Following our in-class discussion, I had some time to reflect on the eight values of free expression. The eight values include: the Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation and Protect Dissent. All eight of these values are unique in their own way and play a role in shaping the United States as we know it today. Without these values, American citizens would not have the right to freedom of speech, check on government power, or be able to express themselves in their own unique manner. That is what makes them so special; these eight values allow each and every citizen of the United States to have their own individual beliefs and values, emphasizing the fact that no two people are the same.
Although all of these values are important, I will be focusing on the one that resonates most with me: Individual Self-Fulfillment, which is also known as Self-Actualization, an idea formulated by
C. Edwin Baker. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." However, Legal scholar
C. Edwin Baker argued that there was a deeper, more personal meaning to the First Amendment than the surface- level definition in his book
Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech.
Baker defined
Individual Self-Fulfillment as "Speech or other self-expressive conduct is protected not as a means to achieve a collective good, but because of its value to the individual" (
Human Liberty and Freedom of Speech p.5
). Essentially, saying that people have the right to express themselves in a way that allows them to create their own identity.
Why is the idea of Individual Self-Fulfillment so important to me? It resonates with me the most because I believe that people shouldn't feel pressured to follow societal norms. I believe that people should be able to dress the way they want to dress, post on social media however they want to and do whatever they feel comfortable doing.
Pursuing a degree in Sports Media is a perfect example of the topic of Individual Self-Fulfillment. As a woman, I frequently got looked down upon for choosing the direction of sports for my career, thanks to the First Amendment and C. Edwin Baker, I am able to continue going about my studies in sports without any repercussions of not following the social norm.
It is important to realize that whenever we speak, write ,or think of things, we aren't just vocalizing our thoughts, we are creating who we want to be. This topic takes me back to when we were discussing censorship in other countries and how people were being imprisoned and
debanked for vocalizing their thoughts online. I personally find it wrong for other countries to do this to their citizens because it prevents them from truly expressing who they are and/or who they want to be.
