Is freedom of speech over-rated

[Liza B.]

So, in your opinion, if a bunch of mean kids in school all decide to tell one slightly retarded kid he should commit suicide every day, and he finally does, there should be no prosecution for a crime here, instead we expect the kid to be able to stand up to such things?

If you're talking about school, you're talking about minors. That's different.

 

[Liza B.]

But in that scenario, is it OK for the government to prosecute?

Again: what do you mean, "Prosecute"? You're talking about minors in school....right?

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

Again: what do you mean, "Prosecute"? You're talking about minors in school....right?

Yup, minors in school.

So you seem to be in favor of no consequences for those bullies?

 

[Hank77]

But in that scenario, is it OK for the government to prosecute?

I don't think so.

 

[Paul of Eugene OR]

I don't think so.

So we shouldn't do anything about bullying in school.

Wrong answer.

There should be consequences. Something that will cause kids to pause and think.

 

[Hank77]

So we shouldn't do anything about bullying in school.

Wrong answer.

There should be consequences. Something that will cause kids to pause and think.

I didn't say we shouldn't do anything nor that there shouldn't be consequences.

Let me ask you this, if you would.
Say a woman who has been repeatedly bullied by her husband, even beaten, commits suicide should the husband be prosecuted as though her death is his fault?

 

[compassion 4 humanity]

In my opinion, blasphemous speech should be subject to criminal prosecution. Words that offend our heavenly father such as God denialism and sacrilegious speech aren’t acceptable. If anyone advocates blasphemy, they should be arrested and hauled off to prison. Undoubtedly, laws which criminalize anti-Christian speech would mean that a lot of opponents of Christ, perhaps numbering in the hundreds of thousands, would languish in jail. But so what? Better that countless atheist lose their freedom to hate on religion than to tolerate anti-God hate speech.

 

[Zoii]

I didn't say we shouldn't do anything nor that there shouldn't be consequences.

Let me ask you this, if you would.
Say a woman who has been repeatedly bullied by her husband, even beaten, commits suicide should the husband be prosecuted as though her death is his fault?

If from a coroners court the husband was found to be a factor in her death, then yes

 

[Hank77]

n my opinion, blasphemous speech should be subject to criminal prosecution. Words that offend our heavenly father such as God denialism and sacrilegious speech aren’t acceptable.

So you think there there should be laws that are like Sharia law in Islam, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[compassion 4 humanity]

So you think there there should be laws that are like Sharia law in Islam, what could possibly go wrong?

If you think something could go wrong, then explain.

 

[*Starlight*]

Countries that value and legally support fredom of speech, are also supporting the same speech that fostered the jewish holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. Is freedom of speech open to unacceptable abuse and should it have limits?

I don't know much about Rwandan genocide, but wasn't freedom of speech suppressed in Nazi Germany? I think all, or almost all, of the most oppressive and murderous regimes in history were against freedom of speech.

On the other hand, absolute freedom of speech (like making threats against another person, for example) also doesn't seem like a good idea to me, so there should be some restrictions, I guess.

 

[Dave-W]

If from a coroners court the husband was found to be a factor in her death, then yes

Coroner's inquests are a rare occurrence here. Only if the legal system thinks there is something wrong with the original death report from the coroner.

 

[Roseonathorn]

When freedom of speech means freedom to lie about anyone and anything to any degree then it is no good thing. Then it becomes a witchhunt of innocent people very easily and the innocent can not prove themselves not guilty because people have always formed mobs for payment toward certain individuals that have tried to stand up for the just and for what is right. There should be some regulations, some things You need not answer or should not ask in a jobinterview or similar. Rumours and slander is also where freedom and speech should be limited, if the rumour is such that the spreader does spread it to gain something by putting the other down then the spreader might be punished instead of rewarded.