Values of Freedom consist of 8 topics: Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, Promote Tolerance, Promote Innovation, and Promote Dissent.
Stable Change, the belief that allowing citizens to freely speak and or "vent" causes people to be less violent due to having a way to express their feelings and emotions without doing physical damage.
As Americans, we are protected under the 1st Amendment, stating Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Research by the Cato Institute supports the idea that governments' lack of free speech in communities and the silencing of citizens leads to conflicts and disagreements turning violent because there is no other way to express their dissent.
Stable change resonates with me the most because we have the right and power as people of the United States of America in a democracy to say how we feel online or in person. Censoring media to what we can and can not say would infringe on the rights given to us by our forefathers and fought for by our military over the years.
In the United States, yes, we have protests along with riots, but more peaceful protests than anything, especially compared to countries that do not allow that and then go straight into riots. Countries that lack the civilians' freedom to openly express their feelings usually skip the protest stage and go straight to riots, as they know words are not heard or valued.
In countries such as Europe, people who speak out against the government suffer from being asset freezing. North Korea, citizens can "disappear" or be sent to prison camps where they are subjected to inhumane treatment, and there have even been speculations of public executions. Without the freedom to speak freely without fear of execution, how, as a person, can you fully feel fulfilled in life?
The value of freedom, Stable Change as a future Journalist is sacred to me because it impacts the future of my job. If we are not able to report on the facts of a government official or the president to the people because it offends them or could cause protest, how would I be able to complete my job?
My career path aside, as Americans, it is your 1st Amendment right to protest the government, and if we feel it to overthrow, because a prerequisite for democracy from the Declaration of Independence is that the government gets its power only through the consent of the governed.
My question to you all is that do we not resolve conflicts by hearing one another out? If a large number of people feel that their voices are not being heard or taken into account, will that not grow resentment or unrest? In my opinion, it does, which is what can cause things to escalate to violence, because words could not be spoken or heard instead.
