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Originally Posted by CutiePie2000
Is bashing on certain specific ethnic groups more condoned as opposed to the bashing on other groups?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KSigkid
As a preliminary matter, I don't think it's fair to say that the government "condones" bashing on ethnic groups.
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Exactly. Tolerating or permitting speech =/= condoning what is said.
CutiePie, the thing is that I would hazard a guess that freedom of speech is one of the two or three freedoms that Americans value the most and consider the most basic. It lies at the heart of our ethos that true freedom and true democracy cannot flourish if the government has the power to tell people what they can and cannot say, or to punish someone for merely expressing an idea, even if the vast majority of Americans find that idea anhorant. Those who drafted our Bill of Rights were influenced by the writings of people like Milton, who said that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out.
We tend to side with the sentiment usually (though perhaps inaccurately) attributed to Voltaire: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."