Recently over two threads, people have stated that freedom of speech should know no limit and should be absolute. The simple fact is though, even in the United States that is not true. There is that saying 'You cannot shout fire in a crowded building' When it comes to freedom of speech, there is a LOT of issues to cover like freedom of the press and hate speech and much more. But I'll only cover the areas where I see limits. I personally would not regulate hate speech. You can speak your hate towards a person of a certain race but you cannot speak of your intent of causing bodily harm to a person. That's the first limit. I do not approve of those social justice warriors on college campuses. The second limit is the fact that you only have freedom of speech from the government and NOT in the workplace. A person serving in the military for instance is not allowed to talk about his political persuasion. If your boss at work found out you said something about him that he takes offense at on Facebook, he has the right to fire you. The third limit is state secrets that concern national security. This one I personally have no comment on. The fourth limit is slander/defamation. Here it gets difficult because politicians can use this against political opponents. I would say people should be immune to being sued when it comes to high ranking politicians and whistle blowers should also be protected. BUT what about ordinary people? Tell me this: What is to be done if I told everybody in my city/town that somebody I knew went and had sex with the animals at the zoo? It's a lie that would ruin that person's reputation. Finally I'll ask all you Americans this: I've never known absolute freedom of speech my entire life. I'm not allowed to be openly atheist in my country. If I shouted in public in the most religious state in the United States (last time I checked it was Mississippi) "I'm an atheist and proud of it!", would you personally promise me that I will not lose any teeth?
The constitution protects your freedom to express whatever opinion you have from state action, so long as said expression does not harm others or place them in a condition of clear, present and immediate danger. Said protection does not extend to actions taken against you by the private sector due to said expressions.
