4 ms·

Do you have a source for your comments on civil law? As far as I know you can be sued for defamation and harassment, but neither of those are simply "hateful co

Do you have a source for your comments on civil law? As far as I know you can be sued for defamation and harassment, but neither of those are simply "hateful comments." Also, "fighting words" is not simply inviting or inciting violence, it's "those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace."

freehunter 15y ago
All of those are a subset of hate speech. Inciting violence is not necessarily under fighting words, it's a category of its own. Here's the Wikipedia article on US hate speech, they call out specific forms of hate speech which are illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_States
- Locke1689 15y ago
  First, you did not use the term hate speech, you used the term "hateful comments," which do not legally have any connection. Second, it seems that your own link reinforces exactly what I said. Inciting violence is not a crime in the United States. Incitement to riot may be, but this is not what you said. US law requires an immediate threat of violence in order to censure speech outside of defamation and obscenity.
  - freehunter 15y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words#Incitement_vs._fighting_words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words#Incitement_vs._f... Incitement is a related doctrine, allowing the government to prohibit advocacy of unlawful actions if the advocacy is both intended to and likely to cause immediate breach of the peace. You seem like you're reaching for something to argue about. "Yes, but you didn't use the proper legal term!" You also seem to be confusing the statement I made about civil suits vs what can be considered a crime. But, since two people have been willing to argue semantics in what is obviously not legal advice, I will say you must be right. I concede. Hateful comments could not get you sued civilly and inciting violence is not the same as advocating a breech of the peace. I guess.

freehunter 15y ago

All of those are a subset of hate speech. Inciting violence is not necessarily under fighting words, it's a category of its own. Here's the Wikipedia article on US hate speech, they call out specific forms of hate speech which are illegal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech#United_States

Locke1689 15y ago
First, you did not use the term hate speech, you used the term "hateful comments," which do not legally have any connection. Second, it seems that your own link reinforces exactly what I said. Inciting violence is not a crime in the United States. Incitement to riot may be, but this is not what you said. US law requires an immediate threat of violence in order to censure speech outside of defamation and obscenity.
- freehunter 15y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words#Incitement_vs._fighting_words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words#Incitement_vs._f... Incitement is a related doctrine, allowing the government to prohibit advocacy of unlawful actions if the advocacy is both intended to and likely to cause immediate breach of the peace. You seem like you're reaching for something to argue about. "Yes, but you didn't use the proper legal term!" You also seem to be confusing the statement I made about civil suits vs what can be considered a crime. But, since two people have been willing to argue semantics in what is obviously not legal advice, I will say you must be right. I concede. Hateful comments could not get you sued civilly and inciting violence is not the same as advocating a breech of the peace. I guess.