Key Post #1

The Eight Values of Free Expression

    So far in the course we’ve had a lot of focus on the First Amendment, within that we’ve talked about the Eight Values of Free Expression. I found three that I wanted to write about more in depth.

    Out of all eight, I most resonated with number 4, Individual Self-Fulfillment or Self-Actualization. I felt like this one really captured what the beauty of our governmental system aims to achieve. We want a society full of free thinkers, different identities for every individual, an ability to express ourselves freely and without judgment or punishment. We are a country built upon these ideals and what makes us inherently unique when compared to other global superpowers. 

    The one that feels most important, especially in today’s political climate is number 8, or Protect Dissent. I find it extremely important that our government doesn’t support a one-mob rule or try to silence minority opinions in any way. For us to have the country that we do, for us to be free and be able to live our lives the way we want, it is essential for us to speak up against the government when we disagree. I think it also goes hand in hand with our civic duty to vote, it is our responsibility to get in those booths and vote people or laws or ideas in and out of government / power. 

    It is an essential American duty to express one’s self, criticize the government when needed, and voice your thoughts through elections. I think the two ideas, Individual Self-Fulfillment and Protect Dissent, actually go together as well because if you are not a free thinker, and an individual in your experience you aren’t going to have your own opinion and stay away from mob-rule.

    I would definitely say that number 6, Promoting Tolerance, is the value that feels most personal to me right now. As the world, and our country is growing more antisemitic by the minute I find it really difficult to find tolerance in my heart for people’s intolerance for my mere existence as a jewish person. Every single day I am confronted by people who hate me simply for my religion, for where my family comes from and lives, and the language that I speak. But I’ve learned how to brush it off, how to be the bigger person, how to educate those who behave this way so that someone else wouldn’t have to feel like I do. I think our country has a lot more work to do to get back to where we were with our tolerance levels, because right now it feels like a very intolerant place to live.

    Lastly, I think the concept that wraps all these up together, while also being the most in action today is the very first one, Marketplace of Ideas. Today, there is a constant stream of ideas and voices being broadcast all over the country, the world at all hours of the day. This is unique to our generation as we have a different means of getting our voices out there. Platforms like TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram have opened up our worlds from our communities to our states, our countries, and worldwide. Amidst all this sharing of ideas, there’s also what we like to call “fake news”, and the value of marketplace of ideas is that we are allowed to freely review all content, but in the end the truth will win out.