Eight Values of Free Expression (3)

Free Speech | American Civil Liberties Union

     I personally believe that all eight values of expression are of the utmost importance in today's society in the United States. In today's day and age, all of these values need to continue to be protected as we use them all in our everyday American lives. The United States was founded on these values and expressions, we would not have our core values as a country and the first amendment if it was not for these values and expressions. The independence of our country lies in these values, which include; the marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on governmental power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect decent. 

    As I previously stated, all of these expressions are important however, the one that resonates with me the most would have to be protecting decent. I believe that in the modern age protecting decent continuously gets more and more important. This is because freedom of speech has been under siege for the past few years in the U.S. The amount of censorship on social media and the news has been out of control and it is starting to cross the boundary into impeding on the first amendment. This has gotten much worse since Covid-19 really kicked up and the vaccine came out. Speaking out against the government’s recommendations regarding the vaccine is becoming censored online and on social media for "pandemic misinformation". Simply stating your opinion online nowadays can cause you great trouble, whether that may be losing opportunities, being looked at in a different light, being slandered by the media, etc. I personally believe that this is not how we should be treating people speaking out. I think that the ability to have different opinions on a topic ends up resulting in a better solution. This is what protecting decent means, protecting decent has always been an expression in America. Free speech has always been a core value of what being considered an American is. 

Kyle Rittenhouse case: Trial date approaches for Kenosha shootings The Hashtag #BlackLivesMatter First Appears - HISTORY

    In the political environment today there are many issues going on currently that people are speaking out on. I think that this is very important because being able to hear both sides is a good thing. You may not agree with the opinion of another group of individuals however if they are not causing any harm or impeding on your life I believe that it is a good thing for society. Some recent events that have shown to be a great example of protecting decent are the Kyle Rittenhouse case, BLM, ACAB, and of course remaining to argue about the President. In the Kyle Rittenhouse case that recently occurred, there are many differing opinions on the verdict and what actually happened that day in Kenosha. Social media has been blowing up talking about this case and many Americans have different opinions. BLM movements, as well as ACAB movements, have been going on for quite some time now. Many citizens in the U.S do not agree with these however part of being an American citizen is that you are able to be on either side of this debate and express yourself freely. The ability to agree to disagree (hopefully) is the beauty of free speech and is what makes America what it is today. 

 Should the government be allowed to restrict freedom of speech? | bulb

    In essence, I believe that all of the eight values of expression are extremely important in today's society. They are what this country was built on and citizens rely on these expressions every single day. I feel very fortunate to live in the United States and have grown up here. All eight of these expressions really do reflect and illustrate what it means to be a free citizen. However recently within today's society, some of these rights and expressions have been and are still being infringed upon which is a shame. In some instances you cannot even state your opinion on a topic without being labeled as something you are not, sometimes you may think to yourself if it's better to save your breath and image within society. Freedom of speech is what makes America so great and if that is being taken away in some sort are we really upholding our integrity to the founding fathers and the origin of our government and country as a whole? 


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