The First Amendment Protect Hate Groups - Free Essay Example

Should the First-Amendment free-speech rights of groups like the Klu Klux Klan and other groups that are seen as hate groups be protected? Why or why not? What effects if any could limit the rights of some groups have on all groups? What differentiates hate groups from other groups that promote the interest of a particular race, religion, ethnicity, culture or gender? The first amendment of the American Constitution gives people certain rights to free speech. They were adopted to the Bill of Rights to help protect the freedom of expression of the Americans. However, there is a lot of question in the current on how the freedom of expression is affecting the equality of the society at large (Kendrick 3). The aim of free-speech rights as composed by the framers of the constitution was to protect the American citizens from political intimidation and retaliation. They allowed persons to express themselves without fear. With time, the laws have evolved to help handle the new issues coming up in the society (Kendrick 15). The government has found its ways to meddle into the freedom of speech. There are debates that the first amendment offers protection to hate groups. There is no clear understanding from the amendment on where the rights begin and stop. The hate groups have used these to their advantage to propagate propaganda and notions of white suprem acy in the U.S. The hate groups have found their protection in making an offensive speech in the first amendment. No one should be blocked in saying what they think is appropriate to them. This protection of even what seems to be offensive to others brings a question of when the government should intervene and stop the hate speech group. There is a thin line of differentiation between hate speech and having an offensive behavior. As witnessed in August 2017, the white supremacists and the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville to have the supreme court be on their side. For a long time, the hate groups have been winning court cases with judges citing that the law cannot block a little speech that does not lead to hostility or amount to threatening behavior. There are no clear guidelines on when speech should be protected. However, by looking at the first amendment, it gives a context to understand the extent of right and freedom of speech. The amendment holds that the ?Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or the press. This wording appears to give absolute protection to speech and free expression. However, with a deeper look into the background of the amendment, something different is seen. In the eighteenth century, the Americans were deeply influenced by the ideologies of liberalism and natural rights. The freedom of speech was held as a natural and inherent human right. However, the freedom of speech ended where the fundamental rights of others begun, like the right to having a good reputation. After the world wars, towards the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the Americans had developed a belief in natural rights. People viewed these rights as causing a different understanding of the constitution. To this, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes remarked that the law is not meant to protect the inherent rights of people but to promote the peoples social welfare in the community and state (Weinstein 731-732). The focus was supposed to be on whether the speech in the question presented the activities of the Congress could avert a real danger to that. Based on this, the first amendment was meant to solve the conflict between the social interest of people in free speech and those in other aspects of life. Trying to balance all the social interests together could not give a guarantee to freedom of speech as during the national crisis, the freedoms could be curtailed. The first amendment gave absolute freedom to speech, with little control over the content that people say. It did not take into consideration the value that is exposed due to the absolute protection of speech. In this view, the hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan have found protection, and they can say anything they want in public. The hate groups have won many cases in courts based on this first amendment. This has led to the clash between the freedom of speech and other rights. Concerns are being voiced over protecting hate speech over other rights. In defense of the freedom of speech, the high court states that people must be tolerant of insults and negative remarks from others so that the rights of the first amendment can have a breathing space. A speech turns out to be a hate crime if it is accompanied by an action that harms a person or group. Despite the freedom of speech being a fundamental right, it does not go without limits when interpreted correctly. In the context of protecting rights, the freedom of free expression ought to be limited by other rights help by others. Any speech that infringes into another persons rights should be controlled by different narrowly identified rules. The limits apply unless the speech had a more worth value that can be used to justify the injuries caused by it (Sultana 230-231). Also, the government has the prerogative of restricting speech. It can impose control on the time, location or the kind of speech made. This can be done when the speech has alternative ways in which it can be made and allow people to express their views without limitation (Stone 690). For instance, the government can restrict a person from using a public address system at night in a residential area or limit the protests and demonstrations that are blocking traffic. Some other narrow categories are also not protected from the restrictions of the government. These categories include incitement, fraud, lies, defamation, obscenity, child