Many people miss the point on debates related to the First Amendment. "I will disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," said Voltaire, and that exactly sums up the way I look at it.
On this issue, I feel that the website bills the simulation too much like a game. At one point, the demo shows the text, "KILL JFK and win $100,000" -- with the emphasis being theirs, not mine. I disapprove of what they say. Often times, people will say things like, "If you don't like it, then don't listen to it/watch it/read it/play it/download it!" I agree with that statement, but there's a huge difference between disapproving of what someone else says and saying they shouldn't be allowed to express their ideas. I believe this company fully has the right to produce that game. I disapprove of it, because I think it's disrespectful and tasteless. In my opinion, they should not produce such material. However, I will defend to the death their right to speech that I find offensive.
That's the bottom line -- you have very broad rights to produce media that will offend other people, and those who find it offensive have very broad rights to speak out in disapproval of your free speech. Both sides have the right to self-expression, and both sides should continue to freely discuss the issues. So many debates relating to free speech miss this key point, and consist mostly of, "There should be a law against that!" and "If you don't like it, turn it off!"
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Many people miss the point on debates related to the First Amendment. "I will disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," said Voltaire, and that exactly sums up the way I look at it.
On this issue, I feel that the website bills the simulation too much like a game. At one point, the demo shows the text, "KILL JFK and win $100,000" -- with the emphasis being theirs, not mine. I disapprove of what they say. Often times, people will say things like, "If you don't like it, then don't listen to it/watch it/read it/play it/download it!" I agree with that statement, but there's a huge difference between disapproving of what someone else says and saying they shouldn't be allowed to express their ideas. I believe this company fully has the right to produce that game. I disapprove of it, because I think it's disrespectful and tasteless. In my opinion, they should not produce such material. However, I will defend to the death their right to speech that I find offensive.
That's the bottom line -- you have very broad rights to produce media that will offend other people, and those who find it offensive have very broad rights to speak out in disapproval of your free speech. Both sides have the right to self-expression, and both sides should continue to freely discuss the issues. So many debates relating to free speech miss this key point, and consist mostly of, "There should be a law against that!" and "If you don't like it, turn it off!"