Blog Post #3

Eight Values of Free Expression

In class we discussed the 8 Values of Free Expression. After outlining each of them in the reading, I have seen the importance in each value.

I feel as though the first one is most important. The Marketplace of Ideas, or the Discovery of Truth, highlights the exploration of ideas. Meaning, the government cannot decide which ideas are good or not. Rather, the public gets to decide which ideas will rise to the top, or sink to the bottom. This is imperative as Milton said, "the truth will win out." I firmly believe in this, as each idea will get the freedom of exploration from the public. 

One value that feels most personal to me is the eighth one, or Protect Dissent. This value is a reminder that the First Amendment protects minority views. Therefore, if 99% of people think one way, and 1% disagree, that 1% is ultimately protected. I think this is extremely imperative as each individual deserves the chance to be heard. The system is not meant to be of one "mob rule," but rather a collective safe space, in which each and every person is valued. It is a reminder of just how important the 1st Amendment actually is. Without it, the government would take over and free speech would be at stake. 

I have seen the sixth value, Promoting Tolerance, in action the most in today's world. This value highlights how the government does not need to ban certain words or phrases. This is since society already does that for us, and educates on what is acceptable, and what is not. Rather, "a more tolerant society is a better society." In class, we discussed that this value was put into use regarding the NBA coach in Atlanta, Georgia. He got drunk, and used his platform to express racist slurs. As a result, he got "canceled," as he was banned from the NBA. His actions resulted in him losing out on his $100 billion dollar team. 

I feel as though the 7th value, Promote Innovation, is also important in today's world. This value highlights that free speech is valued and protected. Anyone can think a certain way, and create room for their own ideas. Therefore, it's likely to be a more creative society since citizens are allowed to fulfill themselves in various ways. If everyone thought the same, that would be a very boring society. As each individual is diverse, that makes their ideas different as well. Under the 7th value, this principle is taken into consideration. 

All of the values under the 8 Values of Free Expression are very important. They have their own ideas which relates to each person in society. Without it, our society would struggle with expressing themselves freely. Before this class, I was not aware of these core values. I think it is important that they are talked about more. If we can educate people on these values, it will serve as a reminder that we have more power than we think we do.