Eight Values Blog #3

There are eight values of free expression in the United States of America.

The following eight values are: Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self Government,

Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfilment, Protect Dissent, Promote Innovation, Promote Tolerance, and Check on Governmental Power.

All the following eight values of free expression are strongly crucial due to the fact that the values create the roots of a Democratic community. 

Out of all the eight values of free expression, the two that resonated with me the strongest are the Promote Innovation and Individual Self-Fulfillment values.

The reason why I chose the Promote Innovation and Individual Self-Fulfillment values is because it aligns with other aspects that I believe are essential for our society which are personal liberty, Democratic values, innovation and progress, diversity and pluralism, resilience and adaptability, human flourishing, and sustainability.

The importance of citizens to have the ability to express themselves freely is the most important right to have. It is what makes everyone so different from each other and be able to express that difference. People need to feel comfortable and have the right to share their thoughts and  opinions in a safe space without having any fear. Both Promote Innovation and Individual Self-Fulfillment values are the backbones of free speech and free expression. A human cannot be a human without being able to have the fulfillment of being creative and growing. 

With social media and digital communication, having to post and be creative as my job makes  individual fulfillment very important to me because it is not just a job, but rather it is also a big part of who I am. I need to have the rights to be creative and be able to have self growth. When people are unable to be themselves and grow as people, communities and societies become meaningless.  One important way I use to express my creativity to my followers is through Instagram. This platform gives the rights to any citizen with any background and states that they have the rights to post and be creative on the platform Instagram. It also helps connect different people of different backgrounds and allows them to collaborate with each other. It would impact our democracy very negatively if United States citizens did not have the ability to hear thoughts of other populations. Imagine not being able to be creative and express your opinions and thoughts on issues happening in the democracy and world. Promoting Innovation and Individual Self-Fulfilment is important for society, and Instagram helps communities do that as they connect with each other.

Some examples of how Individual Self-fulfillment has increased the strength for the United States in its human rights and diversity policies are the following: Environmental Activism, the Civil Rights Movement, The Women’s March on Washington, The Freedom of the Press, Social Media and Political Expression.  If Americans were unable to express themselves, the examples mentioned would not be possible, and we would not advance as a society as a result. In the examples listed, citizens were able to use their society’s values of individual Self- fulfillment to engage in protests to stand up for what they believe in and create a positive impact. The ability to speak about issues like climate change is a way to spread information to people who need to be aware of it. It also improved democracy in a positive way by giving the opportunity for people to become more involved in political opinions. These values make sure that the government doesn't take over all the control of the rights of United States citizens.