How thin is the border between freedom of speech & hate speech?

Answer 1

They overlap therefore there is no border.

Answer 2

its not so much how thin, more, what have they done? The line between freedom of speech and hate speech has had one way traffic crossing it for a few years now, and they;ve put up so many "Defences" to stop white people from having their say. concerning the british government, its only fair that the minorities have their say, but you wait and see just what happens when a white person tries to have their say, every ethinic body in the country reels away and tells you "You can't have an opinion about us, you are racist, however, we can have an opinion about you and we are protected by discrimination laws, so what we say, no matter how vile against you or your country, you cannot intervene in any way and we will get away with it." It just makes me sick what goes on theses days!

Answer 3

What maybe considered by a person from one culture as inflammatory may not be considered as anything extraordinary by another culture. There is no border, there is common sense when individuals converse free speech has an entirely different context when a world leader pontificates he/her has researchers and culture specialists that should go through his/her speech. People in a position of power have a different set of values to adhere to.

Winston Churchill - author, journalist, former Member of Parliament and grandson of the former British prime minister - was speaking at an American university to condemn "Radical Islam" as posing to Western civilisation a threat similar to that of the Nazis and the Soviets. Muslims in the far East saw this as an example of Islamaphobia.

President Bush has denied that the West is engaged in a war against Islam as a "false propaganda," but confirmed his country’s determination to carry on with its "war on terror" and its "great ideological struggle" at the start of the 21st century exclusively against Muslims and Muslim countries. Islam is an Ideology and so Muslims feel threatened by President Bush's remarks. Bush's remarks are imprecise and lack clarity, his advisers either wish to inflame Muslim sensibilities or they are unaware of how those remarks may be perceived (bad for a president which ever way).

Then when he does use good and welcome phrases which Bush is also on record as saying that "Islam is a religion of peace" and praising Islam's "commitment to religious freedom," President Bush's statements were then criticised by the popular U.S. televangelist Pat Robertson.

If we all had shared values and a common culture we could have borders safely pegged out and easily spot transgressions but we can't even separate public/private areas let alone differentiate cultural faux pas.

Answer 4

There is no such thing as hate speech. Speech, to be free, must be capable to offend. If you are free only to say "My, the President is such a good person, I think he should serve for life.", that is hardly going to get you in danger with the government. But, to be free, you should be able to say "The President is evil, smells of sulfur, and should be sent back to hell because demons do not belong on earth." That would be political speech.

Then you have non-political speech, like racial slurs and such. Also that too must be protected because it governs thought. People have a right to be stupid and hateful.

The supreme court has boondoggled the line. You have Brandenburg versus Ohio, you have the fighting words doctrine, the constitutionality of the fairness doctrine, applying RICO to abortion protesters, and such. It is simple really....if you incite a riot, that should not be legal. If you incite panic that causes damage to property or loss of life you are libel. If you criticize the government, so long as you do not petition its violent overthrow, then you are OK.

People on the right and the left want to control speech. The left is better at it than the right, but both are guilty.

Answer 5

I'm not an expert but I believe hate speech is when it puts others lives in danger or demeans a particular group. Freedom of speech is open-minded and does not put down any group.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what you mean, but I'd say it's not thin at all. Most of the things people are free to say are not hateful in my opinion- I think that overall 'hate speech' is rare.
I can think of groups like the KKK that say many hateful things, but when you compare all of the terrible things they say to all other things being said in the world, that's not much hate.

Now I do believe that peoples minds are full of hate. Many people just don't say what they really feel. But that's an entirely different issue of course.

Also, I'd say that yahoo! answers has alot of people who say hateful things. It really amazes me and makes me feel that 'hate speech' may be on the rise.

Answer 7

Even if you do not have freedom of speech this would not stop people saying terrible things - you can't police speech so much and there are so many ways of saying somnething that you could cover every eventuality.

Answer 8

Depends

We English have hate speech that is why we don't give equality jobs to the white english

Hook hand the muslim has freedom of speech and only colourds are fair and beyond descrimination and lies and fraud etc.

Answer 9

i think of each and every human beings is in charge for what we are saying and could degree each and every word. specially situations issues are suggested in exciting yet I agree there is in simple terms too plenty unbelievably hateful communicate. it seems some human beings could desire to motel to it as a fashion to sense they have proved their factor on some concern as quickly as all of us know no longer something has been proved, in easy terms incited. there is little debate and numerous do no longer seem up the certainty until now they throw out rumors. Political communicate exhibits are in simple terms that, exhibits, and verify out to be outrageous. the priority is many human beings have self belief them and their innuendo. Political commercials are so undesirable i do no longer watch any of them. it is not significant that i do no longer watch them, others do. I do think of we've completely too many psychological situations working around and going to psychiatric docs and not adequate psychological establishments to place them in in the event that they could desire to be in one. those quite everyone seems to be way less complicated worked up than maximum and issues like handed off the day previous ensue whilst they do get worked up. Freedom of speech does have some barriers. you're no longer allowed to incite riots without punishment nor are you meant to defame yet another's call with untruths.l

Answer 10

I think if you intend to hurt somebody with what you are saying then it's hate speech. I think the key is 'intent'. Of course, intent is subjective, how do you prove what someone is feeling or thinking?

Answer 11

very thin If a nonwhite gives their opinion it is freedom of speech whereas if a white person states their opinion it is hate speech.