special_k said:
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I agree that they have the right to say what they want in the privacy of their own homes... I guess... I'm just trying to say that I don't think freedom of speech is an absolute right that takes priority over all other considerations.
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I never said it was absolute. But I also didn't say a person has the right to say whatever they want ONLY in the privacy of his or her own home.
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- Lets say a school teacher wanted to teach his students that the current evils in the world were due to blacks / jews etc. Do you think he should be allowed to spout hate speech in the classroom?
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No. Teachers aren't supposed to teach their world and religious views. They're supposed to teach the subject they were hired to teach. There are certainly points of view, though, espoused by schools that are taught, however, whether one thinks that's right or wrong. For instance, at least when I was in school, we were taught about slavery and mistreatment of blacks and the Holocaust. Some people would consider that wrong. But in the public schools, in general, personal views aren't supposed to be taught. It's different in religious and private schools.
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- Lets say someone stands in a building and yells 'Oh my god the building has been bombed!'. When they know full well it hasn't. Do you think they should be allowed to do that?
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Of course not. That causes physical endangerment. But I do think a person is entitled to share their opinions, whether I consider them right or wrong.
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- Lets suppose that someone tries to recruit people to bomb a building or something...
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Again, that is physical endangerment and is not acceptable.
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Or tries to persuade people that god wants them to become a terrorist bomber or something like that. Do you think they should be allowed to do that?
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I think they have a right to say that's what they think their god wants, but they don't have a right to do it. Many people push religious views to say that gays, atheists, promiscuous, and other people don't deserve equal rights and should be discriminated against, or even put to death. Is that different?
Before I go on, define "hate speech" for me. Which of these qualifies as hate speech:
1. People saying they hate blacks, and that blacks should be harmed or killed.
2. People saying they hate blacks, but not pushing for blacks to be harmed.
3. People saying that they don't hate Jews, but that Jews should be discriminated against in jobs or other ways.
4. People saying that Asians should be permitted to live as they want, but live in separate neighborhoods from whites, who should be separated from blacks, who should be separated from Latinos, etc.
5. People who say that races other than their own should live in other countries.
6. People who say that whites are better at math than blacks.
7. People who say that blacks are better athletes than whites.
Obviously, I could go on, but I want to get a little better idea of where you're coming from; are we talking only about espousing violence, or discrimination, or segregation, even if a person doesn't claim to actually "hate" a group?
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In order for them to have power they need to persuade other people around to their cause...
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True. But underground, they don't need to always do that. They just need to find others like themselves, who already believe that way. Look at the sex trafficking industry. In other countries, it isn't underground, but here in America, most people would be shocked to find out there may be houses and buildings that are operating as brothels that include children in their very own neighborhoods.
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So you think that if we listened to them more their power wouldn't be so great? I'm not so sure about that...
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That's not what I said. I said, if they were out in the open, we'd be aware of who's involved in such activities, and it would make them easier to catch.
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So it is okay for teachers to share their hate with their students then?
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Not in schools, but in the general public, as long as they're not inciting riots or violence, they can. They're allowed to say what they want, as long as they don't incite.