Huijun yu
WRT 103
Professor Liz
November 6, 2013
Choose one of
these cases and discuss whether or not you think the case
constitutes hate speech as Matsuda defines it.
From Matsuda's
perspective, the definition of "the hate speech" is the sexist and
raciest speeches which motivated by hate. We can learn the damage of the hate
speech from the three main aspects: the equation of access to all aspects of
the university; the liberty from the oppression on campus; the free speech to
debate issues. Then I will apply the definition given by Matsuda to evaluate
the first case.
The white students in
first case affronted a small group of black women who really did something in
public , regardless of others' feelings. However, is it really the hate speech?
did he actually harm those women psychologically? did he limit the opportunities
of those people of color to access to the campus? did he hamper the freedom
debate? and what about the event that the black destroy all the newspaper just
because of their emotion? I will cope with all of these questions one by one.
First of all, as we know,
those women actually create an terrible influence in public that they disturbed
other students to study, ignoring others' feelings and admonishment. From this
white student's perspective, it is, to some extent, rational for him to alarm
those self-centered black women, even if his method to handle the problem is a
bit extreme. Also, an important point I have to mention is that he didn't
actually use some discriminating expression. So we can say that the rude
expression of this white student surely did psychological harm for those women ,
but we cannot classify the rude expression into the discrimination.
Secondly, this white
student's behavior impede the freedom speech, whatever whether the
discriminating expression or not. The verbal abuse, such as this white
student's behavior, alleviate people's desire to express their opinions in
rational ways but rather increase their desire to solve the problems in means
of physical assault.
Conclusion from analysis
above, we have to confess the verbal expression of the white student is the
hate speech in fact. But what about another event which occurred at the same
time----people of color expressed their dissent opinion also using the rudely
method. So both of these two events has to be limited.
The university, as the
special institution which stand for many meaningful things, such as the pursuit
of knowledge, should shoulder the responsibility to educate students in the
scientific ways but not just restrict and punish students' behaviors. This is
what the university should do.
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