In my opinion, a concept like free expression has both societal value and personal value. For individuals, free expression allows them to freely convey their opinions and thoughts without fear of being punished for it. For society, free expression supports professions such as journalism. Without free expression, it would be impossible for a free and independent press to exist. A free and independent press is crucial, in my opinion, because one of the main roles of journalists is to hold those in power accountable. Without free expression, journalists would hold the powerful accountable at the risk of losing their jobs, lives, or reputations. Therefore, free expression is crucial as it has the power to benefit society and individuals.
Free expression contributes to identity by allowing people to freely be themselves without fear of repercussions. When there are restrictions, people would be more inclined to hold their true selves back due to fear. In addition, free expression can influence identities in a multitude of ways. From “Can the Subaltern Speak?” by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, I learned about how identities in India were largely shaped due to being “… dominated by elitism – colonialist elitism and bourgeois-nationalist elitism…” (Spivak). This is an example of how freely expressed actions and attitudes can negatively impact the identities of the majority of an entire nation. As such, free expression does contribute to identities, be it negatively or positively.
I believe that free expression is absolutely worth protecting. In the assigned reading, “Two Concepts of Freedom (of Speech),” by Teresa M. Bejan, it was argued that certain speech should be silenced because “… racist and sexist speech not only degrades and demeans, but silences others…” (Bejan, p. 97). While I do agree that there should be restrictions on inflammatory language that can cause harm or incite violence, I do believe that we must tread carefully in our restrictions to avoid impeding on our rights to express freely. Even if there are individuals who speak or act in ways that I do not agree with, I would rather they be free to express themselves than to be stifled. As long as what is being expressed is not considered criminal such as a threat or blackmail, then I believe that free expression is worth protecting to allow people to freely express themselves to their liking. As such, there are risks when protecting freedom of expression due to potential actions and words that can be harmful and hurtful to others. However, I believe that free expression is ultimately still worth protecting to allow people to be themselves without fear of punishment.
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