The Pros And Cons Of Hate Speech

As the bus began traversing the busy San Francisco streets, my friend and I began talking about the political climate in America. Appalled by the protests led by supremacist groups, I could not comprehend how such hate manifested itself in a country as devoted to freedom and equality as the United States. He was unsurprised.

He asked what I thought of the recent hate speech made against people of color and religious minorities. Seeing such language defacing buildings was truly disheartening. I explained that the socioeconomic repercussions of hate speech were insufficient, that legal punishment was necessary. He disagreed.

He went on to state that hate speech is inherently protected by our First Amendment right to free speech. I clung to my beliefs, justifying limitations on hate speech for its dehumanizing and degrading nature. It seemed incomprehensible to me that a person could be forced to listen to words and phrases so hurtful. Remembering the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”, I started to think about what a *fallacy* that phrase is. Hearing words like “faggot” or “fat” pierced my my bodily flesh in a way that no amount of physical pain could compare. Yet, at the same time, I began to question my own beliefs, for I had seen …show more content…
“Censorship”, she asserted, “is a hallmark characteristic of authoritarian regimes”. I was astounded in my self-realization of this analogous relationship, seeing that censorship, like statutes against hate speech, would prevent its surfacing, allowing people like myself to continue living in ignorance, oblivious to the world of hate beyond my bubble. I had lied to myself. Ignoring hate speech, acknowledging it, or punishing people for its use would not change its existence. Recognizing the need to acknowledge an issue before it can be solved, my thinking had