The American Exception
LARP season is over and school is done...now vacation! Except there's this whole housing debacle. Oh well. At least bitsyboo and I have fun outings planned too.
This article is quite interesting, as it talks about hate speech in other countries versus the way that the First Amendment operates in the U. S. I have mixed feelings about the situation. On the one hand I completely deplore various racist/sexist/bigoted statements that can unduly influence others (especially when it comes to impacting how a child might grow up or view the world or incite an adult to criminal acts). On the other, I worry that if the laws/courts are too stringent in this regard then such talk will be driven further underground without any ability to confront how ludicrous or genuinely terrible such statements can be. An "echo chamber" can develop where those who state, hear, and agree with these pronouncements are never challenged because of fear of prosecution and the like. Therefore their beliefs are never questioned and can continue to fester.
As is pointed out in the article, it makes sense that laws in Israel, Austria, South Africa, and Germany are more punitive when it comes to hate speech simply due to history. America likewise has its own historical reasons. Is the interpretation of the First Amendment too broad in this global internet terrorism age? Would more severe restrictions have an overall positive impact?
Be well.
This article is quite interesting, as it talks about hate speech in other countries versus the way that the First Amendment operates in the U. S. I have mixed feelings about the situation. On the one hand I completely deplore various racist/sexist/bigoted statements that can unduly influence others (especially when it comes to impacting how a child might grow up or view the world or incite an adult to criminal acts). On the other, I worry that if the laws/courts are too stringent in this regard then such talk will be driven further underground without any ability to confront how ludicrous or genuinely terrible such statements can be. An "echo chamber" can develop where those who state, hear, and agree with these pronouncements are never challenged because of fear of prosecution and the like. Therefore their beliefs are never questioned and can continue to fester.
As is pointed out in the article, it makes sense that laws in Israel, Austria, South Africa, and Germany are more punitive when it comes to hate speech simply due to history. America likewise has its own historical reasons. Is the interpretation of the First Amendment too broad in this global internet terrorism age? Would more severe restrictions have an overall positive impact?
Be well.