The Eight Values of Free Expression

There are two main values of free expression that resonate deeply with me. The first is Individual Self-Fulfillment (aka Self-Actualization) presented by C.Edwin Baker. This theory focuses on human dignity, human agency, and autonomy. Baker argued, "the primary justification for freedom of expression rests on protecting individual human liberty (the liberty theory) rather than the traditional marketplace of ideas rationale." An individual's ability to express themself and express their own identity is a right afforded to all Americans. This idea is of great importance to me because I believe we are given one life to live and maximizing our potential in a self-fulfilling way is a freedom afforded to me as a citizen of the United States.

So what is self-fulfillment? To me, self-fulfillment is my ability to pursue and achieve my goals and ambitions and to feel good about my efforts.  I am not hampered by my race, gender, age, education, or wealth. I am afforded the right to do so because I live in a country where that opportunity exists for every person. 

As an athlete who is very passionate about the sport I love so dearly, (rowing), I believe wholeheartedly that individuals should have the ability to pursue their dreams. Hoping to make the US Rowing National team one day, but some may discount my ability to make this happen. Because of my freedom and ability to self-fulfill, I am afforded the right to try, to set goals, and to pursue my dream. I simply cannot imagine living in a country where I could not look to the future with great anticipation and opportunity.

The ability to reflect and evaluate is one element within the self-fulfillment idea. Instilling values in children, and encouraging and modeling the importance of character, integrity, and responsibility is key to the process of self-fulfillment. When our government no longer models those standards for the people whom they lead, it is no wonder how those key values are lost. We should not be surprised by increased incidents of violence and how phenomena like cancel culture come to be. I believe intolerance promotes censorship, discrimination, lack of respect, lack of morals, and promotes rejection of people and ideas that are different than your own. Certainly not the principles our country was founded on. I believe many of the twisted ideas we see today are not the norm and are instead the ideas of a small group of individuals who have overstepped and trampled on the very freedoms we are guaranteed.

Interestingly, a research survey was conducted by Pew Research a few years back that measured what Americans thought made their lives fulfilling. One portion of the survey asked open-ended questions about what makes their life satisfying and the other asked closed-ended questions about the same topic which respondents chose from a set of 15 possible answers. The survey titled, Where Americans Find Meaning in Life, found that across both surveys family ranked the highest when asked what makes life meaningful. This supports the idea that Americans do place great importance and value on the family which is a component of being self-fulfilled. 

Where Americans Find Meaning

Other themes like career and friendship also ranked high on the survey.  This reinforces the idea that we are a people who desire those traditional values. We need self-expression, human liberty, and autonomy. When the vast majority of Americans rank family as a meaningful expression in their life, it is not hard to conclude that we are thinking, feeling, and reflective people who desire self-fulfillment. Our country was founded on the principle of independence where people shape their destinies and identities. Our freedom to believe in a dream and to pursue those ambitions are part of our American ethos founded in the idea of The American Dream. We are not a nation of intolerant people but in recent times, the media has divided us because it fits their agenda. 

The second value of free expression that resonates with me is the Promote Tolerance as seen in Lee Bollinger, 

The Tolerant Society: Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech. The first amendment protects our freedom of speech and that includes hate speech. As difficult as that may be to accept, hate speech is just as important as free speech. In today's society of cancel culture where people can be censored, removed, shunned, or worse simply because they voiced a differing opinion is ridiculous. Today, there have been numerous accounts of celebrities, like Kanye West, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and many more who have been canceled. In addition, companies and brands have fallen victim to being boycotted. Among these are Dr. Seuss and the Disney classic, Dumbo. Often done via social media, a person or group can stop their support of a person, a company, or brand due to real or even perceived wrongdoing. As a society, we should be very alarmed by the reality that this very thing could happen to anyone. This current phenomenon of cancel culture tramples our rights and freedoms and does so by evoking fear and doubt. 

A recent study by Pew Research showed Americans are deeply divided in their views of what cancel culture is. Respondents were polled about what they believe cancel culture represents. The findings were divided in that some saw it as censorship and others saw it as a call for accountability. As an American, I do not believe you can reap the benefits of free speech while simultaneously condemning hate speech. You may disagree with other people and not support their actions and even discount their beliefs, but they do have rights and freedoms and one of those rights is the freedom to voice their opinion. This is exactly what our forefathers wanted when constructing our nation of self-government. Making sure that the government did not overstep and that the citizens were free to speak their minds. Our first amendment ensures we are free to express and that includes both free speech and hate speech. 

Anything other than total freedom of expression goes against the very rights that are afforded to you and me. I may disagree with you completely and I may not like the words you say, but that does not give me the right to censor you or worse, take away your freedom to express yourself. I believe in the first amendment and specifically protecting our right to free speech. I think the confusion comes in when people today cannot tolerate a differing opinion from their own. You can see this played out nightly on the news between the left and the right. I do not promote hate speech that leads to violence and I do believe that behavior with the intent to incite should be condemned. There are lessons to be learned when we listen to both sides, hear differing opinions, and are reflective on that information. I believe it is our differences that help promote a nation of people who are more tolerant and well informed and when we take away that right, we are left with a nation of people who are silenced.