The Eight Values of Free Expression

The First Amendment of the Constitution, or Freedom of Speech, is arguably one of the most essential and fundamental principles the United States is built on. It includes Freedom from religion, Freedom of speech, Freedom of the press, Freedom of assembly, Freedom to petition, and many more implications. To many around the world, it makes America what America is today. A place where people can express themselves freely and speak out about what they believe in without the fear of being persecuted for it. That is a right that practically no one else worldwide has access to, and while there have been mistakes, that is the foundational principle that we consistently strive to achieve.

However, within this amendment, there are some values that accompany this ability to freely express yourself. These eight values include the marketplace of ideas, participation in self-governance, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, checking on governmental power, promoting tolerance, promoting innovation, and protecting dissent. Different individuals exemplify these values in different ways, which only adds to the complexity of the First Amendment. These values are the aspects of the First Amendment that benefit our society by it being in place. Each holds its importance in a different way, and all play a part in creating the most ideal government in the history of the world.

Within these values, I found that participation in self-governance was the most important. This value felt most important to me because people would stop participating in government without the freedom of expression and the ability to voice their opinions. If people believe they don't have a voice and run their own government, they would be less inclined to express their views and participate. The critical central mechanism of the First Amendment is self-governance. You need it to have a free and effective society. So without it, the people would feel as if they no longer have any control or influence.

A prime example of this would be through modern day social media. As our world has progressed and advanced technologically, we have invented new ways of accessing and sharing information. This has primarily come in the form of social media. However, being a majority private sector, social media has led to some grey areas and dissent from the government. The Freedom of speech on social media and the government's right to regulate it has become increasingly polarizing in recent years. Censorship on social media has led to individuals of the minority feeling like they are being deprived of their First Amendment rights simply because others don't agree with what they are saying. Although there hasn't been explicit or legal censorship, there has been much evidence of private companies censoring information, and sometimes, the government pressuring these companies to do so. 

When this happens, individuals feel their opinions don't matter, and there is no participation in government. They are in a broken system where they can make no impact. This is a dangerous idea, as it limits the expression of free ideas and destroys the foundational principle of governing for the people by the people.

The values that feel most personal to me would be numbers six and eight or promoting tolerance and innovation. These go hand in hand because friends, family, and others often dismiss or outcast those with differing opinions. This is dangerous because we can't challenge ideas and norms without differing opinions. This slows our innovation and progression as a society. This also leads to people being viewed differently for having a minority opinion. This has dangerously set the precedent that it is acceptable to shut other people down in the pursuit of "doing the right thing" or being "sensitive of individuals emotions." However, this is the opposite of creating a tolerant society, as one can only exist when ideas are freely shared without judgment or persecution from others.

Finally, the value I see most in today's society is value number four, or individual self-fulfillment. Social media allows most individuals to express their opinions publicly or anonymously. Individuals feel more entitled to share their views and create their own personal identity online. On the opposite side of what we discussed earlier, many think that their opinion matters significantly more because they are educated and "know what they are talking about". These individuals often dismiss others ideas as they are very opinionated and are trying to achieve a feeling of purpose in government topics. At the same time, I'm not saying this idea of self-fulfillment in today's society is negative. It's essential for people to feel this and want to contribute something to the country. This allows us actually to accomplish the fundamental principles we strive towards. However, issues arise when individuals interfere with other individuals self-fulfillment in the pursuit of their own.

                              

Ultimately, the common theme with all these values is protecting people's ability to express themselves, especially those with minority opinions. Although these ideas and views will often be wrong, in the history of the human race, the outsiders are the key. Those willing to think outside of the box and be different in order to change the world. While that is hard to understand in the short term, and some ideas may seem dangerous or incite emotions. They are what allow us to learn and progress in the long term as a society. So I urge everyone reading to take some advice from our youth. Stop, take a deep breath, and understand others. Understand that there is more to this world than the problems of now and that exemplifying the Freedom of expression and it's eight values are the best way of progressing as a society. While helping those going through difficult times is important we must not allow it to hold us back from achieving the most incredible feats of human history.