This week in my Media Law and Literacy course we discussed the eight values of free
expression. They include the marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable
change, individual self-fulfillment, check on government power, promote tolerance,
promote innovation, and protecting dissent. These are all different ideas from various
philosophers about why free expression is valuable. While I think all of these are great
examples of the benefits of free speech, I believe there are a few that stand out in particular
to me. It came down to a toss-up between individual self-fulfillment and promoting tolerance.
expression. They include the marketplace of ideas, participation in self-government, stable
change, individual self-fulfillment, check on government power, promote tolerance,
promote innovation, and protecting dissent. These are all different ideas from various
philosophers about why free expression is valuable. While I think all of these are great
examples of the benefits of free speech, I believe there are a few that stand out in particular
to me. It came down to a toss-up between individual self-fulfillment and promoting tolerance.
Of these three ideas, I had a hard time deciding which value meant the most to me.
I believe that the promotion of tolerance is certainly one of the most important because
a society that is tolerant of one another is overall a better society than one that promotes
hate and injustice. When we are tolerant of everyone, we are able to see people for who
they are beyond just what culture they are from. When people from different cultures are
able to share their world view with others, we see the world from new perspectives and
gain a deeper knowledge of the world and the people around us. A society that is tolerant
is more efficient, effective, and achieves greater things. That being said, I feel as if free
expression limits tolerance. Lee Bollinger, the founder of this thought, explained that the
goal is to hear others' hateful comments and grow from them. While this may be the case
sometimes, for the most part, it results in people just being intolerant to hurt others'
feelings, and growth stagnates. When intolerant people express their views, more intolerant
people follow them, creating a cycle of hate and violence. So while in theory, this is a great
idea, in practice I believe it does not always play out that way. In that sense, this value is not
my favorite.
I believe that the promotion of tolerance is certainly one of the most important because
a society that is tolerant of one another is overall a better society than one that promotes
hate and injustice. When we are tolerant of everyone, we are able to see people for who
they are beyond just what culture they are from. When people from different cultures are
able to share their world view with others, we see the world from new perspectives and
gain a deeper knowledge of the world and the people around us. A society that is tolerant
is more efficient, effective, and achieves greater things. That being said, I feel as if free
expression limits tolerance. Lee Bollinger, the founder of this thought, explained that the
goal is to hear others' hateful comments and grow from them. While this may be the case
sometimes, for the most part, it results in people just being intolerant to hurt others'
feelings, and growth stagnates. When intolerant people express their views, more intolerant
people follow them, creating a cycle of hate and violence. So while in theory, this is a great
idea, in practice I believe it does not always play out that way. In that sense, this value is not
my favorite.
That led me to choose individual self-fulfillment as my favorite one of the eight values
of free expression. I think one of the best examples of this is my blog for this class.
When I am writing this blog, I am allowed to talk about anything topic I desire and express
my opinion of myself. While doing this, I share the person I am with anyone who is
potentially reading, but I also figure out a lot about myself. I did not realize I had such strong
opinions on topics before I started blogging. This blog has helped me organize my thoughts
and understand what I believe a little bit better. I think I have a stronger connection to who I
am and this would not have been possible without free expression. I think if I were to continue
to blog, it would only help me to deepen the connection I have with myself. I find this to be
the most valuable aspect of free expression to me. I believe that if we were not allowed to
talk freely, we would not have a good understanding of what we believe in. When people are
allowed to share their disagreements with the government or other entities, it allows for ideas
to be generated and overall wellbeing to improve. This helps people reach self-actualization,
which is the highest value on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the last step to becoming happy.
of free expression. I think one of the best examples of this is my blog for this class.
When I am writing this blog, I am allowed to talk about anything topic I desire and express
my opinion of myself. While doing this, I share the person I am with anyone who is
potentially reading, but I also figure out a lot about myself. I did not realize I had such strong
opinions on topics before I started blogging. This blog has helped me organize my thoughts
and understand what I believe a little bit better. I think I have a stronger connection to who I
am and this would not have been possible without free expression. I think if I were to continue
to blog, it would only help me to deepen the connection I have with myself. I find this to be
the most valuable aspect of free expression to me. I believe that if we were not allowed to
talk freely, we would not have a good understanding of what we believe in. When people are
allowed to share their disagreements with the government or other entities, it allows for ideas
to be generated and overall wellbeing to improve. This helps people reach self-actualization,
which is the highest value on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and the last step to becoming happy.
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