The freedom of speech is a basic human right, which is even included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It means the right to say anything by using any and all words and phrases one desires with no exceptions. That is the ‘definition’ of this human right, as assumed by most people. However, can all words be said, including those that might be understood in a wrong way, and if there are such expressions does everyone get offended when these words are used?
Universities in the USA have started to use speech codes, which include and prohibit every term that might be abhorrent or interpreted in an offensive way. Not only swear words, but also expressions used for people with a dark skin colour, a different religion, sexuality or transgender people are included. The problem is that there cannot be a general list of words that may be inappropriate, as each individual person has a different perception of what actually is upsetting and what is not.
This can be seen in a video clip, where students on a campus are interviewed and asked their interpretation of what is offensive. They are given words that are included in the speech codes and they have to react on whether they think a certain word should be on the list or not. There is no explicit outcome, as each of them had a different opinion and reaction.
In general, I find it to be difficult to define “freedom of speech” as a whole, as it can be interpreted in so many various ways. As long as people are not severely offended or hurt emotionally people should, in my opinion, be allowed to use any kind of terms that they want.