Preview

Hate Speech On Campus

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
980 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hate Speech On Campus
Free speech is one of the most controversial and confusing of the amendments. Throw it into a college campus setting and it’s an extremely complex matter, especially when “Hate Speech” is involved. Many people have different views and definitions on what hate speech in tales, for instance in “Hate Speech on Campus”, Joseph S. Tuman, defines it as “Written or spoken words directed towards a particular group (typically although not exclusively a minority group) with the purpose or effect of verbally harassing and harming them” (413). A personal interpretation of hate speech is speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. With this being said, hate speech is a form of free speech. By removing, or writing codes …show more content…
Even though there has been a large increase in the number of hate speech codes in colleges and universities, the increase in the amount of hate speech incidents across the nation shows that these guidelines have be ineffective. Ben Wildavsky the author of “Rethinking Campus Speech Codes”, talks about how “campus wars over race and gender have hardly died down”, and that the “speech codes have done little to ease tension” (415). Hate speech codes attempt to create a safer more politically correct environment on college campuses by setting forth guidelines for students to follow, but they are failing miserably. The guidelines are so vague that “several major universities have been held unconstitutional”, for trying to write campus speech codes. For instance:
 In 1989, a federal judge overturned parts of the University of Michigan’s speech 
 code after a biopsychology graduate student said he feared the rules would prevent 
 him from discussing controversial theories about biological differences among the 
 sexes and races (Wildavsky 415). 
Making students follow the hate speech codes is a violation of their First Amendment which entitles

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Silvergate notes that limiting free speech would fall to the responsibility of college administrators who will undoubtedly over censor due to the broad harassment regulations the proposed bill contains. He supports this point by adding that the Individual Rights Foundation, FIRE already claims harassment as “the most abused tool to limit free speech.”…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some argue that hate speech should be used outside of campus and away from students who might be offended, but in classrooms learning about hate speech is a place to start discussing it. Harvard is an example where speech codes would not benefit students in their education where students who want to become “young lawyers also need education in the habit of equanimity in the face of hostility; in the skill of mustering social pressure to fight those battles of which law is inapt or too expensive; indecency and courage to speak up on behalf of those who are being treated rudely” (Volokh). Being able to stand up and protect others can be taught in classrooms, but if speech codes disallow students to contend their discussions, the experience and education would be lost which would rather than support education, demolish it. Also, the ability to problem solve in a tense situation can be very important for students working their way into lawyers who normally deal with hostile language and social…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus”, the author, Derek Bok shows how expressing yourself falls under the First Amendment, whether it is on a private college campus or public college campus. He further explains that just because it is protected by law does not mean that it is “right, proper, or civil. Bok goes on to show how censoring freedom of speech would cause people to “test the limits” to gain more attention than is needed and if dealt with in the proper manner, behaviors such as displaying a Confederate flag or a swastika in rebuttal of the flag can be avoided. Freedom of expression is a right and should not…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This article talked about how the students of UC Berkeley were protesting against a speech being given at their school, and how the sponsors of this group were forced to pay $15,000 in security fees. Then on top of that fee the school paid an additional $600,000 to create cemented barriers and have armed forces on campus during the meeting. Personally I feel these precautions were unnecessary however due to the way students were reacting it had to be done. Another subject brought up in the article was the fact that 44 percent of students said that the First Amendment does not protect "hate speech", 51 percent said that they would be in favor of students speaking out against a speaker "known for making offensive and hurtful statements" and 19 percent of students said the use of violence against controversial speakers is acceptable. This information frustrates me because freedom of speech is black and white, personal opinions shouldn’t interfere with our rights.…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    By definition, a speech code is any rule or regulation that limits, restricts, or bans speech beyond the strict legal limitations upon freedom of speech or press found in the legal definitions of harassment, slander, libel, and fighting words (First Amendment). There is not one real speech code that all public college campuses follow. The first amendment includes freedom of speech, but does not limit any speech codes on college campuses. The first amendment states that students have the freedom of speech unless there is "substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others". (First Amendment). The speech that is protected under the first amendment is very vague especially considering schools and campuses. Finding a set standard for what the speech codes for college campuses should be easier than it is now; there should be a set definition that lays out rules for speech on campuses.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As Roger Rosenblatt endured in countries of constrained inhabitants, “the secret publication of books, the pirated music, the tricky subversive lines of poetry read at vast gatherings of tens of thousands. And the below the surface comedy” (503) will continuously arise no matter the discouragement present. In a country founded on its freedoms, the retraction of any of those privileges will be met with extreme adversity. Moreover, “since free is the way people's minds were made to be” (Rosenblatt 502) the restriction of verbal expression will only cause riots and outrage. Currently, various universities and colleges have faced the backlash of unjust speech limitations on their campuses. One student attending a college in Arizona prepares to sue the school for, “her school’s so-called “speech zone,” arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process” (Harkness). Reactions to a decrease in the liberty to speak freely induces immediate retaliation and hardship, in addition, to being entirely unnecessary. To keep the peace and stability, the United States must keep the freedom of speech as it was intended to be used, freely.…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Women, sexual assault victims, people of color, transgender students. College campuses have created “safe spaces” for all sorts of marginalized groups. But in the process, one member of the campus community has lost precious real estate. Free speech” (1). This quote from the article “Free Speech is Flunking Out on College Campuses” by Catherine Rampell introduces the idea that the right to freedom of speech is being squashed. All over the country, colleges are taking away this right from their students in order to protect others, but in reality, they are only stripping them of what is protected under the Constitution. Censorship has spread to social media apps causing students to be in constant danger of being accused of harassment. Claims…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the debate over whether speech codes should be enforced or not on university campuses, the opponents conclude that university’s should not enforce a hate speech code because it impedes academic freedom. On the other side of the debate, the supporters conclude that it is a university’s responsibility to enforce hate speech code for an equal education opportunity. In this essay, I will conclude that hate speech should be regulated by a code enforced by the university because of the protection it offers. In the article titled, “Speech Codes Threaten the Free Exchange of Ideas on College Campuses” Eugene Volokh concludes that colleges should enforce a speech code.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ellen Goodman Hate Speech