pornography, threats, and other fighting words. The government has a responsibility to ensure that the people are not incited to act against a given group or the constitution. However, a speech that calls for a future, unspecified time can be protected by the rights of expression. To differentiate hate groups from other groups, one needs to look at the activities and formation of these groups. Hate groups focus on spreading negative propaganda against another group. They aim at painting a given group, government or person in a negative way. However, for other groups that are promoting other interest of a group, they focus on the interests of that group. They demonstrate the value that a group gain from the said activities for which they are advocating for. Also, groups that promote that are not meant for hate, often fight against oppressive policies, laws, and governance that seem to be against their interest. Unlike the hate groups that have no specific gender they are pursuing, other groups; gender groups, ethnic groups, religious groups, have an agenda that direct their actions. However, if such group is not contained or fail to achieve their goals, they easily turn to become hate groups. In conclusion, the first amendment is not meant to protect hate groups but the rights of people to express themselves. Hate speech finds protection in this amendment due to a lack of clarity in differentiating it from other speeches in the political discourse. The speech becomes limited if it leads to an action that amounts to inciting, threat or defamation. Works Cited Kendrick, L. Another First Amendment. Columbia Law Review. 118.1 (2018): 1-21. Stone, A. Viewpoint Discrimination, Hate Specific Laws and the Double-Sided Nature of Freedom of Speech. Constitutional Commentary. 32.3 (2017): 687-696. Sultana, F. The False Equivalence of Academic Freedom and Free Speech: Defending Academic Integrity in the Age of White Supremacy, Colonial Nostalgia, and Anti-Intellectualism. Acme. 17.2 (2018): 228-257. Weinstein, J. Viewpoint Discrimination Hate Speech and Political Legitimacy: A Reply. Constitutional Commentary. 466 (2017): 715-782.

Managing Generations and Social Media - Free Essay Example

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to reflect back on my courses here at Florida State College at Jacksonville and two of the main topics I have learned. Management today is quite different than even 10 years ago. Currently, there are about four different generations in the workforce and each generation has their own values and characteristics. This can be very challenging for managers or leaders who do not understand the characteristics of each and how to lead them. I will also look at how social media is affecting todays work environment for both companies and people. Managing Multiple Generations Humans are living longer than we ever have and therefore, increasing the average age of retirement. Resulting in a multigenerational workforce which can be challenging for leaders. Each generation contributes different values and skills to a team, but not all generations can be supervised the same way. I would like to review the characteristics of the generations and their strengths and weaknesses. Baby boomers are believed to be goal-oriented workaholics, independent, competitive. They make up many executives in the current workforce because they are hardworking, dedicated, and career focused. On the other hand, they are less acceptable to change. I can also see how managing an independent and competitive individual would be difficult or challenging at times(Kane, Baby Boomers in the Workplace, 2017). Generation x has grown up in an era where typically both parents in the household worked. Because of this, they have a pretty strong work ethic. Technology became a part of most homes of those in this generation, so when it comes to technology, they are quit skilled. Generally speaking, they are individualistic, flexible or accepting of change, and value a work/life balance. Because of the latter characteristics, they tend to move around from company to company looking for a less structured management and work life. Which is not what the managers of the baby boomer generation is used to nor is it their management style(Kane, 2017). The fastest growing demographic era is generation y, known to many as millennials. The first generation to truly grow up in the age of technology they have the greatest understanding of change and the positive effects it can have in the current business world. For the most part, they are team-oriented, and achievement focused. One of the biggest downfalls for this generation is they crave attention and need constant reassurance. If they are included and feel appreciated, I think they could bring a lot to the table encouraging leaders to stay up to date with the latest and greatest. I recently read an article that discussed three ways to simplify the process of managing a multigenerational environment. It doesnt have to be as difficult as it sounds(Cates, 2018). At the beginning, it explains we should not dwell on the differences between the generations. Simply put is each generation has different needs resulting in different motivational factors. Which leads us to the next point of keeping context in mind while managing. In other words, get to know your team, understand their needs, priorities, goals, and what motivates them. A crucial tool for creating a positive working environment. Seems simple right? And you would think every good leader understands and applies this concept to their leadership style. The difference is, as we have such a vast variety of ages in the workforce and each generation has different experiences. These experiences have defined our values and expectations or goals we have set for our careers. I believe a good leader is always looking for ways