Eight Values of Free Expression

We all have heard about the First Amendment and how it protects free speech in many different ways. However, the specifics of the right are often forgotten. Experts have grouped the First Amendment into eight values of free expression: 

1. Marketplace of Ideas, 2. Participation in Self-Government, 3. Stable Change, 4. Individual Self-Fulfillment, 5. Check on Governmental Power, 6. Promote Tolerance, 7. Promote Innovation, 8. Protect Dissent. 

One value that I find myself most connected to is Protect Dissent. Steve Shiffrin describes Protect Dissent and focuses on the idea that people should be able to speak against the government and majority.  Nowadays, we often forget our rights, such as the right to dissent and to criticize the government, even though they are so important. The first amendment is there to be able to say NO. We should be able to criticize the government, and this needs to be protected.

I came across an article that shows different Supreme Court cases and why Protect Dissent is so crucial for society and the world we are living in. One example is Justice Harlan in Plessy v Ferguson (1896). The case was about racial segregation and that the Louisiana law required Black and White people to ride in different train cars. Justice Harlan was the only one that disagreed and said that the constitution is "color-blind" and everyone should be equal under the law. 

Often the right answer is not automatically what the majority thinks. Coming to the United States, I learned that it is important to hear other opinions and how much it helps you to grow as a person. I believe that many different opinions lead to many new ideas, and it is important to question different things. 

Even today, we see similarities to the cases before. One example I want to use is Black Lives Matter.  The protest addresses systemic injustice and government policies. Protect Dissent gives Black Lives Matter activists the opportunity to speak up against unfair treatment and racism. 

It is important because it helps to challenge the government, brings up new ideas, pushes the government, and can even create better laws. 

Another thing I want to talk about is that Protect Dissent is not only important for modern protests like Black Lives Matter, but it is also crucial for times of war or crises. One example is the Dennis v. United States case from the Cold War Era. 

The case was about people with unpopular opinions during an extremely difficult time. Justice Douglas plays an important role in the case, he says that the government cannot punish someone just for saying something unpopular. But why does this matter for Protect Dissent? It shows us that even in hard times, people can speak up against the government. 

All of this has a personal significance for me. Moving to the United States helped me to see how important it is to hear different opinions. Being a student-athlete I see how important it is to speak up when something is unfair, and Protect Dissent shows me that everyone's opinion matters, even if it's not the loudest voice. 

Learning about Protect Dissent has shown me how important it is to speak up and to understand that we have a right to say NO.