BRATTLEBORO — Arlene Distler's Viewpoint about hate speech versus free speech highlighted my own concerns.
I am a proponent of free speech, but I have been struggling with the concept of “freedom of hate speech” and the consequent harm it may cause.
There is a greased slope when one starts to draw lines limiting free speech. Words have power, and hate speech is a weapon that must be recognized as such.
I find that I cannot sit idly by and let others come to harm, yet I have no answer to my quandary about drawing lines. I do feel strongly that when life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness can be adversely affected by corrosive speech, as we have seen happen all too frequently lately, this conversation must be discussed.
This is a good start.