Eight Values of Free Expression

 

The eight values of free expression are very significant as they honor the First Amendment and help to explain the purposes of it. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, press, among other things; therefore, it’s extremely important. 

The value which resonates most with me is Marketplace of Ideas. This principle vouches that truth will always prevail when in competition with lies. This value promotes intellectual growth and adaptation, and it encourages different perspectives; allowing for dominant narratives to be trumped. I appreciate this value because it promotes fairness and truth in a society where falsities are normalized. 

I believe the value that holds the most importance is Check on Government Power. This is also called the watchdog rule, and it’s vital in combatting abuse of power by the government. This value encourages democracy by empowering the public and press to keep the government in check and challenge their wrongdoings. With scandals being a regular occurrence in politics, the public deserves the right to be enlightened and not shielded from the truth; the Check on Government Power value is vital in making this happen. 

The value which feels most personal to me is Promote Tolerance. I wish this principle was more normalized in society, especially in an age of raging cancel culture. I feel this way because hate speech is protected by the First Amendment; yet, people are still harshly punished for expressing their clashing views. 

Differentiating ideas is what makes this country unique and most importantly, free. If there was no tolerance, diversity could not be highlighted, and people would be living in hermit shells of their own closed-minded beliefs. The idea is that hate speech teaches society; both what they should denounce and what must be acceptable without punishment. As a college student, I have been exposed to various views that are unique to mine and my family’s, which is why understanding this value is powerful, and thankfully present in law and society. 

Staying on the topic of Promoting Tolerance, I believe this value is seen currently. Not only on the college campus where I reside, but also in this country as a whole; especially with the change of power in the United States. I see this value in action quite a lot at school. Different values and viewpoints between students are common and present within class discussions; although disagreements are a given, debates/discussions are encouraged and gone about in a positive way. This is something I was not exposed to in high school. This change is possibly due to our maturation as students, but it could also be due to the tolerance that my age demographic has thankfully gained.  

The values of free expression are complex; however, the ideas behind these values are straightforward. When picking these ideas apart, they actually seem very simple. These principles are vital for the freedom of Americans, and it’s difficult to understand how countries around the world do not allow these expressive rights for citizens. With that being said, we are lucky to be allowed these rights and should use them to their full extent.  

Supreme Court Reflection Post

    I had little background knowledge on the Supreme Court prior to my time in this class; this is in part due to my Canadian background, but it’s also due to my lack of pursuit to indulge in this material. The Supreme Court, and government in general is a daunting topic to tackle, so I'm glad to be finally applying myself to it. 

• What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know? 

 

    I learned the sheer amount of cases presented to the Supreme Court Justices; it is no small task for these 9 Supreme Court Justices to be handed around 100 arguments weekly. I used to be confused about why so many cases would be let go and ignored by the judges, but since every case is meticulously worked and drafted over and over, I can appreciate the importance of Certiorari. Certiorari is a new, important term I also learned; it is extremely important for the efficiency of the court. I find it incredible that there has only been a few over 100 justices in American history. These men and women are unbelievably powerful, and highly respected in society; therefore, only a handful of people get the honour of being hand-selected by the President, to become a Supreme Court Justice. 

 

• What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court? 

 

    My key take-away is the quote “Their legitimacy is in the constitution, but their power rests on public faith.” It stuck with me because it puts into perspective how important the American Constitution is to law and order in the whole country. The constitution dictates how the most powerful individuals make their decisions, and that is truly important. The “public faith” aspect is significant because without trust of the population, the court would be deemed as less valid. This would promote uprising and unrest, and we have seen examples of this. A memorable instance was when Roe v. Wade was overturned. I remember members of the Supreme Court had their addresses leaked by angry social media users; this was a time where the Supreme Court was widely frowned upon. For the most part, though, the court is regarded as the “most powerful judicial body on earth,” and is respected in society. 

 

• What was the most surprising thing you learned? 

 

    The most surprising thing I learned was how there was once a time when the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, ruled that “blacks could never be citizens.” This was in the mid 1800’s; however, it is still hard to grasp how the most noble men in the nation governed with such racist ideologies and were able to convince other powerful leaders to believe the same.  

 

• How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court? 

