Blog #3

    There are Eight Values of Free Expression. These values are Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Chang, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Protect Dissent. One of the values that really resonates with me is the 8th one: Protect and Dissent. I feel that this value is so relevant to the times that we are going through right now especially with all the different opinions in this county. This value goes hand and hand with the first amendment of the US Constitution which gives you the right to petition and criticize your government. I find it very interesting that US citizens have this right as opposed to other countries that do not have the right to criticize their government. Sometimes I think of the actions that Americans take because they disagree so strongly with the government and think about what the potential consequences could be in another country that does not have this same right. In other countries if you protest or even disagree with your government you can be punished in a variety of different ways, some extremely severe. 

    A perfect example of people having the freedom and right to criticize our government is this political cartoon from Philadelphia Inquirer. This cartoon is a drawing of former president Donald Trump basically showing all the things that he would be useful for but in a jokingly negative manner. In this cartoon the artist is explaining all the things Trump would be “useful” for if he did not leave the White House. The artist was saying that Trump would make a better lamp, coat rack, or street light than the President of the United States. This political cartoon is clearly criticizing our government and definitely shining a very negative light on Donald Trump, however because of the first amendment right and the eighth value of free expression, it is completely legal to do so. This particular example of how Americans use this right to criticize the government also ties into freedom of press because it was publicly posted on the internet. Freedom of press is also covered in the First Amendment Right.

I feel that this eighth value of free expression of  Protect Dissent feels the most personal to me because I have criticized our government before and thought differently than what the people in power think. Without this value of free expression, I would be unable to think anything differently than what the government thinks. I feel that this is very important especially in today's society where everyone has an opinion. This makes it legal for people to share their personal opinions publicly and not get punished for thinking something different than the government.