4 ms·
Does the First Amendment make a distinction between a person in a crowded room shouting "I love U2" and the same person shouting "Fire"? I'm going to go ahead
by chc 14y ago
Does the First Amendment make a distinction between a person in a crowded room shouting "I love U2" and the same person shouting "Fire"?
I'm going to go ahead and suggest that the answer is "No, but we as a society make a distinction." Same princple here. I believe the general principle is that you have freedom of speech, but you do not have indemnity from the harmful consequences of your speech.
- pessimizer 14y agoThe judge who said that the 1st amendment doesn't cover shouting fire in a crowded theater used it as an argument to jail people for handing out anti-war fliers. So it's not even appropriate for me to say that it's a slippery slope, because it started at the bottom.
- chc 14y agoAlthough the application is questionable, I think most people agree with the principle — you are free to speak your mind, but when your speech ventures into the realm of action, that action is not necessarily protected. For example, ordering a hit on someone is not protected even though it is technically just speech.