Why freedom of speech matters?

Answer 1

Why does freedom of speech matter? Oh my. This is perhaps the most important constitutional protection we Americans have, and we are lucky to have it even though at times it can seem like a burden.

Imagine what it would be like to live in a country (and there are plenty of them) where you could not question what your government was doing? Where you could not open your mouth without being punished, for calling out something you thought was unjust?

Our American freedom of speech is fundamentally freedom of political speech. It does not mean you can yell "Fire" in a crowded theater. It does not mean you can incite a riot. It means you have the absolute right to express your point of you, your opinion, about matters of public concern.

The problem is that once you allow any political speech, you have to be prepared for the consequences: allowing ideas that you don't like. The idea is that if the people who hold those ideas express them, the majority will reject them, even if they never go away entirely. It is something a free society has to live with.

The other problem is the "fire in the crowded theater" issue. Can one plot against the government secretly? We have laws like the "Patriot Act" that requires disclosure of affiliation with organizations that are believed to have ties to organizations that have anti-American and potentially terrorist ties. This is not unlike something called the "Red Scare" in the 1950s when the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC) was set up to try to root out so-called Communists. It blacklisted people - actors, authors, teachers, politicians, even ordinary citizens, making people take oaths. It ruined lives and made paraiahs out of people who simply attended meetings where "communist" ideas were discussed. It was one of the darkest eras in our political history.

Balancing this precious right against our need for security is perhaps the most difficult undertaking our government is entrusted with handling. Without the proper balance, we could be attacked. Or worse yet, our freedom of speech could be curtailed and the ideal of a society where the free exchange of ideas is encouraged, could be crushed.