Eight Value of Free Expression

 The First Amendment states "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."

Out of the eight values of free expression, promoting tolerance is the most important. Our society today has shifted from one that valued individual opinion to one that values a perceived societal norm. I know that a lot of my personally growth is from listening and learning from everyone's opinions, whether I agree with them or not. Everyone has been shaped one way or another from the words of others. Through maturity, everyone can learn to respect beliefs and values of others. 

In today's day, a lot of people believe that "hate speech" should be criminalized, but let me explain why it should absolutely not be. The less freedom of speech we have, the closer we get to total censorship. That being said, I do not believe that anyone should be able to say whatever they want, whenever and however they want. I agree that businesses should be able to apply punishment for people that go against their guidelines and use the platform inappropriately. Social media companies, like Instagram and Twitter, heavily monitor posts to make sure that there is nothing horrible is posted. Similarly to social media, there is a big difference between a hate crime and hate speech. This is something that people do not understand when wanting to limit the first amendment. Anything said to express harm on someone is not protected.   

The second most important in my opinion is "Check on Governmental Power." If the government is abusing its power, the people need to be able to respond and fight back. The most recent example I can think of is the overturning of Roe V. Wade. There is not a single person in the United States that was not aware of this shocking decision made by the Supreme Court. The people took to the streets and fought the government in attempt to protect their rights. 

The image above shows the true power of the First Amendment. When the citizens of the United States believed the government was acting unfairly, they fought, and fought hard. Without this protection, the United States government would become communist. 

Finally, individual self-fulfillment is vital. Every person on this planet should be able to freely speak and express themselves and their personal identities. This also ties into having tolerance and having respect for the people around you regardless of your beliefs or values. It is important that everyone feels accepted and loved despite who they are. Without this right, most would feel a deep level of dissatisfaction with their lives leading to further issues like violence, mental health issues, and much more. 

In conclusion, all 8 values of free expression are extremely important in maintaining a well run country. I believe the most important are promoting tolerance, check governmental powers, and individual self fulfillment. 

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/26/photos-abortion-protests-texas/

https://freespeechdebate.com/discuss/why-hate-speech-should-not-be-banned/

https://study.com/learn/lesson/self-fulfillment-overview-history.html#:~:text=is%20fully%2Dfunctioning.-,Importance%20of%20Self%2DFulfillment,with%20their%20values%20and%20ambitions.