Blog #3: Values of Free Speech

After reading through and learning about the eight values of free expression, I thoroughly believe that each of them are extremely important to how our country operates. However, of the eight values I believe that Check on Governmental Power, and Protect Dissent are the two most important from the bunch.

Check on Governmental Power is important to the checks and balances system in place in government. The freedom of the press to inform citizens of scandals and abuses of power being committed by the government. If we did not have this freedom, the government could keep citizens ignorant, and would lead to corruption and abuse of power. Because of the power that members of the Government have, it is critical for the people to know if and when government officials, commit actions that the nation they are sworn to serve find unacceptable.

Protect Dissent is the other most important value of free expression because it is giving protection to the people I believe need it the most, the minority. Allowing the minority to express their views is critical to the very idea of freedom of speech and the first amendment. In fact I would go as far to say that the views of the minority are the ones that need the most protection, because they do not have the inherent protection, and are not able to defend themselves like the majority can. Without this value of free expression many important and influential groups and movements would not have been able to function due to being the minority, such as the LGBT group with homosexual rights and marriage, and the African American Community with the Civil Rights Movement.

While I believe that these are the most important of the eight values of free expression, I also recognize the importance of the other values, and see them as ways of expanding on the ideas and freedoms of the above values. Promote Tolerance, means that hate speech is protected by the first amendment, and to me is an extension of the Protect Dissent value, because even though some groups like the Westboro Baptists use hate speech, and do not share the same views as the majority of country, they still should be able to express their views. 

I would also consider Participation in Self-Government to be heavily connected to Check on Governmental Power. Because the main idea behind Participation in Self-Government is having citizens who are voting in elections be informed about the candidates policies and positions. Without Check on Governmental Power, citizens are not able to stay informed, and are able to be lied to by candidates much easier, because they would not hear and learn about any actions by the candidates that are contrary to the policies and claims they present to the public.

To me Check on Governmental Power, and Protect Dissent are the most critical values of free expression that help keep our country functioning properly. Without these two values, I would consider the First Amendment to be useless because it is not protecting the free speech that is most important to protect.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-1/freedom-of-expression-speech-and-press