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The importance of freedom of speech
The first amendment analysis
The importance of freedom of speech short essay
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On May 24th 2016 DePaul University, a prominent and private university in Chicago, Illinois, garnered some negative media attention for what can only be described as a fiasco. A student organized event, by the university’s College Republicans group, was violently interrupted and brought to a halt when Black Lives Matter protesters barged into the room the event was being held in. The point of contention, speaker Milo Yiannopoulos had made DePaul a stop on his Dangerous Faggot Tour. Yiannopoulos, a British Journalist for Breitbart News, openly gay conservative, and self proclaimed provocateur, is known for his stances against modern third-wave feminism and Black Lives Matter. His speech on the 24th of May was abruptly interrupted when Black …show more content…
One common ground all parties involved, and all Americans, share is the First Amendment. Under the First Amendment Yiannopolous is entitled to speak his mind, those who attended the event to peaceably assemble and the Black Lives Matter protesters are allowed to assemble and protest, peacefully. However their demonstration was anything but. And DePaul being a private university is not obligated honor the First Amendment. This incident is in some ways analogous to an event Stuart Taylor Jr. recounts in his essay “How Campus Censors Squelch Freedom of …show more content…
The underpinning of his essay is that the First Amendment, freedom of speech and expression should be used to expand people’s minds with new or opposing ideas. “The strange beauty of American freedom is that it is ungovernable, that it always runs slightly ahead of human temperament” (Rosenblatt 484). He believes that free is how people’s minds are made to be and is their natural state of being and attempting to control people’s minds is
His argument was block by block and he started with explaining the common belief of what the “right to speak freely,” by quoting the well known saying by Voltaire “‘I wholly disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the right your right to say it.’” This is the definition that most people tend to agree with; however, after displaying the original definition he uses logic and rationale to deconstructs the ethics of people and depict the accurate interpretation of the “right to speak, “ by using tone, syntax, literary devices, and essay organization to give the most impactful article possible. By starting the the definition of the norm and ending with the true interpretation, “we must begin by realizing that, because freedom of discussion improves our opinions, the liberties of other men are our own vital necessity.” By ending on this absolute note it creates a space for the readers to contemplate on his
Although some like Conor Friedersdorf, of the Atlantic, categorized students as “intolerant bullies, (34)” meaning that the reasons for protests were not really reasons at all. Chang argues that the issues students are expressing need to be improved upon as if not, we will continue to go round and round in this vicious cycle. The addition of the apartheid in South Africa backs up Chang’s argument as there is a consensus of it being a serious issue. This explains why he included this piece of history and how it relates to college campuses. Encouraging critics to listen to students, just as Meyer did to those of color, is the only way to prevent today's youth from bring up the same issues in future years. Just as Chang predicted, the next school year brought protesters to hundreds of colleges and universities. What happened at Mizzou was just the beginning of a country wide movement for racial justice on campuses that hasn’t stopped
From the opening sentence of the essay, “We are free to be you, me, stupid, and dead”, Roger Rosenblatt hones in on a very potent and controversial topic. He notes the fundamental truth that although humans will regularly shield themselves with the omnipresent First Amendment, seldom do we enjoy having the privilege we so readily abuse be used against us. Freedom of speech has been a controversial issue throughout the world. Our ability to say whatever we want is very important to us as individuals and communities. Although freedom of speech and expression may sometimes be offensive to other people, it is still everyone’s right to express his/her opinion under the American constitution which states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press”.
“Everyone loves free expression as long as it isn't exercised” (Rosenblatt 501). In the article, We are Free to Be You, Me, Stupid, and Dead, Roger Rosenblatt argues for the people’s right to freedom of speech and expression, that is given by the U.S Constitution. Rosenblatt argues that freedom of speech is one of the many reasons the Founding Fathers developed this country. For this reason, Rosenblatt believes that we should be tolerant and accepting of other’s ideas and beliefs. Even if one does not agree with someone else, they need to be understanding and realize that people have differing opinions. Everyone has the right to free expression, and this is what Rosenblatt is trying to get across. The necessity of freedom of expression and the important values it contains is a main foundation for this country, therefore, Rosenblatt’s argument is valid.
Today there are many controversial subjects discussed throughout the media. One of the most discussed is race and the Black Lives Matter movement. Recently, I came across an article titled “The Truth of ‘Black Lives Matter’”, written by The Editorial Board. The article was published on September 3, 2015, to the New York Times. In the article, The Editorial Board writes about what they believe African Americans are facing as challenges in society today, including the all-too-common police killings of unarmed African-Americans across the country. The Editorial Board is right that some African Americans have been treated unfairly, but all ethnicities have been. Life is a precious thing that comprises all ethnicities. This brings us to ask; why
In Walter Lippmann's “The Indispensable Opposition,” Lippmann argues that the freedoms we have fought to give ourselves regarding speech and opinion only exist because multiple perspectives permit the development of your own views. In order to counter those who believe that everyone deserves these freedoms, Lippmann upholds a demeaning tone, and instead indicates how the reader’s freedoms could be deprived of if those rights weren’t liberally distributed.
