Eight Values of Free Expression

Discovery of Truth
Participation in Self-Government
Stable Change
Individual Self-Fulfillment
Check on Governmental Power
Promote Tolerance
Promote Innovation
Protect Dissent

The eight values of freedom of expression, which can be seen above, are what keep the government and our First Amendment functioning as they were intended to function. I could back any of these up and give you reasons why all of them are important but after speaking to a friend in my class, I've identified two of them that really speak to me.

#5 - Check on Governmental Power

We all know that the three branches of government exist to be able to balance each other out and call each other to the carpet when things aren't looking so great. What we tend to forget, though, is that the press and every citizen have the same job. It's our right as defined by the Bill of Rights and our duty as an American citizen to do our part to watch what's going on in government and speak out. Political activism shouldn't be a dirty or complicated phrase. It's the basic duty of every American to play a part in politics and to exercise their rights of free expression.

A big issue the media is talking about in recent news is President Trump's threats to investigate or take on SNL for their mockery of him and his administration. Many people are in an uproar over the threats saying that the media, specifically satirical late-night comedy shows, has the right to criticize the government. It seems a bit odd for Trump to threaten to silence them but for a more in-depth read on the issue, check out this link.

#8 - Protect Dissent

The First Amendment protects the rights of the majority but, more importantly, the minority. It's meant to embolden those who may not speak the loudest and allow them to have their place in the "marketplace of ideas." I may not always agree with every minority opinion out there, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't have a seat at the table.

I'd encourage anyone reading to dive into these eight values of free expression and explore them a bit more. In order to stay politically active and educated, we need to know what these values are and how they should manifest in our government and society.

Comments

Supreme Court

The prestige of the Supreme Court wasn't always what we think of it as today. In years past, The Supreme Court has had its ups and downs but two major ideologies have the court have emerged. The Court usually practices either judicial restraint or judicial activism. I've tried to think about which mentality of the Supreme Court I would prefer. On one hand, the Supreme Court could practice judicial restraint and be conservative with their judicial review resulting in slow or no change. On the other hand, it could practice judicial activism and liberal use of judicial review resulting in rapid or sweeping change. This would mean an increase in court decision strike downs and overturned precedents. After some thought, I think judicial activism is the way to go. I've grown up watching a very judicially active court and I think change is necessary to push this country forward, especially when we see wrong being done or this country's ideals not being upheld. Under th

What is Privacy?

Privacy in the age of technology has been redefined and we no longer have the same privacy our grandparents grew up with. Instead, each and everyone one of us has to come to terms with being monitored and having data collected on them. What really creates a problem in my mind is that some people are unaware, specifically on social media. Not everyone is fully aware of what it means to be on social media when they sign up, especially minors. Just by creating profiles and being on the Internet, they subject themselves to data mining and collecting they are unaware they've signed off on. It's a scary thought that before the age of 18, someone can have a well established online presence and have created a large digital footprint without ever being aware of the possible repercussions or who is listening in. Everyday average citizens remain unaware as well. From the license plate scanners that police use to the data mining on all sorts of Internet sites, privacy is an illusion.

The Future of Pinterest

Not too long ago, Pinterest announced that they would be launching, or aiming to launch, their first IPO later this year. Predictions for how the company will do because of this IPO are all over the place. Similarly to Facebook, they could go public and only continue to grow and succeed. Twitter did pretty much the opposite after launching their IPO and hasn't quite been the same ever since. With trends changing every day and attention spans being shorter than ever, the social media game is hard to predict. The thing that sets Pinterest apart, though, is that Pinterest is set apart. I meant there's no other social media site/app that has or does exactly what Pinterest does. There are no "statuses" and it really caters a more creative audience than Facebook or Instagram do sometimes. One article I read, however, said that while Pinterest is definitely unique, they do have one major risk to face: Google. It seems Google has been watching Pinterest pretty intent

Emily Duever

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