Freedom of Speech Definition and Its Function
Freedom of speech is a set of laws and as for the definition “The freedom of expression is vital to our ability to convey opinions, convictions, and beliefs, and to meaningfully participate in democracy. The state may, however, ‘limit’ the freedom of expression on certain grounds, such as national security, public order, public health, and public morals” (Gunatilleke 2020). Clearly, freedom of speech seems very ethical when it comes to the value of human rights and it allows the voices of people to be heard. Nevertheless, when the given right of freedom is unbalanced, it can lead to misuse and abuse. The people having freedom of speech does not mean that they are free and protected from the consequences of their actions and words. Hernandez (2020) argued that “When being called out due to hateful rhetoric, people are not trying to promote censorship. Individuals are also entitled to not tolerate hateful rhetoric and say things against it. Individuals must remember that the First Amendment was created in order to encourage the flow of ideas and communication between people without government interference. The First Amendment does not protect individuals from being called out by others”. Authors who wrote articles for or against any statements have quite impressive points, but sometimes, they miss some important point and just straight move on to the conclusion. In the article “What trumps what? Free speech or public safety?” by Jacqueline Smetak, clarified that freedom of speech is a big threat and insulation to society by giving an example from US missionaries insulting Islam’s belief and prophet and how these people are freed from the court by their freedom of speech right. Here, her point was strong, especially when she gave an example of how people abuse their rights and start to babble and offend many others. However, concerning her title for the article, she did not mention anything good about freedom of speech and then she concluded her article. Not all people use freedom of speech to insult any religion, country, or culture. Some use it as a voice to express their dissatisfaction and abuse from authorities. For instance, in 2020, when a black guy was accidentally murdered by the local authorities in the US, the citizens started to protest and make a speech in public to prevent these kinds of horrible things and also, to get the murder punished as well. On the other hand, authors like Michael Gonchar do mention both ideas but do not really have a side to argue for. His approach was on the Law and he stated the First Amendment and how the government should not be interfering with the freedom right by limiting it. He has a strong statement that “The Supreme Court has determined that certain types of speech, such as fighting words, violent threats and misleading advertising, are of only “low” First Amendment value because they don’t contribute to a public discussion of ideas, and are therefore not protected” (Gonchar 2018)
CommunityPublic safety
“When public safety is discussed in the public sphere, it typically has been assumed to mean freedom from injury to one’s person, and to one’s property, in particular from violent crime or events. It is true that people do not feel safe and secure if they are threatened by violent injury. Indeed, protests against the police are grounded in the notion that the police themselves are causing just this sort of harm. Surely, though, being safe means far more than freedom from sudden, violent, physical harm. People also do not feel safe if they are forced to sleep on the streets, forage in trash cans for food, or face starvation. If they are lacking an education and cannot earn a living or find a job. They do not feel safe if they are confronting grievous illness, or if they face health care costs they cannot afford” (Friedman 2021). Community safety is about the prevention of dangers, insecurity, and verbal abuse. The protections come from the people forming a community to provide protection to the people within or even more.
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Community safety vs. Freedom of speech
Besides freedom of speech expressing one’s voice, it can be as violent as hate speech and insulation. Community safety fights such actions and words for the victims. A community is a powerful group and it can regulate one’s life reluctant until at appoint when one’s life is under total control without any freedom. Both Community safety and freedom of speech do not have a conclusion on which one is right and which one is wrong.
In a nutshell, in writing, especially argumentative, always mention both pros and cons of our point and the opposing point to make our writing more logical, formal, and rich. Plus, not mentioning partaking in side and just writing some crucial facts can be an enhancement to any writing.
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