Hate Speech: Definitions
(John Speaking)

 
 

MAIN PATH: Fred
 Ann
 
Fred
 Vera
Malik
Dee

I agree that there are problems with choosing a description of what happened after the game Saturday and with choosing a definition of hate speech.

But if we allow these problems to drag us down, we'll never get anywhere. I propose that we adopt a narrow definition of hate speech as a working definition so that we can move on to some of the issues being discussed by the faculty and the administration. Let's just say that hate speech is speech that attacks or degrades or insults other people because of their membership in a racial or ethnic group. Let's leave it at that and look at some of the other issues. If we have to, we can come back later and change the definition.

The administration has proposed a speech code and the faculty - especially the faculty at the law school - is debating it furiously. A lot of them think of this as a free speech issue that could get the university into court and generate a lot of bad press. But some believe that a code can be crafted to avoid free speech issues.

Yesterday Professor Longtalk gave a speech on the general principles of free speech, democracy, liberal education, the whole nine yards. He brought in everybody from Plato to John Stuart Mill.

Longtalk is boring, but he's not stupid. He raised one main question: "What are the general grounds for a broad principle of freedom of expression?" I think we ought to talk about it.

Ariadne Home Hate Speech
Bibliography		 Hate Speech
Home