"Free speech except for things I find distasteful" isn't free speech at all.

zajd · on June 19, 2015

I think hate speech should be made illegal in America like it is in the rest of the civilized world.

theorique · on June 19, 2015

I think hate speech should be made illegal in America like it is in the rest of the civilized world.

Define "hate speech".

Thought experiment: you're running the government, your definition applies. Oops, your opponents just got elected. Now "hate speech" is expanded to include "criticism of the new government".

The term "hate speech" is just a blunt instrument used by people and organizations to attack "speech I/we find distasteful".

Goronmon · on June 19, 2015

So, then posts like yours should be made illegal? Seems you are hating on America pretty hard. We can't have that now, can we?

zajd · on June 19, 2015

America isn't a protected class :)

totony · on June 24, 2015

Oh, you just have to wait a little...

joshuapants · on June 19, 2015

I'm sure that law wouldn't be abused to silence dissenters ever

zajd · on June 19, 2015

"Who watches the watchers" is a problem we have to deal with in EVERY aspect of law. There is a reason we have a judicial system and due process. There's no reason to think hate speech legislation wouldn't be treated the same way.

theorique · on June 19, 2015

In Canada, "human rights tribunals" have been weaponized to attack journalists and writers.

See, for example, the case of Mark Steyn, who has been harassed by Islamic extremists deploying "lawfare" techniques to silence his freedom of speech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_complaints_agains...

zajd · on June 19, 2015

Except that they haven't, it's actually a really good case where the law is able to discern whether or not something is hate speech.

10098 · on June 19, 2015

You should be made illegal.