What Gives People the Right to Limit Our Speech?

Some would argue that speech codes are the ultimate denial of human rights. A little extreme? Perhaps. Others would say that speech codes are a necessary addition to university/school policies because they protect individuals from unnecessary hate speech or violence.

But, in a democratic society, who has the right to say what we can and cannot do or say? The First Amendment is so ambiguous; there are so many holes that people can find, but the government leaves you to figure out what is applicable. That is why speech codes can be helpful because they act as a clarification of how things are interpreted on a given campus, for example. Speech codes provide an individual with all of the information that the First Amendment was unwilling to give out. Plus, who really wants to go to a party and watch drunken fraternities simulate the lynching of blacks?

While some may argue that speech codes extremely limit our free expression, I think that it is very reasonable to say that they explain the unwritten, "gray area" of the First Amendment. Without speech codes, many students would be concerned about their safety, and there would be a lot more tension. The First Amendment is does not fully take people's emotions into consideration, so speech codes are there to protect the well-being of each student.