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages

    There is a fine line in what is considered freedom of speech and what impedes on another person’s freedom. In fact John Stuart Mill states in his book On Liberty, “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others” (1978, 9). The use of hate speech has a strong impact, especially in minority groups where the support system is not very strong. One example hate speech being persecuted is in an article from the website Grapevine titled Ten Charged with Hate Speech Towards LGBT Community. While some individuals may argue that the freedom of speech is the right of all Americans, there are definitely limits when it comes to the hatred and harassment of a particular group. The law enacted which included sexual orientation in the group where hate speech is not allowed stemmed from the fact that the suicide rate for LGBT teens is much higher than it is for other teens. The Trevor project found LGBT teens are 4 times more likely to attempt…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article titled, “Colleges Should Censor Racist Hate Speech,” (Virginia Law Review, March 1990) Daryl Brown concludes that colleges should censor hate speech on campus and the prominence of blatant and subtle racism on campus will require a two prong…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the wake of school shootings, cracking down on potential threats has become priority. Not only are there threats of mass violence, but racist speech and sexist speech, that some would define as fighting words. A question to ask is when does speech become a fighting word. Having to decide what speech is protected by the first amendment, worthwhile, and what speech has no social value and is not protected, worthless, is controversial. Speech that is defined as worthless include: lewd, obscene, profane, libelous, and fighting words. Focusing on fighting words and the ever developing world of technology, we will examine a present-day situation of words that wound and compare them to past cases.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States of America and in almost all countries, there are laws against harassment, libel, threats, and incitement to commit crimes. These speech codes are for the safety of citizens and are often used to suppress hate speech in private institutions and in the workplace. Speech codes should be allowed on college campuses in order to create a safe environment for people of different sexes, races, sexual orientation, religions, and classes, and to provide an equal learning environment for all by limiting the freedom of speech.…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    College Censorship Rules

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Crippling the delivery of unpopular views is a terrible lesson to send to impressionable minds and future leaders” (Rampell 1). This quote taken from Catherine Rampell in her article “Free speech is flunking out on college campuses” explains that strict censorship rules hurt students whose minds are still developing. Rules on censorship in a college setting are supposed to protect the rights of students. Censorship is supposed to protect them from extremely hate filled speeches, newspaper articles, and other documents. For example, defamation, lies, and uses of extremely hateful name calling such as the word “nigger,” are all applicable to fair censorship rules. Today, the power of censorship has grown strong. In a scramble to not offend anyone,…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What would you do if a swastika was hung outside your dorm room or building by another student? How would you react to any offensive object or behavior that was considered free speech of another person? Many people do not know what they would do or how they would react and handle the situation if they found themselves in it. In the essay, “Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus,” author Derek Bok gives insight on the same situation which becomes a major concern at Harvard University, involving some students. Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment which allows many actions and personal expressions to be valid and legal. Freedom of speech should be allowed on college campuses as long as it does not cause danger of personal threats to anyone.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    College students that belong to the majority group usually aren’t fond of being told that their unintentional actions mean they’re actually a racist. Conversely, those who support these checks on language grow more angry, discouraged that their majority counterparts cannot agree with strict rules on communication. Whenever something offensive is spoken, students adopt a victimized sense of self, creating a tirade of upheaval. Rather than developing mob mentality, calling for major change, peaceful discussion should instead be…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays