Speak Your Mind

If you have an opinion, say it.Unlike many places, here in America, we have a unique ability to say whatever we want. The first amendment grants the freedom of speech to citizens of the country. This is perhaps the most important freedom in the entire country. This is because without free speech you are not guaranteed having your voice heard. The freedom of speech encompasses many different things. Religion, press, assembly, and petitioning are all covered by the first amendment. In North Korea they do not have the freedom of speech. If you speak negatively about the regime or leadership in North Korea can lead to certain punishment. Think about all the negative comments made about our government. whether its the current administration or a previous one, there are many negative comments made every day. All are protected. Our founding fathers made sure this was the first amendment to the constitution because they knew how important it was, and how important it would remain. There are people who say that there should be restrictions on free speech. Many of these people cite hate speech as the main reason for this. The issue with hate speech is that it is not universal. Someone may make a derogatory statement that has one person up in arms, and another unable to care less. So banning certain words or phrases would prove difficult because many people would not be bothered by these words. Also the people who get offended easily would likely want to ban many more words and phrases than the general population would agree with. Another critical aspect that must be taken into account would be the massive expanse of government power. If certain forms of speech were restricted it would mean that the government would have the power to limit the vary words that comes out of our mouth- a power no government should hold. The founding fathers formed this country to escape the tyrannical control of the British. If our current government began limiting the things we can say, wouldn't that be tyrannical as well? Free speech is crucial for a educated and aware country. Many topics that could be considered hateful are topics that are controversial and need to be discussed. Discussing controversial topics is necessary, especially in today's climate. With so many uninformed, or misinformed people out there, the best way to make sure controversial topics get heard and understood, is to talk about them. Sides that disagree can also benefit from talking about these issues. There are many instances where sides that disagree come together and talk, and end up collaborating to form a solution. For this reason alone I would say that banning speech is a terrible idea. Overall, the freedom of speech sets this country apart in a good way. The people are free to speak their mind whenever they see fit, and many positive interactions have come from it. We also keep a tyrannical government at bay by holding onto this important freedom.