn’t abnormal to speak out against them. While today, our grandparents and parents might still have a difficult time coping with African Americans, Muslims, or homosexuals, their kids are used to being around them and dealing with them on an everyday basis. Some kids might inherit their parent’s racism, but several I think have adapted to the idea that ‘those kinds of people’ are just like them.

               I don’t think hate speech should be limited. One of the main reasons I don’t think we should, or can limit hate speech, is because I don’t think, if a law forbidding it were passed, there is fair way to regulate what constitutes as hate speech and what doesn’t. The only way this law could be regulated would be if a person heard or saw someone else’s derogatory thoughts about another person or group. However, even if that did happen, it would be that persons own discernment of whether or not it was actually hate speech. Since people’s views are all different, you can see how this would be difficult to control at all. Also, as Fred Foldvary states in his article Should Hate Speech Be Banned?, if we eliminate hate speech, we’re eliminating something that is offensive towards someone else, not something that is physically harmful to them. He then brings up the point that offensive things are said all of the time so how can you distinguish one offensive thing from another? I agree. There is no physical harm being done here and I think if hate speech is limited, a lot of controversy will arise.   

               According to thestar.com in their article called How Free Should Hate Speech Be?, Amy Gutmann discusses how American and Canadian Political Scientists have met before to discuss whether or not there should be laws prohibiting hate speech. Canadian officials have already instituted hate speech laws which consist of “legal penalties against the willful promotion of hatred". Americans however are a bit concerned of whether or not letting the government place stipulations on our freedom of speech is a good idea. If we allow them in this case to limit our speech, what’s to stop them from taking it the next step further monitoring all of our speech?

               I think hate speech is a sad thing, but I don’t see any way to control it without taking away our first amendment rights. I don’t think we can ever fully get rid of hate speech, the only thing I would say we can do is to teach our kids respect and good morals so they grow up with a good conscience. Maybe then, they will show respect towards other individuals and hate speech will begin to diminish.