The Most Important Value of Free Expression
There are so many rights that we as American citizens have. Not only do we have the ability to express ourselves, our opinions, and our hatreds, those rights are protected under the law. Eight values of free speech state many theories about the positives of our protected rights, but, one rings louder than others.
The value of Stable Change (aka Safety Valve) was instituted by Benedict Spinoza. Spinoza suggested that in a society with angry and outcast citizens who were allowed to voice their minds and dislikes was a more stable environment. People would be less likely to act out in aggression. Now, the reason why this value sticks out to me more than the others is the following:
With these individuals voicing themselves, enables the government to monitor potentially dangerous groups. So, ultimately, this value proves that it is in the government's best interest to allow self-expression.
Personally, I never thought about the second component of this value. I have always felt strongly that the alienated people should have numerous outlets to express their dislikes or discomfort. It allows them to externalize their feelings and hopefully feel better, take action, or develop a deeper sense of self. However, by reading through all of these values, I was almost dumbfounded to not have ever thought about the fact that this self-expression allows the government to monitor danger. By seeing how these people or groups protest or express themselves, it gives information to help our overall safety. This is an incredible asset to our government that gives a win-win situation.
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