8 Values of Free Expression

Values:

 1. Marketplace of Ideas

2. Participation in Self Government

3. Stable Change 

4. Individual Self-Fulfillment

5. Check on Government Power

6. Promote Tolerance

7. Promote Innovation

8. Protect Dissent

All of these values have a high importance when it comes to the first amendment as well as to us as American citizens, but on a personal level there are two that I find to be the most important. The two I find to be most important are individual self-fulfillment and promote tolerance. I find that this are the two values we see the most within our society. Now the question we have to ask our selves is what exactly do both of these mean and why are they so important?

Individual Self-Fulfillment: 

This value revolves around us as individuals and according to:

https://media.okstate.edu/faculty/jsenat/jb3163/theorists.html#:~:text=Self%2DFulfillment%3A%20Individual%20realization%20of,to%20express%20those%20belief%2Fopinions.&text=Expression%20is%20a%20Natural%20Right,the%20welfare%20of%20the%20individual. 

"Individual realization of character and potential as a human being means the right to form your own beliefs/opinions and the right to express those belief/opinions."

"John Locke/Thomas Emerson: Expression is a Natural Right. The purpose of society is to promote the welfare of the individual."

This is very important because it outlines the idea that we as individuals have the right to be who we want to be and express what we believe in. This is also an important value when it comes to specific groups or organizations because with this value they are able to get their message across. Being able to express yourself and your beliefs is an important part of our society. In a way you can look at it as being able to connect us as well. For example, they're clubs and organizations that tend to gather due to similar interest or beliefs and they can do this because of this value. Expending more on the individual aspect of this value it allows you to form you own identify. For example if you were to get a tattoo. This value has a way of making sure that the way you want to present yourself to society is up to you, which it is.

Promote Tolerance:

This value allows us to be more open to ideas which personally is great idea when it comes to working together and according to:

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1024/tolerance-theory

"The belief that promoting expressive freedoms will make individuals and institutions more open to ideas than they would be otherwise." 

Being able to used this has and will help so many others when it comes to even everyday tasks. It help guide us into working together. You'll notice on social media that when certain trends or movements are current you have so many others people making their own opinion on the matter. They either support it or they don't and because of this there are always controversial statements mades. The reason I am mentioning this is because although this value holds high importance on being open to ideas which can be great when working together toward a common goals there is another side to it. This other side of it is saying something that society will deem morally wrong. This is something we tend to see a lot of on social media with race, religion, or even personal beliefs. Sometimes it even becomes a trend too subdue a persons opinion because it's popular. That's when it gets tricky though because although it might not be morally correct to society doesn't mean they can't say it. They have free speech and thats what it all comes down to.