The Eight Values of Free Expression

 Blog post #3

                                         Free Expression and Speech

    Thankfully in our country, the United States, all of us are allowed free speech. This allows us to speak what is on our minds about a situation or a person. In other countries, numerous individuals have been killed or tortured because they said something that here, we would think is minor. Recently, our country has been divided more than ever before for countless reasons, but one main is politics. The Republican Party and the Democratic Party. People all over the country have spoken their opinions, and some have stayed silent for the fear they might get "cancelled" or lose their job.... 

Now you are probably wondering how; "how does politics connect to the eight values of free expression?" The eight values we have learned about are market place of ideas, participation in Self-Government, stable change, individual self-fulfillment, check on Governmental power, promote tolerance, promote innovation, and protect dissent. Personally, I have feel that individual self-fulfillment and protect dissent connect with our world today more than any other values on the list. 

Individual self-fulfillment not only resides in political connection, but also to the individual themselves. The theory explains that free speech allows a person to create their own identity and figure out who they are inside, and not just who they are in the mirror. These past two years, I feel, numerous people have been coming out of their shells and expressing themselves for who they want to be and what they believe in. I have friends at home that are very public about what they stand for and who / what they believe in, and I also have friends that are very quiet and do not involve themselves in any conversations. Even then, you can still become your true self by who you surround yourself with and what you do with your life. Free speech allows you to say things whenever you feel comfortable. 

The second value I had brought up which is protect dissent, I feel, ties together with individual self-fulfillment and our world today. Just as I had mentioned prior, people are free to express what they feel, when they feel it, at whatever time. In many countries, you can get seriously harmed or even killed for saying anything negative towards their Government, but here in the United States, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Recently though in about the year 2020, many people were taken off social media for not agreeing with everything the Government, which was not "legal" to my understanding, but it happened. This country allows you to speak your mind, most of the time, which is why these two values I think related most to our nation today.