The First Amendment

The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." These are the words that were written down for us by our Founding Fathers. For over 200 years this country has thrived on the brilliant thoughts of those men. They gave us the structure of a government that would allow for growth, the freedom to think for ourselves, express new ideas and speak out; this is what makes us strong.

Freedom of speech has taken on new meaning from the time our Founding Fathers first conceived the idea and wrote it down. It began with simply the freedom of speaking out against an oppressive government such as when we were a colony under England. Today times are different and society is attempting to adapt. Today's controversial issues that relate to the First Amendment are hate speech, pornography, and other issues deemed obscene by parts of society. These topics are causing public controversy and the concern is that they should be protected.

Some argue that hate speech is offensive and that the law should step in and protect it. Presently it has been those that have been speaking out are protected. Derek Bok (Barnet 56) discussed an event at Harvard when two students hung a confederate flag that was offensive to the students. Some may argue that hate speech is wrong and immoral but you can not deny that it is within those people's rights to do so. To fight against any form of speech or expression is to actually fight yourself and your right to speak out against it. "One man's hate speech is another man's political statement," Charles Levendowsky, Liberal Opinion Weekly (Roleff 12).

Consider the censoring of television shows, movies, or anything that is viewable to the public. Many argue that bad language, violence, or naked bodies are obscene and should be hidden from children's eyes. As a parent I agree, but at the same time I have to disagree. It is the parent that is the one that censors for the child not the government. Today most everything comes with ratings such as G, PG, R, and so on. Parents only need to look at the movie box or the television screen to see whether or not a child should view the material. The same argument could always be used to oppose the censoring of all materials for both children and adults. If you deem something to be offensive then turn the station, just take yourself out of the situation. Others may prefer this entertainment just the way it is. Some people find Howard Stern offensive and feel he should be taken off the air while others can not wait till his next radio or "!E" show.

Then there is the topic of pornography. Feminists are always protesting that pornography flaunts the female body