Freedom of Speech: My Version and Their's
The First Amendment has lead Americans to believe in a hallowed
sense of freedom that does not exist -- freedom of speech. Freedom of
speech in this country has never been absolute. You can't yell fire in a
crowded theater, solicit bribes, make terrorist threats, slander another,
intentionally inflict emotional distress or be obscene in public (Dickerson).
What Americans do have a right to is their opinion and the means by which to
express it, no matter if the opinion is favorable or not. There are some
advocates who champion for restrictions on unfavorable speech, like violent
or racist remarks. And though the intentions behind such beliefs are made in
good faith, it is unrealistic to believe the mission of filtering out racist speech
could be completed without catching in the same net all kinds of other speech
that is considered "OK" (Lawrence III 514). I firmly believe that a
government that tells its citizens what is......
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