Can Free Speech Silence Hate Speech?

Should rules govern demeaning, disparaging, and degrading speech directed at certain groups? How can we resist hate while protecting free speech? Nadine Strossen, longtime president of the ACLU, says hate speech, as painful as it may be, is justifiably protected. Instead of censoring hate speech, she advocates fighting it with free speech. In her conversation with Conor Friedersdorf, staff writer for The Atlantic, she dispels the idea that censorship effectively counters the impacts of hate speech. Strossen is the author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship. Show Notes Listen to Joshua Johnson's conversation with Imam Khalid Latif. It's part of our Off Stage series on spirituality. Follow Aspen Ideas to Go on Twitter and Facebook. Email your comments to [email protected]. The views and opinions of the speakers in the podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org