Blog Post #3

    The simple definition behind The First Amendment is: congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, 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 (More Information).

    It is safe to say that the First Amendment has evolved over time. But as well all know the First Amendment included freedom of speech and expression. In this blog post I will be reflecting on the Eight Values of Free Expression, and personally relate these ideas to myself. The Eight Values include; Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfilment, Check on Government Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation and Protect Dissent.

The Value that I feel most resonates with me is Individual Self Fulfilment (aka Self-actualization). This is where free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity- and, in this process perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity agency and autonomy. After reading Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech by C. Edwin Baker. I read his feelings On Self-Fulfillment. He states, "Self-Fulfillment is glossed as autonomy or self-realization; participation in change- a strikingly individualistic right-" (Baker ) then he goes on to say he is in favor of self-realization but doesn't go into depth about what a realized self looks like. I feel this one reasonates most with me because I am a person who expresses themself as the true individual I am. I say this because I am not one to be fake. if you know me, you pretty much know all of me. I express myself through my family, friends, style, and so forth. I am my own individual, and if I didn't have the right to be the individual I am today, then I wouldn't be myself. I am the person who is careful what they say around others because I'm cautious of their feelings, but when the matter is something I truly believe in, I am proud to state what that matter is. I am confident and have good dignity. 

    To go off of this, I feel that Promoting Tolerance is also an important matter as well. The summary Professor Smith provided us with is "It has been argued that freedom of speech especially through our practice of extending protection to speech that we find hateful or personally upsetting, teaches us to become more tolerant in other aspects of life- and that a more tolerant society is a better society". I found this to be important because although we have freedom of speech, we also have to be careful with what we say around others. This semester I am taking Cultural Anthropology and I have learned about the uses of certain words, symbols, and gestures that can vary between cultures. Therefore we have to be respectful of others because you never know where they are from. Yes, everyone has the right to their Freedom of Speech, but there also has to be a matter of respect. This Value teaches us that matter and that's why I find it so important. 

    Today, Social Media is where most people speak their truth. With social media comes many, many, many people's opinions on real-world issues, politics, opinions on people, the government, and the world. But social media can also be a place for hatred. We have all heard of Cyber-Bullying, this has been a huge problem for years because people thinking being hidden behind a computer gives them the ability to do whatever they want, even if it hurts someone else. I bring this up because it relates to the Value of promoting tolerance. I feel that people need to respect one another on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and more. I am not saying that you shouldn't but what you want on these platforms, I am saying be respectful of those on the platforms as well. we all have feelings and if someone is hurting someone else with their own freedoms, is that actually right? I say no.