How much freedom of speech should we have?
Can democracies limit freedom of speech and still be considered democracies?
The recent limitations of Trumps ability to express himself should naturally raise some questions about what we, who live in democracies and so called free countries mean by free speech. We blame authoritar regimes for violating human rights and not giving people the opportunity to speak freely. These regimes argument is usually that they want to protect their societies from damaging activities.
But then, how is that different from banning trump from expressing his views despite the threat it might impose on the society?
In Europe, there has been an ongoing discussion since World War II about how much freedom of speech the neo-nazists should have. Some argue that they should be totally banned while others believe the best way to fight them is to pull them out in public and let them express what they want.
extremist groups like the neo-nazis and the far-right groups that support trump get more momentum when they are banned and excluded. They use exclusion as justification for their violence and terrorism.
what do you as a well-educated, enlightened person think we should do with freedom of speech? Is it a nice or need to have?
Is freedom of speech importen? The Educated Singles Club
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I used to think democracies had to have almost total freedom of speech. But when I became more familiar with German politics, it became clear to me that some countries have good reasons for limiting freedom of speech. If you have a NAZI history, then extremism carries another kind of threat level.
While I personally would like to think two sides of an argument can fight it out, history suggests it is not always that easy...
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True, One argument in the debate is that you need to have freedom of speech for everybody if you believe it is a fundamental right. But of course, it only works if you can prosecute people or groups who violate the other half of the equation namely not threatening or limiting other people to have the same right to freedom of speech.
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I think everyone should be entitled to their own opinion as opinions are a part of learning, however, how we voice that opinion is a different matter entirely.
