Posted on 10/25/2019 7:57:54 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
CFS polling results show:
51% of Americans think the First Amendment is outdated and should be rewritten. The First Amendment protects your right to free speech, free assembly, and freedom of religion, among other things.
48% believe “hate speech” should be illegal. (“Hate speech” is not defined—we left it up to the individual participant.) Of those, about half think the punishment for “hate speech” should include possible jail time, while the rest think it should just be a ticket and a fine.
80% don’t actually know what the First Amendment really protects. Those polled believed this statement is true: “The First Amendment allows anyone to say their opinion no matter what, and they are protected by law from any consequences of saying those thoughts or opinions.”
It’s actually not true. The First Amendment prevents the government from punishing you for your speech (with exceptions such as yelling “fire” in a crowded area to induce panic).
But more broadly, freedom of speech does not mean you are protected from social consequences for your speech. You may have the right to say something extreme or hateful and not get thrown in jail, but others in society have the right to shun you.
What explains these results?
We believe there are at least two factors at play. One is the obvious polarization of politics and the media. While many who identify as conservative may dislike the reporting of CNN and would likely favor sanctions for “fake news,” many progressives or liberals may feel the same way towards Fox News.
Second, we hear much about “hate speech.” Although the term is never defined, most agree that it should be opposed, rebuked, and criticized. But should it be punished by the government? If the government is in charge of determining what is hate speech, then it inevitably becomes political—a weapon that can be used to punish people on the other side of an issue.
We believe it is time to reconnect with the central tenets of the First Amendment. Free speech is a non-partisan issue that has always been a cornerstone of our democracy and critical for a free society.
Click here for the full survey results.
The data on “updating” the First Amendment isn’t the only discouraging result in this poll. By a margin of 48/31, Americans agree that hate speech should be against the law. (CFFS didn’t ask for partisan affiliation, alas, so we don’t know how Democrats shake out on that versus Republicans.) Of that 48 percent who think it should be illegal, 54 percent would condone possible jail time for it. The numbers don’t start getting really dodgy, though, until we reach the question about state censorship of the media. How many people agree that “The government should be able to take action against newspapers and TV stations that publish content that is biased, inflammatory, or false”?
Fifty-seven percent agree! What’s striking about those numbers is how little support varies among different demographics. Whites and blacks are both at 56 percent in favor. Men and women are both at 57 percent. Millennials stand at 62 percent whereas Baby Boomers stand at 55. Only senior citizens, the 65 and older crowd, oppose the idea on balance at 46/50. I don’t know how to spin those results as non-disastrous except to reason that Americans are analogizing from defamation law. If an individual plaintiff can sue in civil court over false statements of fact, they may figure, why not let the, er, government prosecute people? Or maybe they’re not thinking it through at all and are simply reacting to the mention of “biased” media in the question. Everyone hates biased reporting. So if a pollster throws out a question asking if biased reporting should be sanctioned somehow, you might quickly agree just to signal how much that bias disgusts you.
But I don’t know. When CFFS drilled down by asking what type of sanction people would condone for biased/inflammatory/false reporting, 46 percent of those who supported state punishment thought that punishment should include possible jail time. I’d love to see the partisan numbers there, to know how many of that group are lefties and how many are MAGA types wanting to throw Trump’s critics in the dungeon.
Polls don’t mean a damn thing. I wish people would give them the weight that they deserve - nothing...
I’d like the First Amendment left alone.
I would like Libel and Slander laws to be beefed up.
And I would like to see Islam officially declared a non-religion and designated as a terrorist cult.
Oh noes. A fake poll says Americans want fascism.
How about just Yes or No
Please define “hate speech”
First polls can be done to support anything. Our rights should not be decided by mob rule.
Second it is clear those that want to ban “hate speech” do not understand that “hate speech” will be anything those in power do not like.
Which is why the right of FREE SPEECH is in the Constitution. Our Founding Fathers understood you can not define bad speech in a way that tyrants could use to silence their opposition so they made it clear no speech should be controlled by the government.
We’ve come a long way from “I Disapprove of What You Say, But I Will Defend to the Death Your Right to Say It”.
Of course, the very reason the Bill of Rights is in the Constitution is to protect those rights from transitory majorities such as this. The Founders were wise.
Our putrid “education” system has done its intended job.
Turn freedom-loving Americans into commie robots.
So was Don Siegel's 1958 Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
And how soon people forget Franklin’s words: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Insanity
Clueless, young enough to have no skin in the game and lack of an education that would have taught them how precious the First Amendment is.
Hate speech = liberal blasphemy laws
What is terrifying is that a majority of college educated young ADULTS believe this.
Liberal fascists took over education K-college specifically with this intent - to create a uniform message from preschool to college to teach their worldview. And now most kids believe it.
Public maleducation has infantilized the people. They want safety, including safety from rules of civilized behavior. Don’t confuse that with liberty.
Liberals have the institutional power to redefine love, smart, educated, kind to equal liberal policies.
Disagree with giving a delusional and possibly sexually abused child cross-sex hormones? You’re a hater who wants people dead.
Question the effectiveness of just throwing money at problems? You’re an evil meanie who wants to hurt people.
Don’t agree with the latest climate catastrophe that rips off the horrors of the Book of Revelations? You’re a stupid science denier.
Want to be kind, smart, loving, educated? Totally agree with liberal dogma and enthusiastically, blindly endorse it with all your heart! Then you’re moral and good and don’t have to do anything but blindly, truly believe!
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