Blog #4: Eight Values of Free Expression

The United States (and France) is considered the birthplace of modern democracy. The Constitution, written in 1787, forged the way for American democracy and for other nations to follow suit. The Constitution protected individual rights, gave power to the people, and revolutionized how society was governed. This is in large part due to the Bill of Rights, specifically the first amendment. The first amendment allowed for freedom of religion, speech, press, and expression. With these new rights, emerged the eight values of free expression.

The value that resonates with me the most is the value of stable change, also known as safety valve. The safety valve theory argues that individuals who are allowed to express grievances publicly and privately, and connect with likeminded people or attempt to persuade those of differing viewpoints, are more likely to accept decisions. For lack of a better word, venting allows individuals to feel heard and talk out their issues. This in turn prevents people’s issues from festering, and thus decreases the chances of violence and riots. This principle resonates with me because I recently discovered the power of using my voice to express concerns and how it leads to an overall improved outlook on life.

 

For context, when I was younger, I was super shy. I had a hard time advocating for myself and would often let things that annoyed me slide. The anger would build up with time and what started out as little issues became massive aggravators in my life. Since starting to air my opinions more freely, I have found that people are receptive to change and my conflicts can often be resolved. A lot of times, just the pure act of venting helps better my mood as I feel heard and am able to get all the negativity out of my system, especially if someone else agrees with me because then I feel vindicated in my position. It's also not uncommon for my friends to provide advice after I finish a rant that puts the situation into perspective and helps me to calm down. Due to my own experience with the importance of voicing opinions, even if controversial, I can easily understand how stable change theory could be scaled to large populations and governments in order to promote peace.

Another one of the eight values of free expression I resonate strongly with is individual self-fulfillment, also referred to as self-actualization. I think every person can relate to this principle as it gives individuals the right to form their opinions/beliefs, as well as the right to express them. I look at everyone I know and we are each unique. While I share similarities with my friends and family, I am not exactly the same as any of them nor would I want to be. Individuality is what makes life interesting as there is always something new to discover with every person you meet. I love and highly value my individuality. I am so grateful that I live in a country where I am able to form my own self, free from government constraints on what I must believe and think. For this reason, the value of self-actualization resonates deeply with me.

The value of free expression that I think is most important to the nation is it’s a check on governmental power. This value is based on the idea that the press and citizens serve as a “check” on the government, in other words that it is their duty to ensure the government does not abuse their power. The theory states it is a function of the press to report, and thus inform, citizens of misuse of power within the government. From there it is the citizens responsibility to enact this through voting for change during elections. This system, partnered with the checks-and-balances system where government branches regulate one another, helps to restrain government power and mitigate the use of it. This is essential to maintaining individual rights and power to the people, and therefore democracy. This is why I believe the theory of check on governmental power is the most vital of the eight values of expression to the United States.

I see all the eight values of free expression within modern society, which is good since that means the first amendment is still effective even with changes in time. One of the values that particularly stands out to me is the value of promote innovation. Promote innovation is the idea that when free speech is not only protected, but also valued, society develops to be more innovative, exciting, creating and energized. This is because individuals have the opportunity to explore themselves and their interest in a multitude of ways. I witness this principle firsthand every time I open the news and read of Elon Musk wanting to advance space travel and colonize Mars or Jeff Bezos expanding his Amazon empire. 

News Feeds are constantly filled with new technological advancements and scientific achievements. The entertainment industry exercises this principle too as shows and music are able to cover diverse genres and subjects providing various options to viewers/listeners. The entertainment industry is tough since attention spans are short and so industry leaders need to constantly evolve and innovate to stay relevant Despite these challenges the entertainment industry remains highly profitable. None of this, from the billionaires to tech, science, entertainment and more, would be possible without the value to promote innovation. If free speech was shut down, the people who are responsible for these breakthroughs would have been silenced and labeled as crazy. When one takes a breath and observes society for a minute, it's impossible not to see the immense impact of the value to promote innovation.