Should Free Speech include Hate Speech?

[Justice wanted]

36. Very good question and I may be flamed for this... Honestly. IF you want Freedom of Speech REAL

Freedom of speech you need to take the bad with the good. That's not to say I encourage speech that is truly threating to a person's life like saying "If I don't win I'm going to kill the winner".


BUT

The one thing about EUROPE (Probably one of the few things I dislike-because if I ever have the money I'd leave this country) is that Hate Speech Law. To me it is a slippery slope that they are taking.

Once you start punishing one way of thinking because it is offensive you find OTHERs wanting another form of speech banned for being "Offensive".


I think the reasonable and logical thing is to allow Freedom of speech and HOPE you have given your citzens the tools and skills to educate themselves.


Yes, we have Racists and sexists and bigoted people in this country and they are going to say some hurtful and rude things AND sometimes -like in this election year they are running for the GOP nom BUT just because someone who says (Not going to use a REAL example) Redheads are the spawn of the devil because they have red hair. Logic would hope that the majority of the population realize how stupid this idea is and do not act on it.

Unfortunately there will be people who are crazy or stupid enough to act on stupid narrow-minded comments BUT to deny someone the right to speak this view point just to keep someone acting upon the idea than do you REALLY have Freedom of Speech?

I believe it was Voltaire that said: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it".


To me that is the standard of free speech.

Now I will take my flaming now