After looking, reading, and comprehending the eight values of free expression there was one right away I knew I wanted to further explore. This key value is promoting innovation through free speech.
Promoting Innovation aligns with the first amendment. The first amendment guarantees basic rights to religion, expression, assembly, petition, and freedom of speech. Promoting Innovation is when a given community has free speech protected and encouraged so citizens can carry out important issues in more meaningful ways. It allows different points of views to come together, and feel more seen to make the best community allowed.
It allows people to be heard as a whole and for their ideas to hopefully be followed through to help make the community a better place for all.
Jack M. Balkan is an educated professor who teaches constitutional law and the first amendment at Yale Law School. His studies directly correlate to promoting Innovation, which falls under the first amendment. In his Article, Cultural Democracy and the First Amendment, Balkan states “In a free society, people should have the right to participate in the forms of meaning-making that shape who they are and that help constitute them as individuals” (Jack M. Bakin).
The quote shows how Bakin sees the importance of the first amendment to shape not only individuals but a society as a whole. It also shows how people who have their freedom of speech limited and monitored do not live in a free or healthy place. It not only shows the value of freedom of speech but the importance it has on shaping individuals as a whole.
I personally believe that in order to make an informed decision about politics, politicians need to have freedom of speech so that the voter understands what they believe in and stand for. In order for citizens to be educated and vote for people with similar beliefs freedom of speech is needed, which then helps shape an empowering community within.
I picked Promoting Innovation out of eight other valves of free expression not only because it was important to me but because I never thought of freedom of speech as such a privilege. I wanted to be more educated on the topic, and comprehend other professionals, like Balkin, thoughts on the matter. Many places in the world do not have the privilege to speak up and talk about politics like in America.
After my research I see the importance of using your voice to advocate for what you strongly believe in to make a better community because others do not have that privilege given to them. I also now see the importance of listening to other voices of people, especially those in power, to understand politics, their point of view, and the social regime of politics.
I also now know that it is important to use your free speech to build a better diverse community. When people have the power to use their voice amazing change has occurred and will continue to occur.
Freedom of speech in order to promote innovation is seen in the media today with all the rallies for politics, race matters, and the LGBTQIA community. These people are rallying to get their voice heard and make the community a better place.
Hence promoting Innovation through freedom of speech is vital in creating a healthy empowering community. I am blessed to live in a country that does not limit my speech and empowers me to use my voice and to hear others.
https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol110/iss5/3
WORK CITED
Jack M. Balkin, Cultural Democracy and the First Amendment, 110 Nw. U. L. Rev. 1053 (2016).https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol110/iss5/3
