Post #3 - 8 Values of Free Expression

    Every citizen is armed with things that the government may not do to you under any circumstances. Some of these things include compelled speech, compelled affirmation of belief, and worst of all, prior restraint. Unfortunately in 21st century America, many of the freedoms of expression of the people have been stepped on by the government. Here, I'll explain my thoughts on each value, and how it is important to today's society.

    First of all is the marketplace of ideas. This element is vital, as without it, there can really not be too much variation in opinion, let alone debate. If people are able to place their ideas on the table, both good and bad, it gives the people the power to decipher what is good information and bad information, and what ideas could potentially be groundbreaking.

    Next is participation in self-government, which is also an important part of a well-functioning society. If candidates for office are restricted in their values and methods of communication, citizens will absolutely not make good choices with their votes. So, it is important that everyone can say what they will, so that the people may decide what their most treasured values are, and vote accordingly.

    Thirdly, stable change. Many people have heard the phrase 'change is good', but what does that mean in terms of freedom of expression? It means that it is healthy for the people to vent about what they do not like to the government, so that the government can make changes accordingly. It makes for a much safer environment within the governmental sphere.

Next comes individual self-fulfillment. People enjoy being free and aware that the things that they say and believe in carry weight and power. This is important because it gives citizens a sense of pride and happiness in that they have this power, and it makes for a greater sense of unity and togetherness in the Nation.

    Fifthly, there is the check on governmental power, a huge win for the citizens over the government. Without this step, the government could be completely tyrannical, and nobody would have the power or ability to say or do anything about it.

    My personal favorite and most relevant to today's world is promoting tolerance. As I have grown up, societal norms have shifted a lot in terms of what is acceptable and what is not. Many of these changes are good, but many others I do not really understand as much. Thus, this has created a world in which I am afraid of accidentally doing or saying something wrong that used to be acceptable, but that I had not learned yet is not. What I have learned is that it would be good for the world to be able to recognize and tolerate groups that they do not like as much, rather than to try and exterminate or block them out. This would make for a healthier society where collaboration across all of these groups could promote things like innovation.

     Promoting innovation is a very positive element on this list. If ideas are not allowed to be shared, it creates a terrible place where nothing will get done. The reason we have so many cool things as we do today is because people were allowed to share their ideas and innovate to change the world.

Finally, protecting dissent. I see this as mainly a safety valve on freedoms, because even if a majority would vote to exterminate the rights of a group of people, those people still have the power to say "no, that's not constitutional".

   In the real world, there are events in which the government may try and encroach upon these freedoms of the people, one of the most prominent topics being government censorship. This relates most closely to the value of the check on governmental power the citizens have, and how they are in danger of losing it. One of the biggest, most recent Supreme Court cases about government censorship happening is between Murthy v. Missouri, where there was a dispute to see if the government was influencing censorship on private sites, like X and Facebook. Ultimately, this specific case was let go and the government won, for the plaintiff did not show how the activity could be traced to the Federal Government. I can understand why the Supreme Court would have dismissed this case, but I still believe it will be a hot topic and sooner or later, the Supreme Court will have to make some rules drawing the boundaries through which the government cannot penetrate into a citizen's personal life.

Post #2- United States Supreme Court

 

The United States Supreme Court

    The United States Supreme Court has been one of the most vital functions of the U.S. government over the past few hundred years. In the videos, I learned that the Supreme Court is given thousands of cases every year to go through, but they only vote upon a hundred cases or so per year. Next, I learned about the majority and dissenting opinions the justices have to write, and these opinions create an absolute storm within the media. Another aspect about opinions I thought was interesting was when Justice Thomas spoke about walking in to the conference room with an opinion, and sometimes leaving with a different one. I also didn't know about the times when the justices spoke with attorneys in the public during an oral argument. This is fun for me to think about as an attorney on the mock trial team because I am not quite sure how I would handle the questioning by the justices and trying to keep the stories straight through their differing opinions. The most interesting and surprising piece of information I learned had to do with the human aspect of the justices. I liked learning that before every debate in the conference room, each justice shakes the hand of every other justice in the room, thus creating a healthier environment for debate. It is important to remember that although they are a very formal and high court within the government, the nine justices are still people, and the fact that the greater United States public is able to understand and respect the court and it's decisions is just incredible. For me, this video changed the way I look at the Supreme Court in that I do not just see it as one of the three branches of the federal government, but also as nine people who are looking out for the Constitution and for the people of the United States.

My Top 5 Sources

 

#1. Instagram

I don't want to admit it, but I spend a pretty unreasonable amount of time on Instagram. However, through all of this time spent on the app, it has become the first news source I look at when it comes to any different topic. whether it is the Buffalo Bills winning their football game from this week, political information and relevant news relating to the world, or more information about P Diddy and his upcoming trial, it all comes from Instagram.

#2. NFL Network

I enjoy watching football on the weekends with my friends, and I can get a lot of relevant information just from watching the game. Usually on the bottom of the screen, information about trades, injuries, retirements, and other relevant football information is all there to see. As a fantasy football player as well, this is good to know because if a team is on their BYE week, it reminds me who I need to place in my lineup.

#3. PlayStation

Now I don't use this much at college, because I left my PlayStation at home, but it is still relevant to me on what games I should look forward to playing when I get home. It also can tell me about sales and new releases, which is nice because it allows me to stay updated on what is going on in the gaming world.

#4. YouTube

I enjoy watching videos on YouTube as well, and similarly to Instagram, I'm able to gain some valuable information about the world just by browsing through the app. There's usually a news section within the app, which shows videos of what's going on in the world. It helped me keep up with what was going on with the hurricanes that went through the United States pretty recently.

#5 Word of Mouth

This method applies to many different situations, because I am a part of so many different groups and organizations. I hear news about theatre and the show we are doing this fall, I hear about changes to the court case for mock trial, and I hear about how my friends from high school are doing now that we're in college. It's great that I'm able to keep up with that many people, and much of it is due to the ability we have to communicate with each other through speech, whether it's on the phone or in person.