Blog Post #5: Eight Values of Free Expression

8 Values of Free Expression

This week, we learned about the 8 values of free expression in this country, and how they are seen in action today. The one that connected most with me and that I see at work mostly today is "Promote Tolerance". 

In today's society, social media websites such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. run the world and inform us not only on what is going on in our society but give us information that we as a young society will not see on the news or anywhere else. The thing about these social media sources is that it is not filtered or controlled by anyone except for the person behind the computer that is writing these posts. Meaning, while these posts may sometimes give us a deeper insight to what is happening, and show us things we would not see otherwise, there are lots of instances of these websites being used for negative reasons as they can be used as a platform to put others down or use foul and intense language about other people. However, it is technically their right to make these comments because it is in their first amendment rights, but society as a whole will "cancel them" which is why the government does not have any direct ban on these posts. If the government were to prohibit these types of posts, we as a society will never learn. Whereas, if we as a society have the right to post anything we feel and criticize and attack others for no reason, we will learn the consequences of these actions by seeing the way society treats sed person after sed post was made. As a whole in 2020, society has become very iltolerant to intolerance, which proves how valuable this right to promote tolerance is in our country. 

Another example of promoting tolerance can be seen in the field that I hope to go into one day, the TV and Movie industry. The writers and producers of these shows and movies have the same basic freedoms and rights as any citizen and have the freedom to write however they feel. However, if a show or movie were to be released in today's day in age either attacking a certain race or gender, this production would receive extreme backlash. Our country and society will not stand for this intolerance not only on social media. but in the entertainment industry. Many people in our country look to the entertainment industry and famous celebrities and actors to set an example, and if these people in the spotlight set a bad example, or make a racist comment, they will be "cancelled" and riducled by society, which again proves this free expression of promoting tolerance instead of intolerance. 

Overall, as a society, we work in a way as our own system as "checks and balances". We, as a society, the backlash on people who make racist and facist comments, which promotes tolerance and decreases the chances of these comments repeating themselves.