#3: The Eight Values of Free Expression

The First Amendment is crucial in protecting individuals’ opinions and rights; however, this allows for disagreements and causes controversy. After learning about them, I recognized that the Eight Values of Free Expression are the foundation of American democracy. 

The belief of Individual Self-Fulfillment resonates the most with me because not only allows but encourages people to form their own opinion and express themselves. As a college student, I am in the stage of my life where I am discovering my interests, thoughts, and beliefs.

The First Amendment allows me to be protected in my right to exploring opinions, without the government censoring them. Additionally, this theory enables me to look at diverse viewpoints and decide where I stand on certain topics. I believe that by protecting freedoms of expression, it holds them accountable and allows for inclusivity.

The values that I believe are most important are Check on Government Power and Participation in Self-Government. The check on government power allows people to have varying opinions about the government. Also, it ensures that the government does not go against the governed.

The value of participation in self-government is important because people are more aware of the officials they are voting for. Both of these values relate back to the idea that the government derives their authority from the people. It is beneficial that the public are informed and educated in what is going on with their government and their country.

The value I see most applicable in my life is the idea of Protecting Dissent. With the modern world being increasingly affected by social media, more people have the opportunity and platform to share their content with the world. This includes expressing their views on a topic, whether it be political, social, or economical.

With the right of protecting dissent, people are protected under the First Amendment to share their opinions. Although these viewpoints may be controversial, people are able and urged to criticize and question the government.

Many people utilize social media to share their concerns and ideas, to increase their viewers.  I constantly come across posts that share their perspective on a current event or even make political jokes. This type of content is only possible with the First Amendment protecting our right to freedom of speech.

Although these rights are supposed to be protected, I have learned that in practice, people find ways to go against these laws. Issues of censorship can fall under this topic by going against the right to disagree with the government. Additionally, we talked about how people can use the chilling effect or cancel culture to try and censor differing opinions.

The challenge with these situations is who gets to say what is right and acceptable in a situation. If the government is controlling speech, it infringes upon the right to freedom of speech and point out criticisms of the government. I believe that the concept of protecting dissent is crucial to our system of democracy because it encourages people to question their beliefs and the actions of our government.

The First Amendment is an essential aspect of democracy because it encourages people to shape their own views and includes a range of opinions. The idea of Individual Self-Fulfillment provides people with the right to form their own beliefs, independent from the majority or government’s perspective.

To add, the Check on Government Power and Participation in Self-Government are important because they allow people to be knowledgeable when choosing their officials and even criticize those who have already been elected.

Lastly, the Protection of Dissent is seen most often today on social media platforms, where people have the right to express their thoughts freely. The First Amendment and its protections of free expression help us influence the world by sharing our ideas.