Blog Post #3: Eight Values of Free Expression

Freedom of Speech is a really important and well known right granted in the first amendment. The Founding Fathers had good logic and experience to put this in the Bill of Rights. Expression has evolved over time as our country has evolved. For instance, “press” used to mean town criers and printed newspapers. Now it’s cable news and twitter feeds, but the same values still shape the structure and integrity of the U.S. today.

The Eight Values of Free Expression represent reasons why the First Amendment is so important to the American people. The founding fathers wanted Americans to be able to share their opinions, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Allowing freedom of expression grants people a marketplace of ideas. It lets everyday citizens participate in government and serves as a safety valve to prevent violence. Free speech promotes tolerance, builds empathy, and encourages innovation. Freedom of the press lets Americans learn about abuses of power within government. It is extremely valuable to be able to criticize the government without fear of punishment.

Since all of these values apply to the entire U.S. population, I had a hard time personally connecting with most of them. However, individual self-fulfillment and self-actualization resonated strongly with me. Talking freely lets people discover who they are. You cannot form your identity without trying new things, learning from different perspectives, and growing from experiences. Without freedom of speech, you can’t freely express yourself and find people you connect with. I agree with self-actualization being an important value. Even though I don’t like to give my opinion in group settings, when I feel comfortable sharing my opinions I build stronger relationships with friends and family.

Freedom of speech and freedom of press are also so important for enabling the content I see online. I benefit from watching other people being creative throughout social media because it helps me figure out my own life. Watching TikToks helps me understand things going on around me. Seeing experiences on Instagram and hearing other people’s opinions helps me form my own. I get to see restaurants, tourist spots, things I want to try and explore. I get exposed to different people’s views on topics than I would get just walking around and meeting people.

For example, there is a limited edition restaurant in New York City called The Corner Store that I heard about online. I have seen photos of the food options, videos of the creative drinks, and reviews of what people thought. I visit New York City frequently, and without freedom of expression, I wouldn’t have this exciting inspiration for a new adventure to try. The self-fulfillment that others experience builds my own, and then as I grow I get to share things with other people in my life to build their identities too. 

Outside of my own life, there are lots of other examples showing how self-expression leads to self-fulfillment. Artists express themselves with music and lyrics and songs. Actors express themselves with their performance. Broadway shows like Hamilton aren’t allowed to be made or performed if citizens cannot talk about government leaders. Even movies talk about tough topics and make changes in the world, like the movie Bombshell revealing gender inequality at Fox News. Women in the workplace try to survive daily. They want to get ahead and do what they need to do. Without freedom of speech, working women wouldn’t be able to call out toxic behaviors, and the harassment would keep happening. There wouldn’t be change individually or systemically the way there is starting to be.