WESTPORT — When do efforts to curb hate speech violate the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech?
That issue is often at the flashpoint of the current-day societal divide, fueled at cyber speed by social media and online platforms.
Hate speech and the civil exchange of diverse opinions is the challenging topic for this year’s Teen Diversity Essay Contest, co-sponsored by TEAM Westport, the town’s multicultural advocacy committee, and the Westport Library.
The contest, now in its 11th year, is open to students in grades nine through 12 attending public or private high schools in Westport, as well as Westporters attending high schools in other communities.
Deadline for submitting entries is 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 4. For additional contest details and the entry form, click here.
Contest organizers said that, depending on the number and caliber of entries, at the judges’ discretion, up to three cash prizes will be awarded — a $1,000 first prize, $750 for second prize and $500 for third. A ceremony to present awards to the contest winners is planned May 6 at the library.
Following is the formal prompt for contest entries:
“The regulation of hate speech must balance limiting speech that may be considered offensive, threatening or hurtful with the constitutional right of free expression.
“In 1,000 words or less, with respect to speech that targets specific people or groups based on race, religion, ethnicity, and/or LGBTQIA+ identification, consider the guidelines one should set for themselves within Westport’s schools and in our community.
“Explain how a diversity of opinions can be safely and respectfully shared. Are the rules different in a school community than on social media?”
Harold Bailey Jr., TEAM Westport’s chairman, said in the statement announcing the essay contest: “In our current environment, hate speech seems to rend the fabric of our society further on a daily basis.
“We look forward to this input from our young citizens to help us inextricably mend that fabric well into the future.”
Hey Kids,
Any speech Leftists (like Team Westport) hate is “hate speech”. That pesky 1st Amendment keeps it legal to critique their nonsense and they’re trying to stop that.
Thought Criminal,
Victoria Wylie
Keep us posted on your arrest, booking, trial, and sentence. Alina Habba is available, I hear.
Glad to hear you concur Tom, that we are indeed living in a post Constitutional America in which the First Amendment does not apply, at least not under the current regime. You may find that the next regime will perhaps find that suppressors of our Constitutional rights need to be punished. I can’t wait to see that. BTW, you’re not in favor of taking away Constitutional rights , are you? Why don’t you just go on the record now.
I am Jewish. I want my kids to participate in this essay. I believe that a Nazi swastika is hate speech, not free speech. I do not think this is a right or left issue. We all know about the Holocaust and its symbols of hate not free speech.
Sharon, Trump lies all the time. He also uses hate speech. That is his free speech. He gets to brainwash easily duped people with that right. We teach facts to hopefully undo the lies he tells.
It was comforting to see that the contest is open only to high schoolers. Let’s see what this generation comes up with.
This exchange makes clear that my own generation is wholly uncapable of addressing such thorny issues with anything other than knee jerk reactions.
Not to worry, Marla.
I’m sure the Westport schoolchildren will concur that freedom of speech is passé (some dated concept that those old, dusty, White men came up with) and the 1st amendment is only applicable to speech that the modern Left deems acceptable. That is the point of it, after all. Right?
V.
Victoria and Sharon,
Many people on the right want the Nazi swastika flag banned and for the chant “from the river to the sea” to be banned as well on college campuses. As a lefty, I am for banning hate speech on campuses like that which is intended to harm other students who pay to go to that school!
Many Republican leaders agree with what I said above.
Stephanie “Agreed”? Who are you agreeing with, yourself? You seem a little confused about a few things including the First Amendment; it refers to protection from governmental control over one’s speech, religion, assembly, etc. Colleges and businesses can discipline you for failing to comport with their standards. So, if you are misguided and stupid enough to put up Nazi swastikas you are not protected from the opprobrium of your fellow citizens nor the wrath of your Dean or employer. Perhaps you know of the ACLU defense of a Nazi March in Skokie, Illinois in the 1970s. Do you think the ACLU supported the Nazis? No, but they understood that the First Amendment is not there to give you the right to recite the sonnets of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in the public square. If you have the right to tell others what they can and can’t say, it is quite possible that a change of leadership will give someone else the right to tell you what you can or can’t say. As for college campuses, they do allow hate speech as long as they agree with it. Unfortunately we now have people enacting actual laws abridging our First Amendment rights and that is unconstitutional.
Agreed! I want my kids to participate without Sharon as a judge! Hate speech is very dangerous to all of us.
If you saw a swastika flag in Westport, would you consider it hate speech or just freedom of speech? I am directing this question to the Wylie sisters.
Once again freedom of speech allows for speech you and I don’t like.
I find it disturbingly ironic that while the protection of speech is being rightly discussed and defended here, your RTM representatives have decided to impose censorship on what they will permit you to discuss in their community forum.
In direct violation of the US Bill of Rights, the CT Constitution, and the Westport Town Charter’s specific mandated protection of your unfettered privilege to petition your Town RTM to hear concerns that 20 residents believe to be important to hear, they decided to limit your speech to only the issues that THEY want to hear.
And they decided to do this without having your permission, or even asking you if you were okay with them stealing that fundamental right from you.
They have depended upon the ignorance and apathy of residents who they believe to be too distracted to understand or notice what they are doing and its implications.
Hate speech determination aside, you should be getting very very upset about this intentional infringement, and force your RTM to reverse their current determination to gag you and censor what you might believe to be important.
While you may personally have little or no control over Federal government decisions, you can have a very meaningful direct impact upon your RTM representative’s violation of your protected rights here in Westport.