Individual Self-Fulfillment

    

Growing up as a United States citizen, I learned that the majority of the people around me valued their rights extremely. Along with the freedom of speech, many rights have been fought over for years for people to have a fair and equal government. The government is so quick to hold people accountable, which is why I think it's fair that people have rights to even the playing field with the government. Unfortunately, big crimes happen every single day, and it's horrific but not new to an average American. Because of people committing much bigger crimes, I think if the government proposed a new law that is so easily breakable, people would be going to jail more frequently.

If Americans suddenly lost the right to freedom of speech, it would cause a lot of backlash from the people. We've seen movements in the past that were held for much greater dire reasons, so taking away something so simple would cause the country to rage. Americans rely on their voice to speak their mind and express their individuality. Whether they use their voice to empower what they stand for or have a simple conversation, laws on what we can and cannot say shouldn't be a law in this country. 

Many people and activists have paid the price for speaking their mind and publicly putting themselves out there. Recently, a conservative speaker, Charlie Kirk, was politically assassinated during a debate event at a college. Unfortunately, he and many others have had the same fate because of their political views and speaking out. Many public speakers know the risk of sharing their views with people who may strongly disagree. This is where I think our freedoms are both controlled by the government and the people. There are no laws restraining people from expressing their political beliefs, but if you have a big audience or platform and say disagreeable things, the public will find a way to punish you for it.

My generation has also grown up with the rise of technology and social media. At first, the internet was used to express yourself and connect with other people, but as the media grew, so has the term “cancel culture”. Getting “canceled” online is when a social media influencer says or does something so offensive or wrong that they get shunned or scrutinized online. Depending on how big their audience is, many celebrities have had their careers ruined even if an old video resurfaced and caught attention. Again, social rules and standards are what are set apart from freedom of speech and just morals. Meaning the government doesn't have to make slurs or offensive sayings/jokes illegal because the public can ruin your future and career quickly if there's evidence of a person showing a bad image that a school or job wouldn't want to represent. 

In conclusion, I think the government and people have power over the freedom of speech and how people can use it. It's hard to decipher which would be a better outcome if the people did or didn't take matters into their own hands. Maybe more people would speak up to share ideas and thoughts, or more people would get hurt. Being able to share and express one's individuality is how society grows as a whole, whether it's good or bad; people should be able to express themselves in a non-threatening manner.