Should Racist Speech Enjoy Pro
Prejudice and racial stereotyping are two of this country's greatest problems today. Many people in our society have
tried to find ways to eliminate or at least limit these types of behavior, but have met with very limited, if any, success.
Because of the complex nature of racism and racist acts, coupled with the fact the first amendment prohibits the
government from limiting the publics' right to free expression and speech, the Federal government has been
ineffective in eliminating racist actions that pervade our society. State governments and institutions have attempted to
set up their own laws condemning such actions, but have been wholly unsuccessful.
Some of those waging a war on ...
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right to free speech unless the
regulations, according to a 1986 ruling by the Supreme Court, are "narrowly and precisely designed."
As you can imagine, precisely tailoring any statute in order to prohibit racist speech is nearly impossible - and as
many other speakers have already said, banning the current racial slurs will only create new ones. Additionally, an
outright ban on racist speech and ideas could likely lead to a higher level of violence in our society.
A number of other supreme court rulings have come out in favor of protecting all speech, including racist speech,
such as:
A 1941 ruling on the case of Sullens v State, stating that the "Freedom of speech includes freedom to
speak unwisdom or even heresy."
A 1949 ruling on the case of Terminillo v Chicago, stating that "Attacks on racial and religious groups
are protected by right of free speech in absence of showing of serious substantive evil that rises far
above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest…" ...
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that [an] audience shall have volunteered to listen." This
ruling essentially invalidates the argument, and forces the listener into a position where he must decide what to listen
to and what to ignore, which is what we all do anyway.
Allowing racist speech is an important thing, though. Without it we would have no 'litmus test' available to test the
racial tension in our country, and would therefore have no way to combat it. By allowing free speech to continue and
by researching other methods of ending racism, we can get at the root of the problem and stop racism before it
starts. The key is not to limit or control action, but rather to influence reason and thought.
There are a ...
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Should Racist Speech Enjoy Pro. (2006, March 31). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Should-Racist-Speech-Enjoy-Pro/43617
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"Should Racist Speech Enjoy Pro." Essayworld.com. March 31, 2006. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Should-Racist-Speech-Enjoy-Pro/43617.
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