The Best of The Eight Values of Free Expression

 

   We all have some basic understanding of the First Amendment, but after reading some of the Eight Values of Free Expression recommended by my professor, my understanding has been thoroughly enhanced. In this blog post, the author went into a little detail about each benefit they gave; this is my top two. 

    My absolute top is probably Protecting Dissent. This value represents the right for the minority to disagree; without it, our country would be run by mob rule. All against the one, the few vs the many, suppression, suppression, suppression. By protecting dissent, we create a foundation that helps police our government. It is the dissident where the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. reside, and it is the dissident where the likes of James Bevel cultivate tolerance; It is the dissident where Jane Addams fights for equality. Without the dissident, there would be no fire under the status quo to change; where injustice is, there would only be silence.

    Many people in England right now wish their dissent was protected; however, it is not.  According to The New York Times, England has been cracking down on freedom of speech and giving steep sentences

to those who speak out online. A man was arrested for saying, "I think illegal immigration. is a problem, and we should do something about it." The Englishman was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Americans have criticized the English; however, those criticisms have been dismissed by the likes of Matthew Goodwin, a British political commentator, saying “Americans have struggled to watch people being sent to prison because of things they’ve put on social media; for Americans, this touches upon their almost religious-like commitment to free speech.” This, to me, sounds like a criticism of our country. That we are too free with our free speech, I write this knowing that if an Englishman read this blog, I could potentially go to jail. But it is because I am American that I get to write this Blog; I get to be the dissident. I think the right to criticize the government should always be protected, and the right to disagree with the majority should be encouraged. 

 

   My second favorite is the Marketplace of Ideas America has created for itself. We encourage free and creative thought here in America. It's how we are constantly improving and outpacing most other nations. Thanks to this culture of "there is no such thing as a bad idea," we invented the airplane, the computer, the mobile phone, and so many more things we use daily as a planet. The culture of a marketplace of ideas is invaluable to our development as a modern country. We have the freedom to get it wrong, and we have the freedom to get it right. Only some things need to be tested or stuck in deadlock bureaucracy before we do it. If you have the means, you can make it a reality. 

    These two are my personal favorites because they show off what makes freedom of speech the most valuable freedom a society can have. Without it, we would live in a darker world with fewer liberties to be free. Like what Matthew Goodwin said about how Americans see freedom of speech, he thinks we worship it with religious ferocity to a fault, but I think we actually just value our people more than some government and don't want that very same government to suppress what we think. Please leave a comment letting me know what you think is the best value of free expression.