Values of Free Expression: Protecting Dissent
Of all the 8 Values proposed that make up our system of free expression, none is more important than our right to practice dissent. We as Americans are participants in a contract with the Government, and we have a duty to be active participants in that agreement if we hope to receive the rights we are promised. When Americans forget that they are who make up the government they forget that it only processes the power which people give them. Thusly, anything which is wrong with the government is the responsibility of the American people to fix. The best way for this to be executed is by the American people focusing on their ability to utilize their first amendment rights and voice their concerns at every possible opportunity.
We experience Government on both a small and large scale, so it is important to examine both small and large scale entities and speak up about issues we witness as non-government affiliated Americans. When we do this, we can better accomplish the change we wish to see from our public services. Recently, many criticisms have been brought against entities such as the police force within the US, which has received heavy backlash from both inside and outside the force. Often when whistleblowers within police departments speak up against tyranny, injustice, and corruption they face professional repercussions. This being the case it is evident that organizations such as law enforcement cannot be responsible for their own audits. We the people must be the ones who hold them accountable or otherwise there is nobody to do so. We must police the police, and the government. Unless the people stand up and protect their own constitutional rights they will continuously be encroached upon.
Practicing dissent has the potential to make the rhetoric in our society more complete and allow for informed opinions. The American people have grown complacent towards the government and practiced ‘good faith’ in it for too long. Americans assume that politicians and the elite within our country are ‘people too’. The people have said, “They’re not all bad” so many times that these days it is impossible to separate the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’. Due to this, the only true way for the American people to maintain control over the powers and limitations of the state is to constantly stand their ground by utilizing their first amendment and all activities which are associated with it.
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