Blog #3 Eight Values of Free Expression

The idea of the freedom of speech has been around as long as the United States has been declared its own country.  

Out of all Six First Amendments Theories, the one that resonates with me the best and is constantly making me think is the idea of individual Self-Fulfillment. It's about how "free speech enables individuals to express and thereby create their own identity, and in the process perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity, human agency and autonomy." So essentially you do have the right to say what ever you want with no consequences right? Well yes, but there are limitations that people have to abide by.

For example, you can't just go into a crowded movie theater and yell FIRE! And then expect there to be now consequences for your actions. We all know that you can't say ANYTHING under the amendment of freedom of speech. But where does it start and where does it end? 

This amendment resonates with me the most because not only out of all the amendments, this one feels like its the most talked about the most and used in modern day, but it also feels like the one that has been both evolving and devolving at the same time. We now live in a digital age where anything you say or do in a post can come back and haunt you. Ideas about cancel culture have been thrown about lately and has become a hot subject to talk about. 

For me personally, I believe that people should be free to say what they want, as long as they know what they will say will always have consequences. There are instances where people say things that are not perceived well that end up costing them career opportunities. While not unconstitutional, people say is ethically wrong and that people should be free to say whatever they want. 

Take the instance with Gina Carano. After she made some comments about comparing the modern day right-leaning individual to Jew in a Holocaust among other statements throughout the years. These comments ultimately got her let go from playing the character Cara Dune on Disney's The Mandalorian. Some were outraged that the fact that she was fired from the project for simply speaking her mind, while others seemed it was justified. We must keep in mind that Disney meeting Gina go is not unconstitutional, as they are a private company not a form of government firing her or taking away her rights. It's just that what she said, is not what Disney want to be in their image. And after wanting her several times, finally released her from the upcoming projects she was assigned to be in. Which as a private company, are well within their rights to dismiss her. Some could argue that it's not right Disney like a lot of entertainment companies is a lot more leftist, which is a fair criticism, but I think that as a company if they want to let a person go if they have said things that don't reflect the companies best interest. She made a choice on posting something, and that choice has consequences. 

Another instance was again earlier this year with Donald Trump getting banned on Twitter. Some people were outraged by this saying he can't get taken down, since it goes against the idea of Freedom of Speech and that Twitter and Cancel Culture is silencing a voice. A voice that many people do look up to. You must keep in mind thought that this was around early 2021, where Donald Trump was still leading people on saying that he rightfully won the election and the whole thing was rigged. I still remember reading some of his posts and practically every single one got a fact check next to it. This would cloud the minds of many people who would believe what he says and nothing else, that would lead to the Capitol Riot and Raid on January 6th. He led people to have this dangerous mindset, which caused him to get banned from continuing it in the end. 

I do think about what freedom of speech mean everyday, as it seems a lot of people are still learning the details of it as well. It feels personal to me because as we are moving into a digital world where everything you say can be cemented in stone, I try to be cautious in what I post to prevent consequences like these to come back and bite me in the butt. Some say that cancel culture and all of this can be toxic and can ruin people for the rest of their lives and that they should be free tp say what they want. And that is true, it can harm people who have said statements years ago and have soon evolved past saying dumb stuff. But I also think that people should still be held accountable for their actions even after so much time has past. The Freedom of Speech I have seen in action the most, and even if it is evolving, I am still proud to live in a world where we people are allowed to speak about what they want and not have to worry about legal consequences! 

Sources: 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-mandalorian-star-gina-carano-fired-amid-social-media-controversy-4131168/

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/what-was-trump-s-role-during-capitol-riot-house-democrats-ncna1277758