to learn or improve their own leadership style. Getting to know my team and how they think and what motivates them allows me the opportunity learn from their experiences. Proving as a leader that I value their ideas and experiences in hopes of providing a sense of purpose to keep them engaged. If not, they will always be looking for a better opportunity. Motivated employees also result in positive employees, which are more willing to go above and beyond for their managers. The final point I would like to discuss from this article is the value of upskilling your employees. I found it interesting to read that the skills of the older generation are becoming outdated. Majority of the children today will work a career that has yet to be invented. Think about that. If the trend of the retirement age and how much it has increased, I could end my career in a job that doesnt even exist today. It is crucial for us to continue learning to stay current with technology, and changes in the workforce. Offering free training courses or seminars to employees can motivate them to stay up to date with technology, their skills and to be innovative. Providing leaders with the necessary tools to lead their team to the next level and stay competitive. Social Media Marketing and networking through social media outlets have become pivotal in todays marketing strategies. Over the past decade advertising on social media has grown tremendously. While many companies have the ability to advertise for free through social media. Recently, many social media platforms have made a business out of charging organizations to advertise on their outlets. Rapid advancements in technology today has brought changes in the way companies use platforms to advertise to consumers. I recently came across an article that discussed five pivotal elements for utilizing social media to market your product, service, or company. The position of social media is swiftly changing, and many companies are struggling to keep up. This article discussed the importance of conversing on social media through the most popular platforms. How audiences react to the use of motivational context. How to use social media to successfully and intelligently brand your company. Finally, it pointed out the importance of analyzing social media and the demographics of those who use each platform(CBT News, 2018). I have noticed the people I am friends with on Facebook who are more active on social media, will be higher up in my news feed. When someone who is not typically very active on social media does post something, it may not show up on the public feed. Or if I am not as active on pages I will not see their most recent posts. For example, there is a local cake lady who is amazing at deserts and makes cake balls for all holidays. Last year around thanksgiving, she had made cake ball boxes and I saw one of my friends who I tend to interact more with on social media liked her post. Since I missed the original post, I sent her a private message because she had made the post a week or so prior to see if she had any left as I wanted to place an order. Because I had not been actively liking or sharing her posts the initial post did not show in my feed. So, it is important for a companys marketing team to be active on as many social media platforms as possible. Incorporating motivational or uplifting messages in your posts is more crucial than I thought. I did not realize how many people find these messages encouraging. According to the article the more motivational or uplifting your posts are, the higher your chances of having people share your posts are, increasing traffic to your organizations page(CBT News, 2018). The popularity of social media for networking has, of course, resulted in the creation of more social media platforms. Surprisingly each platform has different audiences. I have heard that younger generations tend to shy away from Facebook and lean more towards Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Depending on who your target audience is will determine the best social media platform to use. Having a marketing team that understands the different platforms and how to use them is important to ensure you are reaching the largest audience you can(CBT News, 2018). Managing a team of multiple generations with various skill sets and values sounds scary, but with the proper tools, can be simple. I have enjoyed learning about the different generations, how they think, and what motivates them. I hope to take this valuable information with me as I become a leader and use it to encourage my team and co-workers. Technology has advanced the globe significantly and beyond what many ever thought possible over the last 10 plus years. I believe my parents never dreamed something like social media would exist, let alone have such an influence economically. What a great tool for companies if utilized correctly and I hope to be able to expand on this and grow as technology grows to improve the company I work for. References Cates, J. (2018, Feburary 7). The secret to a satisfied multigenerational workforce? Its not as hard as you think. Retrieved from The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/the-secret-to-a-satisfied-multigenerational-workforce-its-not-as-hard-as-you-think/article37853130/ CBT News. (2018, January 29). 5 Crucial Components of an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2018. Retrieved from CBT News: https://www.cbtnews.com/5-crucial-components-effective-social-media-marketing-strategy-2018/ Kane, S. (2017, November 18). Baby Boomers in the Workplace. Retrieved from The Balance: https://www.thebalance.com/baby-boomers-2164681 Kane, S. (2017, October 15). The Common Characteristics of Generation X Professionals. Retrieved from The Balance: https://www.thebalance.com/common-characteristics-of-generation-x-professionals-2164682