Why Are The 8 Values of Free Expression Important?

 

In today's day and age, people are fearful of speaking out about their thoughts, feelings, problems, etc because they will either receive backlash, hate, or people will just refuse to listen. There are times that people are heard but it is unfortunately not as much as people would think which is a big issue in society. Because of many sensitivities, people have to constantly monetize what they say around certain people because otherwise it could be interpreted in the wrong way and that person could get "cancelled" which is another toxic trait that society has stuck to in recent years. People's voices should be heard if they are asking to be listened to instead of just having them get thrown in a corner and not be cared about. I feel like it is especially hard for younger generations to be given freedom of speech. Being a college student myself, it definitely is more nerve wracking speaking to people because they are always judging what you are saying and you never want to say the wrong thing or say anything that could have a negative connotation and want to be perceived as "cool"  so sometimes people tend to say what the other wants them to say. 

I would say that I resonate the most with Stable Change the most because it is absolutely true that if people are able to freely express their feelings, thoughts, concerns, etc then things will run smoother within the government because people will not be forced to be silent. I feel that the Black Lives Matter protests occurred so brutally because black lives as well as other people that were in support of the black lives matter movements, were being silenced as well as punished and in return, riots began to immerse because they wanted their voices heard and did not want to be silenced anymore because it was taking a toll on their community and were fed up so they acted out in order to be seen and heard. If I was in their position, I would 100% feel very unseen and unheard if that was happening to me. 

As the years go on, I feel like times have been much more accepting of people and who they want to be, how they dress, who they are surrounded by, etc so it is great to see that more people are becoming much more accepting of people and how they choose to live their life. Therefore, I see Individual Self Fulfillment the most in society. When I was a kid, people were not always very accepting especially the older generations who were much more judgmental. However, the younger generations starting with millennials and going into Generation Z as well as the future generations are much more accepting and spread more love and positivity to people that feel like they are not important. This is definitely a benefit to being apart of Generation Z because the newer generations being born are being raised in a different environment filled with more positivity regardless of what is going on around the world. 

In conclusion, freedom of speech is extremely important because if people feel like they are truly being heard by the government as well as from society in general, there will be retaliation at some point which can cause anarchy to rise up. Free expression should be a basic human right given to every single person and should never be tested unless it is truly a danger to someone or other people.