Post #3: The Value of Free Expression

I have always loved our country's value of free speech. Whether it be the ability to publicly criticize the government or to simply share our thoughts on any topic, this freedom, that I see as an absolute human right, is integral to our society. As Americans, we can often look at our own government and our own country and be critical of it. Sometimes, I think that we do not truly appreciate the freedom of speech that we have. I look at other countries that do not have such freedoms, or at the very least do not have the extent of such freedoms, and I do not see their people treated with respect. Their governments will silence them, sometimes in horrible ways, to maintain control. Freedom of speech is non-existent in certain countries. An example of this would easily be North Korea. You will either die or most likely be tortured if you speak out against the "Dear Respected" Kim Jong-Un, as a citizen of North Korea. 

To any American, that reality seems so unreal. This is because our right of free speech, that even I call a "human right", is not seen that way everywhere. We are incredibly fortunate to be in a land where we have the ability to check our government and our own citizens as we the people.

There are many values of free expression, but I think that the hardest one for us to swallow is promoting tolerance. What this means, at its core, is that we the people have to allow the First Amendment to protect things like hate speech. It protects people's rights to be racist, sexist, and many other terrible things under government law. At first glance especially, this seems like a terrible thing to do. Why allow people to act this way in the first place? To me, it is their choice to be horrible to others in these ways. I think that under the First Amendment, as long as they do not incite violence upon those they discriminate against, their hate speech should be protected. It doesn't feel right, but in the end this method produces the most just course for society. 

I say this because I truly believe it. I think that allowing hate speech, in the legal sense, is the best course of action. Now allow me to explain why. Without government interference in this matter, we come to a path where we the people have to punish these speakers ourselves. Now obviously we cannot simply throw them in jail or deal out any consequence such as that, but I think that the people actually wield a much more powerful weapon. We as individuals have the power to tell our fellow citizens that there will be consequences if they do not stop their actions and change their ways. If you have a friend that begins to make constant racist remarks, you have the power to tell them that you will not be their friend anymore. If someone makes a scene by discriminating against another in your establishment, you have the power and the right to ban them from your establishment. 

Because of the lack of government involvement in this matter, it falls into our hands. We have the power to state what is acceptable and unacceptable in our society. For me, when it comes down to it, this formula of tolerance is the best way to handle hate speech and other vulgar actions. We see terrible acts committed by our own everyday, and everyday we punish them because the power lies within our own society.