Eight Values Of Free Expression

 Eight Values Of Free Expression

    When looking at our first amendment it is so important to understand what the first amendment was not only designed for, but what it protects and acts as in practice. One of the many protections ensured in the first amendment is the protection of speech and freedom of expression. Speech does not necessarily have to always be spoken to convey a message, sometimes all it has to be is an action. The old saying "actions speak louder than words" has truth to it. Now that we discussed that the first amendment views and protects free expression just like freedom of speech, it is now time to look at what is often considered the eight values of free expression. 

    The eight values of free expression are defined as: The Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. These are the eight values of free expression that are each highlighted and individually proposed and articulated by different thinkers. All of these values are important, obviously. However I do believe personally that certain ones are more important than others in preserving our system of government. 

    I personally believe that the second value, Participation in Self-Government which was highlighted by Alexander Meiklejohn in his work Free Speech and Its Relation to Self-Government, is the value that I believe is the most important to preserving our great republic. When the founders built America upon one of the founding principles of self-government, it was a very radical idea for the time. By taking power away from monarchies and royal families, and giving it to everyday citizens who the people had a hand in choosing is one of the most fundamental aspects and features of what made our country special and unique. Instead of a ruling class governing the public that had little to no say in the decisions of their own lives, the founders gave power to people that were selected by the majority of the population, who also lived and participated as normal citizens who had similar and relatable experiences to a large portion of the general population. 

    When you look at how our different our country would be if this aspect would be taken away is very scary. There is no longer a direct vote from the public on leaders or issues that matter. The system of checks and balances goes out the window as the rulers are no longer accountable to the people for their decision making. By taking away participants in government, America looks in a lot of ways, very similar to the feudal system of Europe. While I do believe that in any society there will always be people higher up than others, and I also believe that is not necessarily an issue, in America you have opportunities to work on yourself to build the life you desire and can bring yourself up much easier than anywhere else in the world. When you look at medieval Europe or basically anywhere else in the world, especially non-Western countries, there is a clear system from birth of who you are, and who you are supposed to be in terms of your "place" in society. There is a clear class system with those from a fundamental level are deemed "superior" and others who are "inferior" and this is almost entirely based on what family you were born into. 

    

    America provided something that was unique to the rest of the world and the rest of human history. The United States created a system in which the people were the employers and the government was the employees that can be promoted, hired, and fired. Participation in Self-Government is truly the glue that keeps all of the promises and protections of America together, without it there is no question the entire system falls apart. If America were to one day shift from a system of representative democracy that held checks and balances not only among the different branches and levels of government, but also on the system itself to a system of non-elected bureaucrats and a system full of corruption and greed with no accountability, looking at you Dr. Fauci and company, the entire system and fundamental ideas of America will collapse and be no more. 

    While I do believe that all of the eight values of free expression are vital to a growing and prosperous society, participation in self-government is the most important one in my opinion. It keeps the whole concept and values of America in tact and failure to secure this will lead to the ultimate downfall of America and a free society.