Values of Free Speech

 The Values of Free Speech

When it comes to free speech, the United States has historically been one of the top nations to uphold this right. In recent years, many have feared that our freedom of speech is being taken away, particularly among conservative voices. It is important that we all remember our constitution and the reason it was created- to protect our freedom.

Standford Business

There are eight values of free expression: the marketplace of ideas (truth will prevail), participation in self-government (political advertising), stable change (stability in venting), individual self-fulfillment (creating an identity), check on governmental powers (checks + balances in government), promoting tolerance (more tolerance leads to a better society), promoting innovation (creating a collaborative community), and finally, protecting dissent (protection of minority views).

While all of these values are important, there are a few that particularly stand out to me. The first value is individual self-fulfillment, or the idea that freedom of speech enables individuals to create their own identity. Particularly now with the amount of technology available, young and old people alike rely on social media to discuss topics that are important to them. There are millions of online groups and platforms tailored to niche topics that an individual can join. Not only are you able to express yourself freely, but you are also able to question (respectfully) topics you do not understand and make friends along the way! I can confidently say that I would not be as outspoken and confident about specific issues if it had not been for social media.

The second value that caught my eye was a check on governmental power. Being able to read and/or see what government leaders are doing or planning to do is an important part of democracy. Press conferences are a particularly fabulous example of being able to ‘check on’ the current administration. Whether it be the press secretary or the president himself, both are great opportunities for people to ask our leaders important questions.

The last, and arguably most prevalent issue currently, is the value of protecting dissent, or minority voices. This value states that every voice and opinion is important, no matter how unpopular. As a conservative, I have witnessed a lot of censorship since the beginning of the Biden administration, and it is quite disheartening. More importantly, the new ‘disinformation board’ has been created and defined as an organization that works to remove “false information that is deliberately spread with the intent to mislead. (CBS)” While the concept could be appealing in some cases, Republicans are now worried that their voices will be silenced, even more so than now. PEW Research conducted a study where 90% of republicans claim it is likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints. Having an entire sector of government be in charge of removing ‘false information’ would go against the ideals of our country.

While I overall can not complain about the country we live in, I do believe that our constitutional rights are at risk of slowly being stripped away. The freedom of speech is the most important right that we must protect because without it, we will never truly know what is going on within our borders. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-dhs-disinformation-governance-board-and-why-is-everyone-so-mad-about-it/

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/08/19/most-americans-think-social-media-sites-censor-political-viewpoints/