Protect Dissent

Among the eight values of free expression, Protect Dissent is one that resonates most with me because unlike other speech theories, it goes deeper than the obvious argument that all humans have the right to freedom of speech. Instead, it focuses on when the First Amendment matters most, which is when we are discussing topics or ideas that we disagree on or are controversial. 

Steven Shiffrin argues in his book, Dissent, Injustice, and the Meanings of America, that everyone should view dissent as one of the most important values relating to freedom of speech. In other words, he claims that freedom of speech needs to be protected when people challenge or criticize the government, or when their views and beliefs may be controversial to some. 

The International Service for Human Rights states that "dissent involves the exercise of individual and collective rights of expression, association, assembly, and participation in public affair". I think this definition offers another important perspective of Protect Dissent. It illustrates how free speech, along with having the right to criticize the government, also includes the right to gather, petition, and protest with the community. This is how a lot of the change in the government gets made, when people who share a common goal come together and utilize their rights to free speech.

Suffragettes Protesting in London, 1912.

The women's suffrage movement is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of people petitioning for change. Many people, including myself originally, don't believe that protesting and petitioning has any effect. However, when looking at the women's suffrage movement, it's clear that this isn't true. Women having the right to vote just like men do seems obvious, however, it wasn't always like that. People protested and fought from 1848 until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.

 One of the biggest events that took place throughout the movement was the Seneca Falls Convention. It took place in New York in 1848 and was the first woman's rights convention in the nation.

This relates to our discussion in class about how people drive and lead change instead of the courts. Communities come together and petition for change and this was seen in, as mentioned, the women's suffrage movement as well as the abolitionist movement and the Civil Rights Movement. 

I see examples of Protect Dissent in action every day. Social media is the biggest example I can think of. Many of the videos I see on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and X are people talking about and/or criticizing the government. 

This shows how change can be led by the people because anyone can post and gain attention on the internet if people agree with their ideas and beliefs. However, a negative side effect to people being able to freely express themselves is the backlash. People are often attacked online or even physically in person, specifically for their beliefs. 

Kim Jong Un

The First Amendment appears more important when looking at other countries where they don't have the same rights as us in the United States. One country that comes to mind is North Korea, where freedom of speech is very restricted. In schools and workplaces, people are "expected to monitor employees" and report them if anything is suspicious.

In this nation, people don't have the right to say whatever they want about the government or disagree publicly online. However, in other countries like North Korea, there are serious repercussions to those actions.

Protect Dissent mainly stands out to me because it dives deeper than just the basic idea of having the right to say whatever you want. Free speech is most important when people disagree and are expressing their own opinions and viewpoints.