Offensive Speech Should Be Protected Under The First Amendment

Offensive speech should be protected under the First Amendment. If speech could be prosecuted on the basis of being offensive to someone, nobody would be able to speak because everything people say has the ability to offend someone. People would no longer be able to question the government or its employees because it could be viewed as offensive, and some could even argue that specific religions are offensive. By not protecting seemingly offensive speech, it could lead to a slippery slope complex that could potentially infringe upon other rights. Moreover, any further restriction of free speech would hinder the marketplace of ideas, in turn discouraging open discourse and the spread of ideas. By doing so, the restrictions would virtually stall