It is common for people holding less popular opinions to be shut out or threatened. Anybody going against the status quo puts themselves at risk, and or, in danger. When something like this happens in a friend group, the repercussions are far less severe than when it happens in a government or on a macro level. In America, citizens are supposed to be protected when they voice an opposing opinion or idea. But it seems like it’s becoming more common for the minority opinions to get threatened or blackmailed in order to stay silent, or even worse prosecuted.
In my opinion, protecting dissent is the most important value of free expression. Without this, ideas and innovation do not grow or adapt to the needs of modern times. If people are not free or encouraged to voice their opinion in order to fix (or better) certain institutions, then those institutions will remain outdated and unhelpful to the majority of Americans that need it. Protecting dissent is thought of as our patriotic duty for this exact reason. If people don’t criticize the government then it does not improve.
Steven Shiffrin wrote about this idea in a book titled Dissent Injustice and the Meanings of America. In it he says that “Americans should not just tolerate dissent they should encourage it.” He also states that “major institutions including the supreme court and the mass media wrongly limit dissent”. There are also many websites and organizations that are dedicated to fighting back and preserving descent. They also understand how important this right is.
In addition to no longer advancing, if the United States government were to operate without opposition, it could lead to a society that is not democratic. Without opposition, the government is not being held accountable to the people. They could implement new radical and detrimental legislation without giving minority groups the opportunity to argue the case from their side.
Lastly, I think John Whitehead stated the final reason why I feel protecting dissent is the most important value of free expression. He said, “If I didn’t love this country, it would be easy to remain silent. However, it is because I love my country, because I believe fervently that if we lose freedom here, there will be no place to escape to, I will not remain silent”. I think that he brings up two really good points. First, there is such a thing as constructive criticism. Sometimes people with opposing opinions speak their mind because they love the USA so much that they want it to function in the most successful and efficient way it possibly can. Secondly, we are all Americans, and we all live here. The government creates and enforces the supreme law of land, with no other place to go, saying that citizens can’t contribute or critique the authority figures making the legislation, in a way can turn what is supposed to be a democracy into a prison. The purpose of criticism is to improve things, without this ability, the United States would lose one of its biggest strengths.
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