Let Obnoxious Ideas Be Heard
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Dershowitz suggests in his article, “Let Even the Most Obnoxious and Offensive Ideas Be Heard,” that even racist ideas, whether politically or educationally motivated should be heard to uphold the right of free speech and in order for people to respond appropriately.
I agree that ideas of racists, terrorists, and communists should be heard and endured, but they must be quickly met with argumentative response that can educate people on how wrong that particular idea is.
Freedom of speech allows for people to speak their own ideas, which in turn encourages response from others who see things differently. This process can be an effective way of educating people about how terrible such ideas as racism and communism are.
People should endure “offensive and obnoxious ideas” in order to uphold the right of free speech and to respond knowledgeably and reject wrong ideas.
MARK KIM
Riverside
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