Sociology Article Analysis: Freedom of Speech and Social Issues

This essay provides an analysis of an article that examines the complexities of freedom of speech, particularly in the context of white supremacy and social issues. The essay begins with a summary of Mari Uyehara's article, which discusses the debates surrounding the First Amendment and its implications for free speech. The author highlights the ways in which free speech can be used to promote harmful ideologies and discriminate against certain groups. The essay then proceeds to a critical analysis of the article, discussing its strengths, such as its focus on the influence of multicultural factors and the importance of the First Amendment, as well as its weaknesses, including the lack of counter-arguments and clarity on the factors promoting hate speech. The essay concludes by emphasizing the influence of the internet and social media on these issues and the importance of responsible expression to promote the development of the entire nation.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
Introduction
The citizens of countries all over the world are observed to be enjoying the fundamental
right of freedom of speech and expression. The extensive use of the internet and the other types
of social media have led to the widespread use of this fundamental right. However, this extensive
nature of the use of the fundamental rights have led to the exploitation of the rights and thus have
led to the discrimination of a certain section of the society on the grounds of race and the concept
of “white genocide”. The following paper attempts a summary and critique of an article that
highlights the issues regarding freedom of speech.
Article Summary
Uyehara in the article entitled “How Free Speech Warriors Mainstreamed White
Supremacists” sheds light on the issues that are presented in terms of the free speeches. The
author attempts a discussion on the debates that surrounded the First Amendment. The first
instance that the author describes refers to the incident that the author had witnessed during her
days at school. This case as discussed by the author depicts a harmless implementation of the
freedom of expression on the part of the common people (Uyehara). The author states that the
actions of a person or a group of persons might prove to be offending for a certain section of the
society but not all such actions are harmful for the co-existence of the human beings. The author
argues that the freedom of expression of a certain person might not be in accordance to the idea
of the expression that is maintained by the other people in the similar fields (Uyehara). The
author further highlights the fact that the people often resort to activities like the de-platforming
of the invited speakers in order to stop them from addressing their own ideas through the
freedom of speech.

2SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
The author aims to shed light on the fact that the free speech is encouraged by the general
people. The author further proceeds to question the countering of the worldwide surge in the
public displays that are demonstrated by the fair-skinned supremacists. The author highlights the
views that the free speeches tend to be delivered by people who are capable of handling the
various outcomes that might result from the speech delivery (Uyehara). The author further points
out the fact that the hate speeches are used as an encouragement for the people who enlighten
others on the critical thought processes practiced in social thoughts. The author highlights the
fact that the laws of the land tend to protect the residents of the country against the legal actions
through the inclusion of the freedom of speech and expression as one of the fundamental rights
of the person. The author further highlights the issues that discuss the development of the areas
wherein similar incidents were treated differently by the activists of free-speeches. Uyehara
further discusses the concept of “white genocide” and the various ways in which it connects to
the concept of multiculturalism within the country.
Critical Analysis
The article in discussion highlights the major issues regarding freedom of speech that are
presented due to the extensive use of the internet and the social media. The article discusses the
various cases that demonstrate the harmless implementation of the fundamental rights on the part
of the common people. The strengths of the article however lie in the fact that it highlights the
involvement and the influence of the multicultural factors that are practiced within the territorial
boundaries of Canada (Brindle). The article identifies the factors that are related to the
multiculturalism and the effects of the utilization of freedom of speech and expression in the
development of the society at large. The article further attempted an addressal of the issue that
are presented through the discrimination of a certain section of the society on the basis of their

3SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
freedom of expression. The author highlights the ways in which the negative attitudes
demonstrated by the people residing in the country. The other strengths of the article lie in the
fact that the article sheds light on the first amendment and the importance of the activity on the
freedom enjoyed by the common people of the country. The First Amendment, according to the
article, had been brought into existence in order to help the people express themselves and
thereby maintain a proper voicing of the discrimination that is faced by a certain group of people.
The article through the discussion on a number of different exemplary incidents highlight
the importance of the freedom of speech among the people who have been residing within the
country. The concerned article in discussion also discusses the “white supremacy” within the
country. The article majorly points out the fact that the skin color has been a prominent ground
of discrimination within the Canadian territories as well (Hiebert). The article highlights the
ignorance and the lack of understanding on the part of the common people of the country. this in
turn renders them under-qualified to judge the seriousness of the issues of the discrimination on
the basis the race and cultural background and the harmless issues that might be offensive to a
particular section of the society.
However, the article in discussion presents some major weaknesses as well. The article
does not discuss the counter-arguments that are provided by the other experts on the social media
communication (Johnson 110). The article fails to highlight the activities that might help
understanding of the seriousness of the situation in terms of the use of the internet in the spread
of the hate messages against a certain community discriminated on the basis of cultural
backgrounds (Greene 45). The article lacks the clarity on the factors that promote the activities
undertaken by the residents of the country.
Conclusion

4SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
In lieu of the above discussion, it might safely be concluded that the majority of the
issues that are faced by the population of the country are majorly influenced by the portrayal of
the issue over the internet. The fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression helps the
residents of the country to put forth their opinions without any botheration. This further helps in
the development of the entire nation through the proper expressions on the part of the residents.

5SOCIOLOGY - ARTICLE ANALYSIS
References
Brindle, Andrew. The Language of Hate: A Corpus Lingusitic Analysis of White Supremacist
Language. Routledge, 2016.
Greene, Viveca S. "“Deplorable” Satire: Alt-Right Memes, White Genocide Tweets, and
Redpilling Normies." Studies in American Humor 5.1 (2019): 31-69.
Hiebert, Dennis. "Free Speech and Political Correctness." Journal of Sociology and
Christianity 7.2 (2017).
Johnson, Jessica. "The self-radicalization of white men:“Fake news” and the affective
networking of paranoia." Communication Culture & Critique 11.1 (2018): 100-115.
Uyehara, Mari. “How Free Speech Warriors Mainstreamed White Supremacists”, GQ, May 8,
2018, https://www.gq.com/story/how-free-speech-warriors-mainstreamed-white-
supremacists