National Socialist Party of America versus Village of Skokie

- 250 words about what this case teaches about message, First Amendment, kairosin the "marketplace of ideas"

     The Skokie case is a delicate situation that deals with protection the freedoms that our ancestors fought for and protecting the humanitarian rights of race that was tortured. The idea of  message can be just as violent as the act itself, and its hard to differentiate where our society should draw the line because our first amendment protects our right to say/express freely thought. Should the first amendment be reconsidered? Bramson and Horowitz explore the problem of protecting both parties in their article "Skokie, the ACLU and the Endurance of Democratic Theory". They determine that the ACLU supported the Nazi party "based on first amendment guarantees of free speech for all Americans" The ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union that was involved in the decision making of the Skokie case. 

Explore the harming affects of verbal violence... just because we have the right to say whatever we want doesn't mean we should because we could harm other individuals. Children are so impressionable and studies show that children who endure verbal abuse have low self-esteem, confidence issues, etc. Though this is on much smaller level, the effect could largely be the same. There are times when our the First Amendment is just ridiculous with messages that are being sent. However the Government has to honor the amendment and in doing this there are people that get hurt or see things that they don't want to. That is America, we endure things that we otherwise might not want to and that tough luck. 

The Skokie case really teaches people that verbal violence is okay as long as its not physical violence. Bramson and Horowitz suggest "invoking an operational guideline" to the First Amendment so that the Government can regulate instances where this "free speech" is not harming the beliefs and minds of the people that would be offended. Though this is a considerable solution, someone is always going to be offended and have a a problem with what someone else is doing. It is not humanly possible to please everyone, but maybe its possible to limit the people that would be affected such as in the Skokie case.

Skokie, the ACLU and the Endurance of Democratic Theory, by Irving Louis Horowitz and Victoria Curtis Bramson Law and Contemporary Problems © 1979 Duke University School of Law.

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