“The Supreme Court of the United States rules what is constitutional or not, including hate speech.”
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With the rising suicide rates, we need to be more mindful than ever about how we speak to each other. Words have power, and people need to be held accountable for the words they choose to use. Hate speech and racism should not be protected under the first amendment because it undermines the foundation of our country. The Constitution is a hugely respectable document, but it has been amended and should continue to be as we progress as a nation. The Constitution was written for the white man, but our country has progressed so much since then. We are working towards unity and allowing racism and hate speech of any kind will only make our country weak. The first amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Our right to use offensive and racist words are left up to an interpretation of this amendment. When our Constitution came into being, racism was prevalent Slavery would not be abolished until approximately seven decades after the adoption of this amendment, so the men who wrote this amendment into being had not considered the repercussions.
To get some perspective on this amendment, consider the stance on religion. The amendment clearly states that free exercise of any religion cannot be prohibited. However, our government has come to learn that this freedom can be abused. People commit attacks and murders due to their beliefs. Exercising one’s religious beliefs, when done in the extreme, can break other laws, such as committing terrorist attacks or murders for one’s beliefs.
Sometimes, words go too far, too. There have been laws made to protect the People against bullying in different forms. With the increase in social media use, cyberbullying, or sending bullying or threatening messages online, became far too common, and action had to be taken to protect internet users. Sedition is also an illegal form of speech; citizens do not have the right to use their words to incite immediate violence. According to USLegal.com, other forms of unprotected speech include obscenity, fighting words, fraudulent misrepresentation, advocacy of imminent lawless behavior, defamation, and threats.
When citizens abuse their right to free speech by bullying, harassing, or threatening others, they are no longer protected by this amendment. Often, hate speech and racism is a factor in these cases. People bully others who are different from them, which is where race becomes a factor, but bullies will use anything they can to tear someone down.
The use of hate speech goes against the foundation of our country – that all men are created equal and are guaranteed domestic peace. Using hateful and racist speech against
our fellow citizens denies the peace that was ensured in our Constitution. It also harms the general welfare of the citizens of the United States. Hate spreads, so when there is an instance of hate in one place, it extends to other places until so many people have caught on to it that it seems impossible to manage.
With the onset of laws against bullying and harassment, the majority of the nation has proved that they will not stand for hate and that equality and peace should be fought for. The recent outcome of the case of the girlfriend who talked her boyfriend into his suicide was a huge step forward towards peace in this country. The ruling that Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter due to her text messages was an eye-opener for many that words may carry an extreme impact on them. Her boyfriend was depressed and suicidal, alone in his car. When he told Carter that he wanted to commit suicide but was not sure how, she told him exactly what to do and encourage him to go through with the suicide. He may not have known how or had the motivation to go through with committing suicide if it was not for Carter. There were many people who did not understand this decision, because she did not physically aid her boyfriend’s death. However, her text messages were clear to her boyfriend: his life did not matter to her, and she went as far as to walk him through his death. Making this change will be difficult. It would be hard to monitor hateful and racist speech, but it would be rewarding to begin a systematic change where it is no longer tolerated. Our country needs to elect leaders that stand for our nation’s morals of equality and unity so that we may continue to move towards a better country.
