The US should probably consider banning hate speech like the rest of the free world.

[BiscuitTrouser]

Then your quoting me is pointless. Because I clearly dont care how many other countries have laws against hate speech, its still wrong.

I think free speech applies to what comes out of ones mouth, not what is forced down the throats of others. Instead of banning free speech, (which i think is wrong), instead instate laws calling peoples pirvate places of mourning and funerals places where it is tresspassing to attend wihout invitation, similar to the laws on entering and harassing someones property.

The WBC is harassing people. I dont care they say stupid shit, i dont need laws telling me its stupid shit, its just obviously stupid shit. However i feel that its inherently wrong to lose the freedom of being able to go about my life unmolested by people who will maliciously track me down and harass me with hatred for random periods of my life. I dont want to ban speech ever. I do want to ban harassment with hatred and the invasion of people private lives with speech. Funeral crashing should be treated as seriously under the law as tresspass and harassment on property and should be illegal. I have the right to avoid and ignore the WBC by staying clear of where they preech. They do NOT have the right to track me down and FORCE me to hear their stupid shit.

 

[Hal10k]

Then your quoting me is pointless. Because I clearly dont care how many other countries have laws against hate speech, its still wrong.

I think free speech applies to what comes out of ones mouth, not what is forced down the throats of others. Instead of banning free speech, (which i think is wrong), instead instate laws calling peoples pirvate places of mourning and funerals places where it is tresspassing to attend wihout invitation, similar to the laws on entering and harassing someones property.

The WBC actually takes that into consideration. All of their "protests" take place just outside of the property lines of the funeral homes. They're idiots, but they're well-executed idiots.

 

[Jonluw]

No.
Hate speech is a dumb concept.
The beauty of free speech is that you fight stupid speech such as hate speech with speech of your own, without imprisoning people for voicing opinions that society at large disagrees with.

The freedom of speech is meaningless if it only protects those that wouldn't be attacked for their speech in the first place.

 

[acturisme]

Once you take away the protections of the first amendment you instantly loose the ability to defend the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth. Where's the freedom?

Eh, those aren't defended so well anyway.

In any case, a law against picketing funerals would seem to be a better idea.

If you can't say "God did X" then you have to ban all religion.

Now, if he was calling upon all good Christians to rise up and murder homosexuals, that's different.

Let's not put words in my mouth. I didn't say they were defended well. I said that if you loose the rights endowed by the first amendment then you loose the legal right to defend the other rights by the form of speech. And I like your idea of not picketing funerals. Go Angel Wings!

 

[Talshere]

Like the rest of the free world he says. Im pretty sure that last year (or the year before) Muslims protested on Remembrance Sunday (Our Memorial day) brandishing signs such as "British Soldiers burn in hell!". One guy was fined £50 for burning a poppy ring during the silence but that was about it.

 

[BreakfastMan]

It is also completely legal to counter-protest them, mock them, socially isolate them, and throw their own hate back at them 10-fold. Which is what is going to happen (Occupy Seattle is holding a counter-protest). Go America.

 

[Dandark]

Dude you are not going to win this argument with any of them. Americans love free speech. Their goverment is currently in the process of trying to destroy their freedom but pretty mch all Americans love their free speech, it's like that thing they cling to to show how free they are.

I think it's stupid that they allow hate speech but I can see why others would want it to be free as well, and that's fine.
Jst let this thread die people because it will go nowhere.

 

[Mr Cwtchy]

Looking at your example in specific, I agree. WBC should not be able to harass the bereaved like they do, and I think it's disgraceful that no action has been taken to put a stop to it.

 

[Crenelate]

I can see why people would worry about a snowball effect which might affect freedom of speech, but in the UK at least we have laws against hate speech, intimidation, harassment and the like. The US seriously doesn't have those? And while laws against what people can say may get out of hand, I personally have no interest in spouting hate-filled and violence inducing bullshit against anyone, so I'm not fussed.

Saying that, in this case the WBC would probably love it of they could get arrested 'for their cause' and make themselves out to be martyrs.

 

[Darknacht]

Once you ban any type of speech it because very easy to ban anti-government speech, just like many first world countries have.

but in the UK at least we have laws against hate speech, intimidation, harassment and the like. The US seriously doesn't have those?

Intimidation, harassment and the like are banned.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Banning hate speech in the free world...

I like the oxymoron in your title.

Wouldn't the right to live your life free from being harassed override the other guy's 'freedom' to harass you?

 

[maddawg IAJI]

We can't ban it, but its not from a lack of trying. Supreme Court found it unconstitutional to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from protesting and speaking.

 

[Killertje]

Free world also means free to be retarded and bother others with your disability (until you go too far and get arrested). On the other hand there should probably be a law preventing them from ruining a funeral.

 

[Phisi]

I think there is a difference between speech and action. They are going there to harass those people and not to talk about their opinions. It is not the act of speech you are banning but I think that any laws like this can be misused easily. Thy would need to be very carefully worded as to where and when something is deemed as an indecent action and when someone is voicing their opinion.

 

[enzilewulf]

Yes the WBC is a bunch of redneck incest retards, does that mean that because of a minority (a small one at that) the majority should lose the right to speak in what they believe in? Nah. My hopes (as terrible as they are to wish upon some one) is that some one gets to pissed and shoots them. Not even joking. I wish such ignorance and hate out of this world. Does that make it Ironic that my hate against their hate speech makes me want to kill them? I always had a hard time defining irony.

 

[Scorpid]

criticism of Government speech in the US has been banned on multiple occasion both legally and by practice.So saying that banning hate speech could lead to banning of criticism of government isn't so much a potentially slippery slope as it is a slope we've already slipped into multiple times.