[Vision2020] Another perspective on free speech

[Scott Dredge]

Seemingly not everyone 'agrees that we can restrict speech if and when it leads to physical, 
social, or economic harm. If someone is in fact trying to incite a riot,
 his speech is not protected.'  Case in point, Tom Hansen asserts that 'The first amendment legally permits me to go into the Backdoor (a bar in south central Los Angeles) and say, "Fu*k you, nig*r!

How would you see it, Joe, if such actions led to physical harm of innocent bystanders and also property damage?  Do you think the first amendment would actually provide Tom with a good legal shield?

From: philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:24:30 -0700
To: rforce2003 at yahoo.com
CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Another perspective on free speech

Thanks Ron. This is similar to some of Tom's posts I think.
One question is what KINDS of reasons can we have for restricting speech? Everyone agrees that we can restrict speech if and when it leads to physical, social, or economic harm. If someone is in fact trying to incite a riot, his speech is not protected.
Some think that offense is enough to warrant restricting speech but I don't think so. In fact, I agree with Paul that it is best to never use the law to restrict speech. Better to allow for insults and questionable speech-harms; better to err on the side of free expression.
But when people abuse these privileges, as in the case of the recent video that sparked riots in the Middle East, they can and should be criticized.

On Sep 27, 2012, at 10:23 AM, Ron Force <rforce2003 at yahoo.com> wrote:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/09/free-speech-and-the-1st-amendment-arent-always-the-same-thing/262894/  Ron Force
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