Blog Post 7

 In the article “Locating Freedom of Speech in an Era of Global White Nationalism,” the authors Vats and Dutta explore the double standard around freedom of speech and how it is being enforced differently across different groups. Vats and Dutta states, “they continue to produce a world in which freedom of expression trumps the rights of outsiders'' (Vats & Dutta, 159) which addresses the way in which there are multiple narratives around what free speech is and how it should be used. People use free speech as an excuse to say hateful things without consequences. 

In the article, I found it interesting that a lot of the people that opposed the restrictions of free speech argued that it's because it's a slippery slope but as the article pointed out, free speech has already been limited. The only difference between the restrictions being proposed and the ones the examples that were listed is who is being affected by the restriction or lack of restriction of free speech. One example I thought about while reading this article is the Florida law and bill known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that is trying to be passed, which restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity. I found it interesting that the groups of people that support this bill, which restricts what teachers can talk about in their classroom, also seem to be strong supporters of freedom of speech when it comes to hate speech. 

Anjali Vats & Mohan J. Dutta (2020) Locating freedom of speech in an era of global white nationalism, First Amendment Studies, 54:2, 156-180, DOI: 10.1080/21689725.2020.1838843