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Hate Speech

Should the First Amendment be limited?

  • In no way at all

    Votes: 2 33.3%
  • Only in ways that directly affect safety

    Votes: 3 50.0%
  • Should be limited to prevent slander, incitement of violence

    Votes: 1 16.7%
  • All objectionable speech should be subject to limitation

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6

RightinNYC

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Should there be restrictions on the First Amendment?

This includes restrictions on speech such as:

Yelling fire in a crowded theater
Nazi/Racist remarks
Slander
Fighting speech
Pictures of bloody fetuses outside abortion rallies
"Wanted" posters of abortion doctors
Vulgar language on television/radio
Advocating terrorism
Declarations of jihad
Video games where the purpose is to kill Blacks/Jews/Latinos
Homophobic statements
Calls for assasination of leaders
Rap songs with lyrics promoting violence

Any thoughts would be much obliged, especially those based in legal discourse. Brandenburg v. Ohio, etc...
 
RightatNYU said:
Should there be restrictions on the First Amendment?

This includes restrictions on speech such as:

Yelling fire in a crowded theater
Nazi/Racist remarks
Slander
Fighting speech
Pictures of bloody fetuses outside abortion rallies
"Wanted" posters of abortion doctors
Vulgar language on television/radio
Advocating terrorism
Declarations of jihad
Video games where the purpose is to kill Blacks/Jews/Latinos
Homophobic statements
Calls for assasination of leaders
Rap songs with lyrics promoting violence

Any thoughts would be much obliged, especially those based in legal discourse. Brandenburg v. Ohio, etc...

Aren't there currently laws against yelling fire in a crowded theatre?

If you slander someone can't they take you to court?

Why would anyone want declarations of jihad outlawed? I personally want to hear when a jihadist is planning a jihad:mrgreen: If people had took Osama Bin Laden seriously when he was talking jihad with Barbara Walters maybe we'd be better off today.

Fighting speech could be anything....that's too vague!

If you force rap songs to lose the violence then you have to force all tv and movies to lose the violence too...:shock:

How can you possibly outlaw pictures of bloody fetus'? I'm prolife but not the kind of prolife who stands outside abortion clinics but heck if they are allowed to stand there then they should be allowed to hold pictures of bloody fetus' Harrassment is another story...and there should be laws against that.

Vulgar language is colorful and sometimes entertaining. Definitely shouldn't be outlawed. Plus you have the whole problem of defining vulgar.

I personally feel Speech should only be regulated when it affects public saftey. That of course doesn't mean a person shouldn't have consequences for what they say. If it's illegal to threaten the president and you threaten him then you should be in trouble. If you slander someone they may sue you. If you are harrassing a woman outside an abortion clinic then that should fall under a harrassment law.

We already have to many people in this country who are overly concerned with political correctness. If you overly regulate what is allowed to come out of another persons mouth then really what's the point in talking?
 
RightatNYU said:
Should there be restrictions on the First Amendment?

I voted Only in ways that directly concern safety, but I suppose that's inaccurate as I support civil penalties for libel and slander-- provided that the libel or slander in question is demonstrably untrue.

RightatNYU said:
Yelling fire in a crowded theater

This is the classic exception, and one I support. This is no different than pulling the fire alarm at school; the offense is sounding a false alarm, not speech.

RightatNYU said:

I've covered this already.

RightatNYU said:
Nazi/Racist remarks
Fighting speech
Vulgar language on television/radio
Video games where the purpose is to kill Blacks/Jews/Latinos
Homophobic statements
Rap songs with lyrics promoting violence

All of these, in my opinion, are not merely protected speech under the First Amendment, but the very basis of free speech. Racist, sexist, and other "hate speech" is very specifically political speech, and the freedom of expression has always included the freedom of artistic expression.

We can express our disapproval of the subhuman degenerates that march with the KKK and desecrated holy symobls in the name of "art" quite thoroughly without resorting to violation of our right to free speech.

RightatNYU said:
Pictures of bloody fetuses outside abortion rallies

I don't know why I keep getting drawn into the abortion arguments, considering how unimportant they are to me... but to me this is an issue of intellectual honesty.

If you can not or will not face the results of policies you support-- whether it's dismembered fetuses or the flag-strewn coffins of our fallen soldiers-- you have no business supporting those policies. This is cowardice of the lowest order.

RightatNYU said:
"Wanted" posters of abortion doctors
Advocating terrorism
Declarations of jihad
Calls for assasination of leaders

All of these seem pretty clearly to be threats against the lives of others; I do not think these have ever been legally protected, nor should they be.

RightatNYU said:
Any thoughts would be much obliged, especially those based in legal discourse. Brandenburg v. Ohio, etc...

I would love to oblige you, but I am not nearly as well-educated in the law as I should be.
 
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