Freedom is good. If you're an American, you probably believe in freedom of speech. People should be allowed to voice their opinions, and they should be allowed to express themselves. While at college, some people who were very anti abortion came onto campus, handing out material and voicing their opinion. I was not present where these people were expressing themselves, but I've heard that these people, along with their posters of dead fetuses, they wore shirts that made very hateful remarks toward homosexuals. A friend of mine who refused material from one of these protestors was told she would "Burn in hell". After this event, some students sent around a petition stating that people like this should not be alloowed to speak on campus.
The thing is, despite the hateful things on the shirts, and the rather tactless display of that particular anti-abortion movement, the fact remains that they had the constitutional right to say and do those things. Now, I'm not saying that I agree with what they did, but do we really have the right to silence them, just because we disagree.
There was a nazi rally in Lansing a couple days before I moved back home, and I have seen on the news these Nazis. While they were talking to a reporter, several people interrupted the interview and belligerently yelled at the Nazi. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't even consider Nazi ideologies sane, but it seemed rude to me that those people would not even let that person speak his mind.
These people that represent veryradical groups can sometimes have very flawed ways of thinking about things, but censoring them won't do any good. They will still feel the way they do, and will be denied an outlet for their feelings, which may or may not come out in more violent ways. The best way to deal with them is to ignore their message. They are still human, and still deserve their rights.
When a person does make known such ideals, maybe it is a good time to discuss civilly with them. Find out why they think the way they do, and instead of condemning them for it, try to reason with them and change their mind. It might not work a lot of the time, but at least you tried. If you can get someone like that in a one on one basis, they won't have support from fellow members of their altered reality, and you can plant a seed of reason within them.
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I agree. There should be free speech always. If you are interested in a philosophical outlook on free speech I recommend that you read "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill. Heres a link:
http://www.bartleby.com/130/index.html
To summarize what he said (I'll do my best), Mill states that we must allow for free speech in order for the pursuit of truth. Any argument is worth considering because it either reinforces something that is known by restating it, it presents the real truth, or it gives weight to the alternate argument by disproving itself. It has been a while since I read it myself, but it really is a great read. Although it is a bit lengthy, you won't regret it if you are into epistomology/political theory/human rights/whatever.
Alex J.
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"Follow not me, but you!" -Friedrich Nietzsche
awww, the raw naivete of the last paragraph was killer. but yeah, at least to try is worth it.