In recent weeks, Americans have been subjected to a form of terrorism that has long plagued this country. In Pittsburgh, the attempted bombings of political figures, and now Tallahassee, we have seen the dangerous capabilities of domestic extremism. Extremist ideology is not simply appearing out of nowhere, though. This wave of insidious attacks is the manifestation of online hate cultures brewing without any oversight. All three of the domestic terrorists have been reported to be contributors to toxic communities, where they engaged in vitriolic discussion on the people they ultimately attacked.

We are now at a time where Americans must collectively come together to really contemplate our free speech laws. As it stands now, we have a pretty lax standard of rules for speech, allowing anything and everything that is not considered threatening. This includes the infamous category of speech known as hate speech.

Hate speech is not clearly defined under U.S. law, but it is broadly thought to be “any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons.” While frowned upon by most, this type of speech is completely legal to carry out, barring exceptions such as slander.

While it is a form of unparalleled liberty, allowing hate speech to go unchecked can act as a breeding ground for the radicalization of people who will then commit hateful acts. When any and all forms of hateful, bigoted ideas can be promulgated in an unchecked environment, it is only a matter of time before some disgruntled youth follows these ideas to their logical conclusion.

We must also assess the damage hate speech causes to the victim group. The effects of being subjected to hate speech are not just hurt feelings, as some would like to believe. Hate speech can have real consequences on its victims that may impact them for life. A study conducted by Syracuse University found that immigrant groups who experienced hate speech were more likely to commit suicide. Racist hate speech has also been connected with high blood pressure, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the people at whom the speech is directed towards.

So, in a best-case scenario, our untethered hate speech laws can lead to minority populations having worsened health effects. And at worst could be hate speech directly contributing to someone’s decision to end their life.

NC State prides itself on having a robust free speech policy. Our hate speech policy is directly modeled off of the First Amendment, with the only types of speech that are unprotected being the ones not protected by the US government.

The university states that they will protect hate speech even if it is contrary to NC State’s value of diversity. But can the university – or any entity that allows hate speech – really say that they value diversity when they have policies that jeopardize those diverse communities? A commitment to allowing hate speech is a commitment to allowing already targeted groups to receive more volatile treatment.

We as a society must choose which we value more: the liberty of the hateful to say whatever they want with backlash, or the liberty of minority groups in America to live their lives without fear of being lashed at with verbal abuse. But if past is prologue, then we should continue to expect to see the materialization of unbridled hate speech – one extremist attack at a time.