Hateful Speech Research Paper

It is a commonly held misconception that because we have free speech in the United States an individual has the right to say whatever they wish to whomever they wish. This thought process has led to a lot of hate throughout the history of our country. Racism, sexism, ageism, etc. have been justified by the belief that free speech means we as citizens can say whatever we want to whomever we want. This method of thinking has become even more of an issue due to the creation in the past decade of Internet message boards and social media. This growth in hateful speech has occurred because of the anonymity of the Internet. A person’s name and information can be hidden and is often untraceable by any general used on the Internet. In the past hateful speech has been used by individuals who do not care what people think of them, and individuals who have the gumption to step up if front of people and spew their hateful speech.
Individuals who do not have the courage to stand behind their comments or accept the comments of other parties are exploiting the anonymity of the Internet. These individuals, called trolls, have a detached version of reality. While typing on the Internet they are not considering the fallout from their actions that are incurred on the person receiving them.
These trolls are driven …show more content…
If society as a whole, no matter their position or occupation, can join together and effectively combat this threat, trolls may think twice about the things they post. Edward Bulwer-Lytton stated, “the pen is mightier than the sword” (Bulwer-Lytton). In this day and age the keyboard is even mightier than the pen. Thankfully it is also a weapon that can be turned back on its user, and if society as a collective takes measures, it will become more of an annoyance than an actual threat to the livelihood of individuals and society as a