[longtimegoogler]

Verbal abuse can be as damaging to people as physical violence.

If you go up to someone and call them a slur, then you have committed verbal assault:

"the use of offensive language directed at a person, where such language is likely to provoke a reasonable person to physical violence."

[legalcorrection]

Chaplinsky, the case you quote, has not been used to uphold a conviction in many many decades. The doctrine is dead in practice.

Also, that has nothing to do with making that response with physical violence legal. You can still only use violence when you are defending yourself against physical injury. Sure, provocation might be mitigating, or get you to a lower level of assault or murder (as the case may be), but it’s not a full defense.

[PixyMisa]

> Verbal abuse can be as damaging to people as physical violence.

No it can't.

[longtimegoogler]

Yes it can.