People have the tendency to take the First Amendment for granted, but some tend to use it to their favor. Stanley Fish presents his main argument about how people misuse this amendment for all their conflicts involving from racial issues to current political affairs in his article, Free-Speech Follies. His article involves those who misinterpret the First Amendment as their own works or constantly use it as an excuse to express their attitudes and desires about a certain subject matter. He expresses his personal opinions against those who consistently use the First Amendment as a weapon to defend themselves from harm of criticism.
The first amendment guarantees five basic freedoms to the American citizens. These freedoms are of speech, press, petition, assembly and religion. As all the amendments, the first amendment is intended for use in situations with the government. The first amendment was written by James Madison and was sent to the states to be ratified on September 25, 1789 along with the twelve proposals for the bill of rights.. Then it was officially adopted on December 15, 1791.
In the article, “The Indispensable Opposition,” author, Walter Lippmann, argues his claim that we must view the freedom of oppositions as a way to improve our decisions in a democratic society rather than just tolerating that freedom of speech. When freedom of speech is tolerated and only seen as a right to speak, Lippmann believes that the liberty of opinion becomes a luxury.
The Coddling of the American Mind, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, is an article published by the Atlantic Journal about the negative effects trigger warnings and microaggressions have on students in college. Trigger warnings are disclaimers about any potential emotional response from a class or its material. Microaggressions are words or actions that have no sinister intentions, but are taken as such. Greg Lukianoff is the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. (47) As the leader of the foundation, Greg Lukianoff has witnessed and fought many legal occasions of trigger warnings and microaggressions resulting in the masking of the freedom of speech. Coauthor Jonathan Haidt is a professor at New York University’s
Rules encompass a variety of ideas with the purpose of controlling the actions of individuals. Without rules, disorder and chaos would prevail, leading to an ultimate disaster. However, the opposite of this disaster would be an absolutely controlled world where there is only order; with rules governing everything in existence. Both worlds are unfavorable and need a balance, allowing for rules to be broken yet rules are still followed to keep order and maintain balance. In the novel Fahrenheit 451, a postmodern dystopian fiction, Ray Bradbury describes the life of Guy Montag, a fireman with the job of starting fires in order to burn books, and his struggles against a controlling society that rejects his desire for knowledge. Bradbury takes a
Depending on which way one may view a certain circumstance, everyone is a victims of censorship. Unwillingly volunteering our free thinking by a superior influence. Do people feel that we need to endure censorship? Over the course of the novel Fahrenheit 451, we see how censorship adapts one 's behavior. The public are banned from owning or reading books, there are many reasons for why people are so averse towards books and submit to the government. Entertainment such as, tv and radio play a big part in why most people do not independently think for themselves.The bigger reason is the sensitivities towards the “offensive” opinions written in these books that makes people submit to the goverments rules. This makes one either obey the authority and seeing what can happen to the world if they chose to let it stay the same or disobeying authority for change. Very much alike the recent occurrences where some college students have been rejecting the books they were given and are requesting new books and passages that are not offensive for the end result of softening and changing dated learning. On the other hand, there are new rules that are trying to make penitentiary’s “safer”, though adding specific approved “respectable” books for the prisoners to read and taking away their personal input on information. By restraining ones free state of mind and taking away the ability to learn for oneself will cause intolerant behaviors to submissify humanity 's search for meaning.
Censorship in America can vary between the silencing of young voices and the prevention of exposing others of inappropriate material. Many people are afraid of losing their freedom of speech, as first amendment rights should be mandatory for American citizens. Polar to this argument insists the importance of censorship, as it can shield the public from information that can lead to fear or chaos. Leaving students ignorant to world problems, however, is argued by Sonja West that it removes their first amendment rights and creates a future working-class of Americans who are clouded from the truth. West is a law professor at the University of Georgia who is distinguished for her expertise in the first amendment law and minor in journalism. In her article, “Censorship 101,” West crafts her text through numerous court case experience and skill in rhetorical devices as her background expertise is used to her advantage.
