The Freedom of Speech, Even When We Don't Like It

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Image result for bill of rightsAs we have talked in class this year about the First Amendment, we have gone over all the different aspects of it, and why they are each individually important.  This week, we have gone over the Eight Values of Free Expression, which are all detailed in the link below, and all cover different aspects of why free expression is essential to a functioning society.  The one that stuck out to me most, and the one I believe is most important, is the idea of Promote Tolerance.  I believe the freedom of speech is the bedrock on which the American Experiment was laid, and without it we would not have lasted as long as we have.  The idea of Promote Tolerance is the idea that the First Amendment protects all speech that doesn't incite action, even speech that we don't like.  The idea of the government making rules on regulating what we can and can't say seems blatantly wrong to me, and to virtually all Americans, but the rest of the world is beginning to disagree with that.  More and more "hate speech laws" are being proposed and accepted in Europe and Canada, among other countries, and I don't believe I will ever understand why people give the government power to regulate what they say.  Being able to speak freely without fear of imprisonment is one of the many things our Founding Fathers fought for, and I believe throwing it away for ay reason would end America as we know it.  The idea of everyone having to agree on everything seems like a new trend to me, at least to the degree it is at now.  As we talked about in class, society has a way of dealing with people who say truly hateful or inappropriate things, such as the former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.  Given that our society has its own way of handling things, and we have the power to do so through our Constitution and Bill of Rights, it makes me wonder why anyone would try and give that power to the government.  The idea of speech laws in America is coming from the left, and normally the far left at that.  As a functioning government and society, there needs to be disagreement, which is why I believe there is an absolute need for both parties, even if I don't agree with one or either of them all of the time.  But, the example of speech laws coming from the Left is the perfect example of why such laws are a bad idea, given that Trump is currently president.  The people who think this would be a good idea in America, are trying to give a man that they hate the power to control what they say.  That fact is the main point of why any form of speech laws are a bad idea: if you give power to the current government to control any aspect of your life, that government will be radically different in 4-8 years, and you might not like the rules the next person comes up with.  Free Speech is something that people in Hong Kong are dying for right now, and taking it for granted is a mistake that many Americans make.

Link to Eight Values:  http://medlawlit.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_9.html         

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