  
  

    The videos wholeheartedly changed the way I view and think of the Supreme Court. I have a newfound appreciation for the work these people do. I initially viewed the Justices as untouchable, closed-minded people; however, seeing how they thoughtfully deal with each case handed to them one-by-one, I see how truly complex their work is. I have the utmost respect for it. 

 

Top 5 Sources of News and Information

Like most young adults, my phone is always in my hand. Hours a day are spent searching for excitement, scrolling on the infinite dopamine machine. Sadly, much of the content that young people, like myself, see, is meaningless; and forgotten within seconds. That being said, a huge chunk of my learning does happen while scrolling. Here are my top 5 sources of news and information. 

INSTAGRAM

I use instagram religiously. It's in the main app bar on my iPhone, and I can navigate to it with my eyes closed. I follow many sources of news on instagram, whether that be real news agencies, or content creators who supply "hot takes" on current events; I'm always in the loop of what's going on at home and abroad. I enjoy using Instagram for news and information because there is never a shortage of angles and biases that I can view the events from. Instagram is also powerful because I can see what society deems significant by the mass of posts made about an ordeal. An example of this was the day of the failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump. I can vividly remember where I was when I opened my instagram and saw the first "Trump is Shot" post. I couldn't believe it at first, so I refreshed my page, and boom; for hours I was lucky to see a post that wasn't about the shooting. Instagram is undoubtedly where I figure out about most big stories, because it's the source that I check most regularly; therefore, I would recommend the app for anyone that wants to stay in the know, in a simple and easy, efficient way.

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TIKTOK

To me, TikTok is similar to Instagram. I overuse the addictive app, but with the pure volume of videos I can indulge in within a short amount of time, I always leave with new knowledge; facts and information I'd never even thought to learn about. With TikTok becoming more and more of a professional platform over time, I have found a number of reliable accounts that unbiasedly report on intriguing current world events. TikTok videos have gained more quality over time; fostering professionalism and legitimacy. However, TikTok can be very overwhelming. With the reporting of legitimate world events, there are equal creators reporting on celebrity drama and "TMZ" like scandals. This content has absolutely no value and usually creates nothing but hate. Personally, my TikTok algorithm supplies me with mainly competent content, which is why I enjoy browsing the app for useful information. I would definitely recommend the app as it is a great tool to find creators interested in similar topics, and many are paid to create first-class content; resulting in powerful insights on virtually anything one could ever want to know.

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DAD

Sadly, there is no link to my dad, so please enjoy this photo of him at Denny's. My dad is a large source of information for me because he stays very up to date on events, especially ones pertaining to Canadian issues and politics. When I lived at home with him, he was always someone who could give me the run-down on anything I was interested in. I place plenty of credibility onto him; he's been a police officer for almost 30 years, making him superbly investigative. He truly understands society and human behaviour through many experiences. Also, he's very informed regarding stocks and finances; he is financially literate and very helpful in relation to anything around the economy. Overall, my dad is trustworthy and a proficient analyzer and explainer, making him someone I trust to inform me on news.

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CNN

I consider myself unaffiliated with a political party; I enjoy non-theatrical, simple, polite reporting. I undoubtedly agree with much of the conservative ideologies portrayed by stations such as Fox, but, when it comes to educating myself on news and information, I choose CNN. I believe their professionalism is second to none, and I thoroughly enjoy many or their correspondents. My favourite being Kaitlan Collins; she is renowned for being unbiased, engaging, and highly skilled at her complicated job. She is someone that I  specifically pay attention to on Instagram. I simply prefer her over the obnoxious, egotistical anchors found on other channels. I enjoy CNN, and would recommend them due to the efficient, quality content they produce.

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SUBSTACK

Substack seems like a much more educational Instagram, with less pictures/videos and more superior readings. With this app I have found a good balance of informative news based articles, along with personal writings from educators and writers. It's the most scholarly or mature form of social media that I possess; I can scroll through Substack before bed and feel much better about myself than if I was to doom scroll Instagram reels. The news on sub stack is reliable, and produced by journalists and experts, which is very refreshing. I would recommend Substack because it can help one take firm steps towards intellectual advance and productivity while scrolling for news and information.