Skip to main content

Freedom of Speech Politically

There are three reasons for the freedom of speech: Philosophical, Individual and Political. Freedom of Speech is inherently vital to the function of our society in the free world. Politically, there are three main points to the freedom of speech. "(1) Facilitating free and open discussion of political issues within government, (2) promoting citizens participation in the political process, and (3) supporting the oversight function of the free press (Tedford)". These reasons are what makes up our democracy, which can only function if we have Free Speech. As the book states, Britain has switched from a monarchy to a democracy over the course of centuries and they have learned over time that they only way for democracy to ever work is if they have free speech.
I personally agree and believe in this very fundamental right of free speech, and how we can only function as a democracy with it. The people NEED to have a a voice and to believe in anything they want to believe. This holds our government completely accountable and if we don't use our voices it leaves room for corruption. The underlying issue with free speech, is it really attainable to all? We say our country is founded upon this First Amendment right, but why has their been historically marginalized groups, especially African Americans, unable to voice their opinions without fear of being jailed or persecuted? The corruption that still exists in our country today is that powerful white men have the most power in our country and can control a lot of democracy. Their voices are heard and carry much more weight than anyone else. So is our Freedom of Speech corrupt?

Tedford, Thomas L., and Dale Herbeck. Freedom of Speech in the United States. Strata Publishing, Inc., 2017.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gamifying Citizenship

The historical context of freedom of speech is an extremely interesting one. Why is it that the concept of free speech has been an undying one and has span the history of human communication. Breaking free speech in to three traditional rationals makes the concept easier to understand and definitely makes sense. These three modes of freedom of speech are philosophical, political and individual. They are easy to distinct from one another and function in completely different ways. From a philosophical level, free speech is a device of truth. That if people are able to speak freely and let their ideas compete, "in the long run the truth will prevail" according to Tedford and Herbeck. I find this interesting, because in my mind, this is the most important facet of free speech. I say this, because I find free speech essential for any kind of societal advancements. If people are not allowed to speak their mind and share their ideas, or discredit others ideas, how is a society supp...
1 comment
Read more

Wedding Cake Court Case (make-up post)

Wedding cake court case involving a gay couple, Charlie Craig & David Mullins, and a cake baker, Jack Phillips, who refused to bake a wedding cake for the couple. Just all around, it's a tricky debate with many different angles due to the baker arguing on the grounds of the First Amendment---its protections for free speech and the free exercise of religion. In the end, I think it comes down to whether we consider baking a cake qualifies an exercise of freedom of expression. I would say that it depends on the situation/context of baking. If Mr. Phillips wants his cake baking to be categorized artistic expression that falls under free expression, he can just go bake a cake on his own. Only then when he's on his own private time does it qualify, but as soon as he offered his skills as a public service via his business, I'd argue he gave that right to expression up. Also, what's stopping other artisans/professional services to deny services? By Mr. Phillip's logic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why is Freedom of Speech Important in a Democracy

While reading Chapter 15, I got the sense that the book was really coming full circle. In the first week of class, we established a meaning for freedom of speech and that shared meaning allowed us to navigate the classroom together as a classroom and a collective group. Creating a space that also involved mutual respect of opinons but encouraging difference in them as well. This brings me to an article I found about the importance of Freedom of Speech in a democracy. It is a basic human right to be able to express opinions and beliefs in our country. Although that is the main component, just like we established in class the first few weeks, in a government and democracy, Freedom of Speech also consists of the ability to listen to people with difference in opinions. In the article , editor Rachael  Jolly says, “ We are going through a time where people don’t want to be on a panel with people they disagree with. But we should feel comfortable being in a room with people who disagree ...
4 comments
Read more