Arguments over the First Amendment and its guarantee of a freedom of speech and expression have existed since the dawn of the country, and although these discussions often happen as a result of a major policy changes or violent events involving both sides of the political spectrum, I personally feel as if the amendment should be looked in another light. Just as Ben Shapiro explores in his article titled “The End of the First Amendment,” the crisis that we are facing about our First Amendment results from the individual actors on the debate stage. Both sides are at fault here, where in some locations liberals are the one to blame and other places, conservatives. Arguments should be intellectually stimulating and conducted as a way to not only
A further consideration that must be taken into account while evaluating this case is that of time, place, and manner restrictions. Such restrictions are a sort of measuring stick when it comes to these types of freedom of speech issues. If a group or individual does not comply with time, place, and manner restrictions, their actions are no longer protected by the First Amendment. Meanwhile, if these restrictions are adhered to, a party has the constitutional right to voice their viewpoints. Time, place, and manner are “considerations that could act as restrictions on what would ordinarily be First Amendment-protected expression. Such restrictions do not target speech based on content, and in order to stand up in court, they must be applied
We, as human beings, have always been naturally curious. We are on the search for better, brighter ideas, and new solutions to our problems. Here, in the United States, we know how important the freedom to think and being able to let ideas flow freely is. But, in some societies, people are treated different. Take the society in Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, for example. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, readers are shown that books, the portal of knowledge, have been banned throughout their society. While many believe that censorship is a necessity in certain contexts and topics, Ray Bradbury shows the readers that the concept of censorship of books and the inability to voice your thoughts and opinions is a ridiculous idea and it halts the future knowledge that people could receive.
Freedom of speech is a classic saying in America, but in the book, the author presents a
The first part of the quote clearly shows how people in the town of Hillsboro felt afraid. They felt like they could not have any opinions that did not conform to what the town thought because they were scared to get the cold shoulder from other residents of the town. Freedom of thought is very important and the play Inherit. The Wind examples of this are when Drummond the defence lawyer was very interested in winning the case to prove that teaching evolution in the classroom should not be frowned upon but should actually be applauded because he wants the children of Hillsboro to know there are different opinions and beliefs in the world not just the one in this small town. This example shows how fighting passionately against censoring knowledge was demonstrated in the book. “You have no more right to spit on his religion than you have a right to spit on my religion! Or my lack of it! ” this quote said by Mr.Drummond is a good representation
"Intellectual Freedom And Freedom Of Speech: Three Theoretical Perspectives." Library Quarterly 86.2 (2016): 153-171. Professional Development Collection. Web. 17 Oct. 2016The source examines three different theories of Intellectual Freedom and Freedom of Speech. The article starts by defining intellectual freedom; it also establishes that American libraries are very efficient, and are a prime source for Americans to find information. It then furthers its purpose through establishing to the reader the link between Intellectual Freedom (IF) and Freedom of Speech. The source then gives a basic layout of its argument to the reader in the form of a chart. This helps the reader follow the author’s argument. The first theory that is discussed is the marketplace of ideas theory which states that ideas should be like products and compete with one another until eventually the dominant/best idea wins. The theory also discusses falsehoods and their place in the marketplace of ideas. The theory places falsehoods as a very important part of the marketplace, because falsehoods contribute to the integrity of the truths. The article then goes on to discuss the importance of Intellectual Freedom and Freedom of Speech in democracy. Oltmann states that Freedom of Speech is necessary to democracy because it allows the circulation of free thought and opinions that then lead to political involvement of Americans. The source then discusses the place that the library and IF
Censorship compromises the freedom of speech in many different ways. Freedom of speech refers to the right to speak without censorship or being restraint by a higher authority of the organization or country. For example, Compromising the freedom of speech will not allow the society to voice out their negative thoughts or to protest at a government or a government-related event. This example clearly shows that freedom of speech is being compromised as people are unable to voice out what they truly feel and are mostly forced to keep their opinions to themselves as voicing these opinions will make the rest of the society think in a different way and steer them away to generate other ideas or thoughts. Another example that compromises the freedom of speech will be allowing the younger generation to understand and think on their own about certain subjects such as pornography or homosexuality. This example clearly shows that freedom of speech is being compromised as the younger generation are unclear or sure of what to think about such topics as they are unable to think for themselves and decide. The younger generation, most likely from the age of 12 and above, should be able to think on their own as to why it is not safe and not being told to think they are not safe as this would be controlling what they are thinking. Hence, Freedom of speech is being compromised as they are unable to think with
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), freedom of speech falls under the Article 19 which is the freedom of opinion and expression. It protects one’s freedom ‘to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’ (The United Nations, 1948). Article 19(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) adds that the freedom of expression could be ‘either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice’.