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Should hate speech be illegal?
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Some people deserve it

Because there are so many horrible people in the world, it often causes strain on law abiding civilians. It’s not fair that people must suffer from criminals and terrorists. Hate speech is a way of saying they aren’t accepted in society and shouldn’t be treated like a normal person.

The Argument

Although hate speech can hurt people’s feelings, some people deserve to be hated. If they’ve done something wrong, like a criminal, they don’t deserve to have the dignity of a human being anymore. For example, Islamic terrorism is often done in the name of Allah.[1] Violence is against moral values. Therefore, if people of a violent religion don’t want hate from other people, they should not be violent.

Counter arguments

Criminal activity should be punished. But treating someone less than human because of their crime is irrational. Treating prisoners like human beings improves their chances of living normal lives when they are released.[2] Plus, religious beliefs shouldn’t be judged for the actions of a few violent individuals is also irrational. Not all Muslims support violence in terms of killing innocent people for their beliefs.[3]

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Some people deserve hate speech because they’re criminals who have negatively affected society. [P2] People should avoid being part of a hated group of people if they don’t want hate speech. [P3] Hate speech is a person's opportunity to speak up against injustice and should not be taken away.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] People have the right to be part of a religion or group they want to be a part of. Individuals aren’t an overall reflection of the group.

References

  1. https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/item/26167-london-bridge-terror-attack-this-is-for-allah
  2. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/05/treating-prisoners-with-dignity-can-reduce-crime/430962/
  3. https://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/terrorism-and-concerns-about-extremism/
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 17 Mar 2020 at 12:43 UTC

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