HATE SPEECH, n. Speech the listener hates—and wants to outlaw. Given that everyone hates the same types of speech, and historical precedent, one can rest assured that religious believers would never use anti-“hate speech” legislation to suppress criticism of their religions, nor would the government use such laws to crush dissent.
Fortunately, there should be no constitutional problem with anti-“hate speech” laws, as the obvious purpose of the First Amendment is to protect only speech that no one hates. If you doubt this, ask any proponent of such legislation.
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–from the revised and expanded edition of The American Heretic’s Dictionary, the best modern successor to Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary
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