Hate Speech Conflict at the Westboro Baptist Church
In his message to the [UC Davis] Campus Community, Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter addresses the protests against the hate speech made by guest speakers, Milo Yiannopoulo and Martin Shkreli. Hate speech can be defined as the “attack of a person or group on the basis of race, gender, sex, ...” Hate speech under the First Amendment allows those who are hateful to publicize their beliefs and thus, we can expose the prejudices rather than suppressing them. Groups do not necessarily have to agree with what speakers say, but being open and respectful to other’s opinions. I agree that hate speech should be permitted because when a person’s freedom of expression is restricted, it discourages personal growth that ultimately fosters changes in society. People cannot grow unless they are free to formulate their beliefs through discussion, and criticisms.
In 2011, the Westboro Baptist Church picketed a military funeral with signs displaying messages belittling the dead officer; “God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11,' 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' and 'Don't Pray for the USA.' Many Americans found the signs hateful and offensive, but the Supreme Court sided with the church, justifying funeral picking under the First Amendment rights. According to the Supreme Court, people must tolerate hate speech because it complies with the freedoms protected by the First Amendment. Tolerance of hate speech not only upholds everyone's right to express their speech, hateful or not but also allows society to become aware of and respond to hateful speech. In response, many people criticized the church for its hateful language and actions. Megan Phelps-Roper, the granddaughter of Westboro Church founder Fred Phelps Sr., began running the Westboro Twitter account; 'They started asking questions and digging into our theology. ... As they were able to find these contradictions and present them to me,' Phelps-Roper says. 'I understood that we could be wrong about something. ... That was the beginning of the end for me. I had this unshakable faith and it had been shaken.' In 2012, Phelps-Roper left the Westboro Baptist Church because the twitter comments forced her to reevaluate her family’s beliefs. As a result, she no longer wanted part of that community. Raper’s openness towards other people’s opinions on twitter and the realization of how immoral her family’s actions are allowed her to personally change her attitudes towards life. By allowing people an opportunity to hear and converse with others, freedom of discussion promote change in bad influences.
When hate is publicized, people can see the problem at hand and take action to change certain issues. As we improve ourselves through the observation of hate speech, we can reaffirm our own beliefs. To do so, we must understand, appreciate, and articulate other’s opinions with more depth. Democracy depends on people being free to express, openly debate, and criticize opposing viewpoints. For society to progress, people must be allowed all freedoms including hate speech to be corrected through discussion.
