9 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
View submission: Should we have freedom of hate speech?
why do you want the freedom to shout racial slurs at minorities?
I don't want the freedom to shout racial slurs. but rather that I don't trust the government to be fair about what is a slur and what is not a slur.
This is why there are a few comments under you saying it's vague. What if they made talking bad things about republicans hate speech? Yes, you and I see the very big difference between republicans(a party), and skin color. But what is stopping the people that don't see it? or see it but don't care because it helps their cause?
This is why the first amendment grants so much freedom in speech. Because as a collective, we don't trust the government to do it properly.
Comment by VickiActually at 31/01/2025 at 00:46 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Fair points. For us, the principles of "hate speech" run along what are known as "protected characteristics", which are: race, religion, gender, etc etc. As I said in my first reply above, you're never actually arrested just for saying a word. You're arrested for [harassment / criminal damage / public order offence / etc], which is a crime anyway. But if you did the crime *because* the other person is a different race, then your offence was "racially motivated".
"Motivated because you hate the government" doesn't really work for hate speech.
I agree with that it would be a nightmare if criticising the government became a crime whichever party was in power. I think you're much more likely to end up in that situation through terror and treason laws though.