There are people in America that makes us wonder why there is a world to begin with. There are people who represent the greater good of the world, and there are others who are unfortunately not for the greater good of the world. We have to constantly deal with those whose only goal in life is to bring the lives of others down to the ground; to shatter and to break them. This is what is happening now in the world, and this most likely will never change. As a result of trying to change the ways in which we live and interact with these people, there was a movement that wanted to change the lives of African-Americans, as well as other races. This movement was called “Black Lives Matter”. The people who were responsible for the creation of
This paper was written to discuss the hot button topic, “Black Lives Matter.” Specifically, in regard to law enforcement. This has been an ongoing and controversial issue ever since the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. This is when the movement “Black Lives Matter,” was born, with the belief that blacks are treated unfairly by law enforcement. I, however, do not believe that blacks are treated any more unfairly by law enforcement than any other race.
According to “Freedom of Speech” by Gerald Leinwand, Abraham Lincoln once asked, “Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its people, or too weak to maintain its own existence (7)?” This question is particularly appropriate when considering what is perhaps the most sacred of all our Constitutionally guaranteed rights, freedom of expression. Lincoln knew well the potential dangers of expression, having steered the Union through the bitterly divisive Civil War, but he held the Constitution dear enough to protect its promises whenever possible (8).
On video the whole atrocity unfolds right before our eyes and yet my own classmates, neighbors, juries, and other police do not see what is clear to the rest of us. Maybe they just do not wish to see, because as I mentioned before some people do not want to admit that there is a real problem. And so, my fellow classmates chose to question the Black Lives Matter movement because all these protests and marches just block freeways and damage property. They have decided to turn a blind eye and turn a deaf eye because they refuse to acknowledge what they just witnessed on their smart phones is really happening. To them only their lives
Black Lives Matter is not a bandwagon to hop on, nor is it a hashtag or a slogan. Black Lives Matter is a movement. To not support the movement or to think that the movement does not need support is outright depraved, demeaning and degrading. We too often think that retweeting, tweeting or sharing a photo on social media is supporting the movement and it’s not! This is no longer the 1960’s. We have gained our rights: that is no longer the fight. The fight is receiving justice for our black people, so no effective protesting is no longer sitting at countertops, it is no longer peaceful marching and it is no longer bus boycotting The new protest is to educate ourselves, to show respect, to get involved in the justice system, to raise black lawyers, to vote and to do jury duty. All of these things are needed to benefit the movement in stopping the corruptness in our justice system.
Race relations are always a scary or uncomfortable topic for people to discuss amongst groups of different ethnicities and racial identities. It is a long standing tradition in the United States to walk a fine line and use politically correct terms in the above mentioned setting but to feel perfectly comfortable to speak freely when in a setting surrounded by likeminded people who share similar political affiliations and race. This is the main reason discussions surrounding the idea of race are too often avoided in today’s school systems and in society in general. If we are to encourage our students and children to be free thinking future citizens of our global society, we must first become one ourselves. The only way to accomplish this
The disciplines are simply a means to that end.” During my time here, I have focused most of my course work on the following: rhetoric, identity, and social change. How do these elements all effect each other and how do we use communication strategies and theories to make an impact on the world? In my previous course called Communication and Inclusion, Professor Sarah Jackson had written an article for the CAMD website called, “Looking ahead: Social movements in 2015.” Here, she talks about the most recent deaths at the time of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and Eric Garner in NYC. These killings had brought up issues of race and inequality in America and essentially started the first major wave of the Black Lives Matter Movement. In her class specifically she taught about “how social and political identities are constructed in the public sphere, with a particular focus on how race and gender are constructed in national debates”
There are many problems in today’s world, one of which is the existence of racism. Obviously it has improved dramatically over time, however racism is still out there in our every day lives. The movement Black Lives Matter has spread nationwide attracting the attention of many different parties. Black Lives Matter has had a large impact on the whole country with many people taking different stances on it.
We call ourselves the United States, yet we are anything but united. Social justice, which I believe to be the promotion of equality in money, opportunity, and rights amongst all people, plays a key role in todays ever-so-demanding society. Although many aspects can be affected by social justice, gender is major one. By creating equal pay between men and women and making feminine hygiene products for women become free, I believe that we as a society will inch towards creating a more just society.