Blog Post 3

8 Values of Free Expression

    There are 8 Values of Free Expression. Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfilment, Check on Government Power, Promote Tolernace, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. These values are crucial when looking at the First Amendment. To me the First Amendment is very important and needs to be protected at all costs. It provides us protection from the government and lets us speak freely on what we think needs to change. The three values I found to be the most influential are Checking on Government, Participation in Government, and Individual Self-Fulfilment. 

Individual Self-Fulfillment:

    In Edwin Baker's Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech, he discusses how free speech allows people to express their feelings and thoughts on an issue. This is crucial for Americans because it allows us to speak up against things we do not believe in. I find this value to be very important because it allows me to speak freely and express my opinions. I feel very fortunate to be an American because in many other countries, citizens are not allowed to express how they feel or speak freely on issues. 

    In today's world, with cancel culture, people are afraid to express how they really feel. Cancel culture is a double-edged sword because technically, "the people" who are canceling a person are expressing their feelings and thoughts, and the person who is getting canceled is also expressing their feelings and thoughts. 

    

    

    

Participation in Self-Government: 

    Participation in Self-Government is the foundation of the United States of America. This value is crucial for our democracy because it allows us to express our opinions on the government and the laws it creates. Without free speech, we would be unable to protest against what we feel is wrong, and democracy would not exist. 

    The government is very different today than it was 20 years ago. The nation is very split on their beliefs. This is good and bad because people participate in their self-government rights however, I feel it affects people's views. Many people do not vote for people who they think should be in office but are voting for officials friends and family want them to vote for. Which ultimately takes away their right to participate in Self-Government.  

Check on Governmental Power:

    Checking on Governmental Power is very important because it allows us to know what is happening within the government. This also allows reporters and the press to dig into what lawmakers are planning to do and inform the people about what is going on. Without this, many people would not know what is going on. In my prior blog post, I talked about how I receive my news, and if reporters were not digging into what is going on, I honestly would have no idea what lawmakers are doing or plan to do. This would be very detrimental to everyone because many people would not be able to speak on the issues or protest what new laws are being made. 

    Overall, all of the values are important in our society however, the three I went into detail about are the most important to me. As a society, we need to question and speak up about the government's actions so we do not lose our First Amendment freedoms to continue being a democratic nation. We also need to constantly fight new laws and policies that are affecting our First Amendment Right to free speech.