My Free Expression Value

All Voices Have a Right to Free Speech

The Eight Values of Free Expression aim to tell us about our rights in speech according to the First Amendment. While each value serves its own meaningful purpose, the one that is most meaningful to me is number 8. 

“Our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule,” Steve Shiffrin says in his book, Dissent, Injustice and the Meanings of America. This text goes into depth about how the First Amendment is in place to not just protect one group of people but all groups of people, no matter their view points. Shiffrin explains that all groups of people are free to express their opinions, disagree with the government, and criticize the government according to the First Amendment and it being a “heart of a core American value.”

This value is most important to me because I myself am a minority. Being a minority, I see how the government and other groups of people try to silence voices of those who look different from them. Because of the measures taken to silence minorities, different protests such as Black Lives Matter came to life, to make sure that the minority belief would not always be the minority. Shiffrin says that we should encourage this dissent because higher powers such as the Supreme Court limit dissent. 

In today's societies we see the government and superior powers limiting dissent through redlining, redistricting, and gerrymandering, in addition to federal and local laws. These setbacks go against what Shiffrin suggests about the First Amendment being for everyone because when boundaries are set in place that give the majority voice an advantage, the minority voice is overpowered and no longer heard.  

Mamdani, Crockett, and AOC

On the contrary, minorities have started standing up and doing what Shiffrin said to do. Encourage dissent. Minorities have stood their ground through movements and going even further to be in government positions. Today we have the Black Lives Matter Movement, the Teachers for Better Pay Movement, and political leaders and activists, such as Jasmine Crockett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Zohran Mamdami. All minorities, all standing up for what they believe in and criticizing the government on what they believe it is doing wrong. 

Fox News and CNN

When you hear the word “minority” you may often think of race, social classes, and career balances. But a minority can also refer to one's beliefs and perspectives. Shiffrin challenges us to think about how all views and perspectives deserve to be heard no matter how many people or what people agree. We see this a lot in the news today. Many stations or channels serve a specific group of people who believe the information that they are sharing. We see this at CNN as they take on a more liberal standpoint and on Fox as they take on a more conservative standpoint. Both of these stations have the right to Freedom of Speech, which allow for different sides of events and views to be shared equally. Because of this freedom everyone involved is able to express their opinion and criticize the government in areas they see fit. 

Today, we see many different ways to use our voices, but we must take Shiffrins advice and use it to our full capacity to speak up for what we believe in, no matter who doesn't agree.