In the United States of America, the right to freedom of expression is one of the most important rights that the citizens uphold. However, sensible citizens realize that in certain scenarios, the right to the freedom of expression must be violated in the name of the well being of the people. Unfortunately, what could harm the wellbeing of the people is a point of dissent for many members of the nation. Both sides of the argument are clearly shown today in the midst of issues like a rise in people wearing the confederate flag in places like schools; due to what the flag represents, some say the flag is considered very offensive and could cause dangerous situations. The solution these people support would be banning all confederate symbols in places like schools, but they face a strong opposition that argues banning the symbols would infringe upon the first amendment. …show more content…
Furthermore, it is used to unite those with racist ideologies. Seeing as such, it would violate core democratic values of equality (particularly, social equality on basis of race). If that is not already a monstrous violation of the United States’ values, then the violation of the values of diversity and the common good would make it so. Racial discrimination shuns diversity and tries to take a targeted racial group down in many
Smolla writes about the First Amendment in his essay, "Speech Overview". He discusses what freedom of speech is, why Americans hold the First Amendment in such high regard, and how it can be conflicting to many American's "social instincts". The main idea that Smolla is arguing is that Americans embrace freedom of speech and individuality, even though it may cause conflict. He recognizes that some limitations must exist, but the freedom to express our thoughts is the American way. Smolla points out that many controversial items are approved due to the first amendment, even though they conflict with patriotism.
In Atlanta Ga, Charlottesville Nc, and in every other formerly Confederate State in the U.S. there has been controversial debates on whether or not the current standing Confederate statues should be removed from public areas. Many people claim that a modern society should not honor the racist soldiers who fought for slavery. Others believe that preserving historical accuracy is essential to learning from the mistakes of the past. The opinions of thousands of citizens clash with one another over the debate between offense and information. I believe that it is most beneficial for the majority of people if the current Confederate monuments remain where they are.
A flag is still getting burned, but the problem is that one offends to many people. What would be free speech if no one disagrees with it? Texas second argument did not work because Johnson’s protest ran with the fact that not every has the same beliefs, making it hard to argue that the flag is
Last, it should be illegal to fly the confederate flag on government property, because it is wrong and injustice causes civil unrest. What is the worst thing that you would do to keep your right to be respected in America? When rights of Americans are disrespected society goes mad. Some people will not wait or do not have the money to go through the legal system to get laws changed. Instead, he or she may commit a violent crime, such as burning down a CVS store.
Confederate Symbols—the subject of the white supremacists rally in Charlottesville, VA, and a counter protest in Durham, NC—should be banned in the United States. Many people argue that banning Confederate symbols would be considered a violation of the First Amendment; however, the author refutes this claim by saying that Confederate monuments are not a form of free speech and thus is not protected by the First Amendment. On why the Confederate symbols are very disturbing, the author says, “the racist ideologies behind [the Confederate flags] still pervade and control American society today, and the very existence of the flags and statutes is a slap in the face to all the progress American claims to have made where race is concerned.” This
The Confederate flag has been one the most controversial and divisive symbol in American history. Recently, in the wake of the Charleston church shooting, the country has been in an uproar of the confederate flag. The shooting sparked discussion on whether the flag is hateful or represents the south’s history and wanted the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state house. Many people believe that the confederate flag represents southern pride and southern history but in the mind of many others the flag represents slavery and the years and years of the oppression of African-Americans and other minorities. One of the reasons the confederate represents represents hate is that many hate-groups use it.
Recently a hot topic in the news is the confederate flag and the controversy surrounding it. The news making a big deal out of the confederate flag being removed from South Carolina’s statehouse makes it seem like southerners are still living in the Revolutionary war. The confederate flag is simply a historical memento for many southern states. The anger that was raised in many southerners was not because they “hate black people,” but because the flag meant something to them and their history. The article, “Confederate Flag Removed from Statehouse Grounds” portrays the pride that many South Carolinians felt from the Confederate flag being flown.
In this article, "The Free Speech Crisis in America," the author, Adam Kirsch, discusses how many Americans feel that it is getting harder to speak freely in society. The article explains why Americans are feeling uneasy about free speech at a time when it has never been more abundant. People are less worried about government censorship than about navigating the unwritten rules of socially acceptable speech. The article looks at the different types of freedoms that are guaranteed in the First Amendment, and examines how Americans view freedom of speech in the present day. The use of logos, ethos, and pathos are used all over this article to argue that while there is no free speech crisis in America in the traditional sense, navigating the
In the news today, a continual debate can be found about the significance of Confederate monuments and if they should remain or be removed. Confederate monuments that have been erected throughout the U.S. should be kept because of the preservation of America’s history. For instance, in the article, The Unbearable Lightness of Confederate-Statue Removal, the author lists how slaveholder monuments aren’t the only statues being vandalized, but the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore are other symbols of U.S. history that some believe need to “blow up” (Murdock). Every historical symbol can have both people who appreciate it and who oppose it. That doesn’t mean that we should tear down all symbols, but
The Importance of the 1st Amendment In 1787 our founding fathers assembled the constitution of the United States of America. Of this which contains the most important document to the American citizen, the Bill of rights. The first Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” These freedoms granted by the Bill of Rights are often known as freedom of expression. These rights are most important to a truly free society. The first amendment provides us with new ideas and dismisses the fear of punishment
I choose to use the symbol I made for America. It is to show that America has its good sides and its bad sides. There are several meanings to the symbol. Life is never easy for us. There are times when we are in our darkest days, and in our lightest days.
In Derek Bok’s, Protecting Freedom of Expression On The Campus, he brings light to the issue of censorship in universities. He states that students at Harvard University got offended after a few students displayed the confederate flag. There have been many cases in which people have tried to censor offensive material however; the Supreme Court preferred to conserve the freedom of expression. He believes that if censorship starts to take place, it will be difficult to know when to cross the line. In addition, it will not fix the initial problem since the offenders will continue to abuse others using different means.
The idea of free speech on college campuses and the complications of it stem from those on campuses expressing views that don’t align with popular views. Implications for students who use the idea of free speech as a method for hateful actions and comments should be reprimanded, but the question remains as to whether schools should enforce tougher limitations. The freedom of speech on college campus expands to the freedoms of religion, assembly, press, and protest as well. Freedom of expression allows students to show their own political, social, and cultural views. Removing freedoms of speech and expression have consequences deeper than surface issues.
According to Anderson and Pildes this is problematic in that “it violates the states fundamental identity; it implies that the state is Christian.” In this case the citizens’ rights against establishment of religion draws a parallel with the states duty not to endorse or establish a religion. The case of freedom of expression is somewhat different in that, they can seem to be “inverted”, this is in particular when rights are used to protect speech that is against the reasons for the right to free expression itself. Brettschneider offers a clear example in the case when “states protection of free speech rights for hate groups might appear to suggest that there should be no judgment about the racist content of the protected expression.” Tension is likely to rise between the implied message of speech protections and the reasons that are rightly understood to underlie those protections.
" Freedom of speech, so valued by our founding fathers in their efforts to escape the tyranny of British monarchy, has been frequently challenged throughout the history of the United States. While this problem is complex and unending, it_Ñés never been as enormous an issue as it has become in the modern era, a time when everyone has the freedom to be heard, no matter the validity or merit of their ideas. Rampant political fracturing, accompanied and aided by the accessibility of so many differing voices online, have caused many to question the almost total liberty that has so far been granted towards speech. In this country_Ñés many years as a pinnacle of freedom in the modern world, little remains to remind us of the restrictions of liberty faced under British rule.