The first amendment is essential for humanity because it protects the fundamental rights of conscience, the freedom to believe and express different ideas. The first amendment reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Our world has made dramatic progress in our freedom of speech. However, it can oftentimes be seen as too much freedom. Today, we have the values of free expression which make up our democracy, and we allow all citizens to share their opinion and beliefs, but a downfall of that is that it can impact the way our law is interpreted.
The eight values of free expression are all very important for different reasons and each plays a major role in our humanity. For example, we are very fortunate that in America we have the freedom of speech and to stand up in what we believe. The values of free expression are key parts of our democracy and the basic foundation for what makes our society. The one that resonates with me the most is “promote innovation.” In general, innovation is very important because it is a major aspect to success, and fosters growth. Jack Balin explains that innovation is “A community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways.”
Another one of the eight values that I found really important is “protest dissent.” The word “dissent” means to have a difference in opinion or belief. Essentially this means that we can’t all agree all the time. America would not be the same if we all agreed on everything, and disagreeing can be a good thing. As Steve Shiffrin stated “our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule. The first Amendment protects minority views, no matter how unpopular. You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government- and everyone else. In fact, it is your patriotic duty to criticize the government.” I strongly agree with this statement because in today’s world, our nation is so divided because people become so opinionated that they refuse to listen to other’s opinions. It is our responsibility that we listen to others to try to understand their side, as well as speak up when we do not agree with something. We shouldn’t need to feel scared to share our opinions, however it’s equally important to respect other’s thoughts and beliefs.
Another important term that was discussed was the “formula for democracy.” This includes limited government, enumerated powers, freedom maximization which equals ordered freedom. Essentially this means that it is the right to criticize our government. In today’s world, this is very prevalent through social media. Social media is used for people to express and voice their opinions and to be heard by others. For instance, everyone is always posting, reposting, tweeting, and following political campaigns. There are pluses and minuses to this because some people mis-use social media to spread negativity through hate and misinformation. For example, there are many people, especially celebrities who have become a part of the “cancel culture.” For example, a recent celebrity that became canceled was Kevin Hart after tweets he had posted from 2009 that were resurfaced, which were derogatory comments about sexuality. Kevin then said “When did we get to a point in life where life was supposed to be perfect?” Overall, it is important that we have the right to our freedom and that we can speak out about what we believe in which is why we have the first amendment. However, as Americans it is not only our duty to follow the constitution, but most importantly, to uphold its dignity.
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