(July 1, 2015 at 8:48 pm)Tiberius Wrote: The hate speech issue is an interesting one, because it's one where liberals have bastardized their own view of a freedom, namely freedom of speech. Liberals like to say they support free speech, but when they support laws against hate speech, their positions contradict each other. A libertarian would argue that you cannot support freedom of speech and also support laws against hate speech, because hate speech is protected due to freedom of speech. The whole point of freedom of speech is that you should not be arrested for something you say.
Evidence of liberals bastardizing the concept of free speech is most evident in the proliferation of 'free speech zones' on college campuses. This after adopting the inane widespread practice of inserting 'trigger warnings' in syllabi announcing the potential for the slightest reason to take offense.
The best defense of free speech as it pertains to the shackles employed in our institutions of higher learning was commissioned by the University of Chicago.
Quote:In a word, the University's fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate or deliberation may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even by most members of the University community to be offensive, unwise, immoral, or wrong-headed. It is for the individual members of the University community, not for the University as an institution, to make those judgments for themselves, and to act on those judgments not by seeking to suppress speech, but by openly and vigorously contesting the ideas that they oppose. Indeed, fostering the ability of members of the University community to engage in such debate and deliberation in an effective and responsible manner is an essential part of the University's educational mission.http://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/free-sp...-committee
The entire statement is well worth the read for anyone passionate about free speech.
