Blog Post #3 Eight Values of Free Expression

 Promote Innovation & Protect Dissent 

While reading through the Eight Values of Free Expression, I found that the two that resonated the most with me are the Promote Innovation and Protect Dissent speech theories. As per the definitions given to us by Professor Smith, Jack Balkin explains that Promote Innovation means that a community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways. Steve Shiffrin writes that Protect Dissent means that our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule; the First Amendment protects minority views, no matter how unpopular. You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government and everyone else. These two values of free expression stood out to me most because of how perfectly they capture the First Amendment. 

To begin, Promoting Innovation is one of the most important parts to the freedom of speech. Creating a community where free speech is valued and encouraged is important to making a society whole. Everyone should be able to freely express themselves without feeling like they are going to be penalized for everything they say. We are meant to be creative and interested in learning more, listening to each other, and expressing ourselves. When we encourage each other to share what we are passionate about, a safe and fulfilling environment is created. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. As United States citizens we are all entitled to share our opinion and express what we are thinking without the fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. 

I greatly appreciate when my friends and family allow me to share my opinion, and then we freely and openly discuss it. The best discussions are when you listen to everyone even if you do not agree with their opinion, and that is okay. We all have the right to have our own opinion and we should be able to share it. Even if you disagree with someone, they can still talk about it. We are still able to share and communicate, just because someone has a differing opinion from you does not mean that you need to impose your thoughts on them or change your opinion to satisfy them. That is the beauty of Promoting Innovation, we are all entitled to think and feel as we please, and do not need to change our opinions to make others comfortable.    

I feel that Protecting Dissent is by far the most important speech theory because of the line, "You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government and everyone else." In todays world, a lot of people believe it's not okay to have different opinions. However, having different opinions is what makes us human. We are not meant to agree on absolutely everything. In fact, if we were all exactly the same, then life would be quite boring. It is our patriotic duty to criticize the government. If people do not voice their opinions on what they disagree with, change will never happen and our government and way of life would be stagnant and stuck. Having your own opinion and thought process is a crucial part of life. If there is a lock put on our right to express our opinions then it will be as if a part of who we are is being taken away. 

For example, the digital world has become a major enterprise for information and expression. Censorship has also become a major issue because of this new social media age. Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are two of the biggest highways for discussing opinions, politics, sports, etc. A lot of accounts will get taken down because people disagree with what they are saying. This automatically takes away our freedom of speech. Social media is a great tool for encouraging debate and deliberation in society in ways that drive positive change and development. 

Promoting Innovation and Protecting Dissent is visible in our everyday lives. We need to pay attention to the rights that we automatically have as American citizens. We are all entitled to the freedom of speech and expressing our own opinions.