Protecting The Rights Of Minority Groups - 1538 Words

Democratic societies are often faced with the issue of having to find a balance between the preservation of liberty rights, and protecting human rights and promoting equality. As a liberal society, we must protect the liberty right to freedom of expression; however, being a liberal society also means that there ought to be a responsibility to protect vulnerable minorities from being harmed by hate speech. As a result of competing rights, the state often faces the difficult task of determining when one right trumps the other. In this essay, I will discuss and defend the reasons why we must restrict certain types of hate speech – the kind that assaults our dignity, and is harmful. Moreover, I will discuss and defend why we must protect the rights of minority groups, and how doing so can contribute to the greater good of society. To protect the rights of minority groups, governments must use hate speech laws to shield them from harms, such as verbal violations and assaults to their dignity, based on their gender, race, disability or religious affiliations. Harm is caused when hate speech produces a sense of fear, humiliation, and a belief that one is unwanted in the community. While people possess the right to freedom of thought, the right to be sovereign in determining their own beliefs and conclusions, as well as the freedom to hate a particular group, minorities should also have the right to be protected and free of harm caused by certain types of hate speech, and theShow MoreRelatedThe Fight Against The Minority Groups1740 Words   |  7 PagesFight to Protect The recent political climate in this country has placed more focus on the rights of minorities. 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