Feeley EIP Process Draft 1

Quinn Feeley

3/11/17

Draft 1

Freedom of speech is still a controversial issue to this day, although many would

disagree, protests are held to defend the first amendment and are commonly found among masses

of students. By discussing this topic I am raising awareness of the harm that Free Speech may

cause in the long run due to many differing opinions on the matter. This basic human right can

also be a window of opportunity for people to advocate new ideas and points of views.

I often found that students were the main occupants of the Free Speech movement in

many different situations and settings. Support for the first amendment among High schoolers is

stronger today than it has been in the past 12 years; (Chokshi 1) these students feel that speech

is restricted within school grounds and that they should be allowed to voice unpopular opinions.

Case in point, students of various ages have made themselves heard by the protesting to the

government in Washington DC, and many other cities as well. Those who hear the protesting

students and take their pleas into consideration, are conducting research and polls on the amount

of support the First Amendment has among this certain demographic.

It is baffling that something as long-established as the First Amendment can still cause

issues to this day. Freedom of speech and expression is still a controversial topic and can be

beneficial as well as detrimental. There have been other instances where a speech at University

of California, Berkeley, campus was cancelled due to the possible safety risks by protesters for

the speaker and the public. We deeply regret that the violence unleashed by this group

undermined the First Amendment rights of the speaker as well as those who came to lawfully
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assemble and protest his presence (Dirks.) The university is well known for its commitment to

free speech and in this case, that dedication to the amendment could have been dangerous.

Freedom of speech is an ongoing issue and should be resolved as soon as possible.

There have been instances of limited free speech online and in times of tragedy or

political concern. These problems really seem to hinder the concept of free speech. What are

exceptions to freedom of speech in modern society? What are the main justifications of free

speech? A society with free speech is more dynamic than a restrictive one, which ultimately

makes it a breeding ground for new ideas, inventions, ways of doing business and governance.

Ethically speaking, freedom of speech can be considered messy at times; for example: the

shooting at Charlie Hebdo in Paris, some individuals actually believe that there were no

significant signs of freedom of speech abuse by the magazine. The magazine avoided all

sensitive subjects and ridicule directed at religion, religious groups, or hatred directed at certain

groups of people. Except for their cartoons, which could be considered morally wrong because of

the reference to the Prophet Muhammad and the offense that the cartoons could cause to all

Muslims. Freedom of speech is often complicated and can cause much debate because of the thin

line between what is morally or ethically correct and what could be considered discrimination

but is legally condoned. I hope to discover how far the limits of freedom of speech can be tested.

As for the urgency of this topic, the right to free speech is a necessity because in areas

where this right is not protected, citizens are scared to speak out against their government.

Fortunately, for all Americans, no matter the circumstance, the Bill of Rights guarantees a person

the freedom to speak and express his or herself, just so long that his actions do not infringe on

the rights.
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There will be occurance where individuals may not see Free Speech from the same point

of view as me, due to the fact that they may be biased and believe that they have full access to all

of the privileges of the first amendment where in some cases they do not. Americans are

fortunate to have the ability to freely express themselves while in other countries they do not

have the same luxuries. In foreign countries, the enforcement of speech differs within cultures

and races and these groups are forced to embrace their diversity of ideas and ideologies. This

diversity is hindered by the restrictions within each culture because there is still discrimination

for many social groups. Although Americans do have unlimited access to free speech, many

students do not see it the same way, causing protests and backlash directed towards the

government. There is also a slight issue with the difference between false and free speech within

and without schools and what individuals consider which. I am prepared to continue to search for

more information to back up my view on supporting free speech.

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Citations

Obrien, Jim. Free Speech Movement Archives; and Free Speech Movement Digital Archive.

The Journal of American History, Vol. 89, No. 2, History and September 11: A Special Issue

(Sep., 2002), pp. 738-740. URL: http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/3092334

Barnett Lidsky, Larissa. Where's the Harm?: Free Speech and the Regulation of Lies.

Washington and Lee Law Review, Vol. 65, No. 3, 2008, pp. 1091-1102. URL:

https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/docview/6

13751300?accountid=14605

Blacker, David. An Unreasonable Argument Against Student Free Speech. Educational

Theory, Vol. 59, No. 2, May 2009, pp. 123-143. URL:

http://search.proquest.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/docview/214139813?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:

wcdiscovery&accountid=14605

Wallach Scott, Joan. Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus/FIRE's Guide to Free

Speech on Campus. Vol. 91, No. 6, Nov. - Dec., 2005, pp. 62-66. DOI: 10.2307/40252871

http://uncc.worldcat.org/oclc/4594687579