Freedom of Speech | Teen Ink

Freedom of Speech MAG

October 31, 2011
By born2read BRONZE, Oakland, California
born2read BRONZE, Oakland, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

I enjoyed reading “Censor This” by Tiffany Brock and “Ban Immoral Rhetoric” by Phil Golodetz because of their contrasting opinions on the topic of free speech. Both articles were well-written and made me question my views.

While the situations described in “Ban Immoral Rhetoric” were certainly horrific, I believe that we need to protect freedom of speech at all costs. Once we start censoring extreme cases like those in the article, it becomes easier for individuals to use censorship to promote their own agendas and beliefs, and we silence some valid and important opinions as well.

Even if people were legally prohibited from saying hateful things, there is nothing controlling their thoughts. If we really want to solve the problem of hate speech, we need to target the biases, stereotypes, and misunderstandings that fuel it.



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