Blocking the Hate

Yesterday, a conversation was initiated that talked about whether or not hate speech should be restricted at colleges. Today, the Kansas Supreme Court struck down the ban on funeral protests citing "technical issues." Many organizations are working to get the language re-worked and fast-tracked through the legislature. It is interesting because I am not sure that I agree with this. Many of the organizations that approve of the ban are ones that I support, but with this issue I find myself more in disagreement.

I understand the pain and hardship that people feel when they are laying a loved one to rest, and how to have people there expressing hate is certainly a horrible thing. On the flip side, I have always been a proponent of free speech. Yesterday though, during the college discussion, this very astute girl brought up something that I never thought of in regards to hate speech. She said, "I would rather have their hate up front, than hidden." When it is right in front of you, you can face it and move on. Hate that is hidden and festers is what leads to violent hate crimes, and greater unexpected backlashes.

This insight lends a strong psychological argument to an already impressive list. The slippery slope of what and who we can restrict is certainly scary. With college hate speech, the answer is clear to me: Restriction bad. If anything restricting it only makes it that much harder when those who are blindly hated go out into the world and find themselves unprotected. The issue with funerals is slightly different. You are intruding into a personal event. But what can the ban say? How far away is ok? Who can they ban? Again, there is risk of creating a dangerous situation. Though I feel strongly for those who have faced this, I wonder if legal action is really going about it the right way.