Blog Post #3

The Eight Values of Freedom

Out of the Eight Values of Free Expression, the value of Stable Change was the most interesting concept to me. It is essentially the idea that discontent citizens who can freely speak their minds are more "stabilized" because they are less likely to express their grievances in a harmful way. This creates a safer society, while also aiding governments in detecting possibly threatening people. I feel this has been especially relevant in our digitalized society since there is a lot of controversy surrounding censorship laws that prevent open speech on social media. It piques the question of where to draw the line with censorship and whether censoring online content actually does more harm than good. Perhaps it's better to let people do what they want online since there isn't any direct physical damage that can ensue. In my opinion, there is also a plethora of nonsensical content that is uploaded to the internet, so someone's "venting" may simply blend in with all the other negative content that already exists. To me, this seems like it'd be a win-win scenario in which people get to voice out their views and the government can mitigate violent conflict.

In the second Supreme Court video, there was a point brought up about the Court's authority. It explained how ultimately the Justices can't act on an issue unless it is brought to them, meaning that for any issue they make a decision on, it's only done because that issue has become a significant concern to the public. I believe this dynamic is similar to the one between the public voice and the government. Allowing people to speak their minds will eventually signal to the government that there is a possibly widespread concern that they need to be addressing. The government may not know what needs to change for the sake of the people unless they're told by the people themselves.

The Stable Change value also reminds me of the stereotypical situation in which kids with strict parents tend to "act out" when they get older. Many people who grew up in a family environment that kept them from speaking their minds or holding constructive discussions now find themselves behaving in ways they never thought they would. Subconsciously, they are finding ways to make up for their lack of a voice during their childhood by making irrational decisions now. The same is true in society: those who aren't able to voice their opinions peacefully resort to violence to ensure their voice is finally heard.

Another value of freedom that caught my interest was the value of Promoting Tolerance. I wonder how society comes to a general consensus of what is right and wrong. After the class recitation on the Supreme Court, we learned about how morals change over time. At one point, slavery was acceptable and not uncommon. Now we consider it to be a complete violation of human rights. I'm curious as to what makes society a competent decision-maker if we have found ourselves to be wrong in history. Then again, we are all human, so we naturally have flaws and limitations to our judgment. 

Like Stable Change, this value also relates to the content of the second Supreme Court video. The government doesn't necessarily need to force change, because people tend to come to a general consensus on what is tolerable or not. That consensus then creates norms around different behaviors. In the end, the people are the deciders in what is acceptable, whether those decisions are made through norms or through what is brought to the Supreme Court. The Court - or other branches of government - is not fully responsible for any decision made in this country since it is the public that is responsible for claiming that a decision needs to be made in the first place and that there is a certain way that decision should go. I think we often forget this duty we have as citizens.

Ultimately, there are numerous factors to consider when regarding free speech and the role the government and people play in its significance. While there are both benefits and flaws to our current system of laws, I think it's important to hold continuous discussion on difficult subjects. We, as a country, have the power to change things in mighty ways. It has taken time to get to where we are now, and it will take time to get where we want to be. We must remain open-minded, yet dedicated to the values in our Constitution. As long as we strive to grow, our conversations as a country will only push us forward to what the future holds. The value of free speech is essential to include in those conversations.