Blog Post #4: Eight Values of Free Expression

The Eight Values of Free Expression have played a significant role in shaping our society, without things such as promoting tolerance, stable change, a marketplace of ideas, individual self-fulfillment, participation in self-government, check on government and power, promoting innovation, and protecting dissent us as citizens would not be able to live the lives we are used to. The first amendment states,

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This guarantees Americans freedom FROM religion, freedom OF religion, freedom of speech, press, assembly, and petition. Not only is the first Amendment essential in keeping a fair and equal society, but it is also vital in our current era due to economic growth and the new social media platforms taking over our everyday lives. The opportunity to have freedom of expression allows citizens to be free of censorship from the government, along with allowing the people to be whomever they desire. To express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs and form their own opinions about politics or government issues on various platforms such as social media, the internet, newspapers, and magazines. 

Although all eight values of free expression are essential in creating a fair society, one, in particular, resonates with me personally as a young individual still figuring out who I am. This is the idea of promoting tolerance.

Promoting tolerance is the sixth value of free expression, and it states,

"It has been argued that freedom of speech, especially through our practice of extending protection to speech that we find hateful or personally upsetting, teaches us to become more tolerant in other aspects of life -- and that a more tolerant society is a better society. Somewhat counter-intuitive, the First Amendment protects hate speech because society learns valuable lessons from, including why it is hateful and worthy of condemnation. It's how we spread norms about acceptable behavior."

In simple terms, promoting tolerance is an autonomy theory. This means that it is an ethical theory that emphasizes that each individual knows what is best for themselves, that they have the ability to form their own opinions, create their own decisions, and have their own beliefs, and that no one can interfere with that; you are free to be yourself. Tolerance makes it possible for people of various races, nationalities, ages and cultural backgrounds to coexist and grow from one another.

As a college student, I am constantly battling with figuring out who I am, what I want to do in the future, and who I want to be. By having the opportunity to communicate with and learn from people of other ethnicities, religions, or backgrounds and creating diversity in our society, I, along with thousands of others, can figure out where we fit in this massive puzzle piece we call earth.

Along with promoting tolerance, stable change is one topic that hits home for me. Stable change states, 

"It has been suggested that a society in which angry and alienated citizens are allowed to speak their mind, or "vent," will be more stable, as people will be less likely to resort to violence. It has also been pointed out that allowing the alienated and discontented to speak freely enables government to better monitor potentially dangerous groups who would otherwise act more clandestinely. Ultimately, it is in the government's own self-interest to allow such venting."

Stable change, also known as the "safety valve," is essential in all eight values of free expression, but it is particularly important when it comes to self-fulfillment and protecting dissent. This is because most people like to talk, and when someone tells someone else they cannot talk, one of two things will happen, they will riot, or they will talk anyway and deal with the consequences later. Allowing citizens to voice their opinion rather than constraining them can help eliminate violence because people feel like they are being heard. When you allow people to gather together and express themselves freely, you allow them to have individual self-fulfillment and create their own identity. This prevents violence and allows people to figure out where they fit in.