Explain to me the first amendment united states

[justasking111]

The first amendment seems to me to be quite straightforward, am I out of step with todays requirements for this. Quote below.

"First Amendment Text. The first amendment reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

What was the conclusion the students came to about the internet age and the first amendment? I wonder if their conclusions would have altered in fifteen years

Yes exactly @Gorgeouslilgirl -- the internet turns all these 1st amendment issues into something rather different

There is a growing awareness now in the US that allowing unrestricted hate speech, especially online, does actually contribute to real-world violence. Is this simply the price we have to pay? Other countries seem to restrict hate speech a bit more without destroying their democracies -- can we not do this in the US?

It's not that people want to revoke the 1st amendment but the question is how to interpret it in the 21st century, and that is a completely reasonable conversation to have

@justasking111

What was the conclusion the students came to about the internet age and the first amendment? I wonder if their conclusions would have altered in fifteen years

Good question. This was at a top law school with professors that were leaders in their field.

If I remember correctly, there was more animation about intellectual property protection in the internet age than hate speech.

It would no doubt be different now, as trolling, bullying, violent fantasies are not just relegated to the shadowy fringes of the internet but mainstream and growing

@Gorgeouslilgirl

I think list people are quite nationalistic by instinct, they don’t like being criticised by the “other”

Mm got a hard time here and no doubt PH will get a hard time in the US

But the thing is, as a foreigner you are more likely to notice the absurdities in your adopted Homeland, eg the bizzare and archaic obsession with the RF here and the bizarre and archaic obsession with “freedom of speech”, freedom to bear arms etc in the US

I agree as an objective bystander, some things do feel a bit weird when you live in a foreign country but I can’t imagine freedom of speech being something that should trouble anyone!

Thank you my american friends, I know more than I did when I started this thread.

The 1st Amendment is our most revered. It is the cornerstone of our democracy and our very identity as a country.

The constitution and the amendments are not fixed. The Supreme Court regularly makes decisions which interpret those documents. There is a case testing the first amendment right now involving a cheer leader who made a social media post outside of school hours that her school did not like. The court will be looking at 200 plus years of history to decide how best to apply the constitution in the age of Twitter. I personally believe that the law gives the student the right to say whatever she wants as long as it does not target an individual and thus could be considered bullying or harassment.

OP: if you are really interested, I recommend a podcast by Ken White which delves into the principles and how the 1st amendment IS interpreted differently over time by jurists and in specific contexts, with specific case examples.

legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/make-no-law/

@ragged thank you I shall watch that tonight.

I figured it meant authorities can’t be a bunch of prejudiced arses