In today’s society, the need to protect freedom of speech has, unfortunately, become an issue in our democratic system. I believe freedom of speech is the most important issue of this election cycle. The internet has created a new political environment that virtually everyone can access, but freedom of speech on the internet and, in general, in today’s society, has taken a hit. There is a concerning trend of people telling other people what they can and cannot say and it is just as responsible for the weakening of American democracy as anything Donald Trump has said or done.
Donald Trump’s vitriolic comments and inane and divisive campaign platform may certainly be hurting our democracy, but it should be considered that the response to Trump has also done its damage to the health of our democracy. At Emory University, students protested a chalk drawing that said “Trump 2016.” The students claimed they were hurt by this message and used the very same First Amendment right they were trying to curtail, to voice their claim.
This incident shows the ridiculousness of a divisive election. The fact of the matter is that “Trump 2016” is not hate speech. Like it or not, Donald Trump is a major candidate with a large base of supporters. Although his policies may not be legitimate, his candidacy is, and his right to speech is the same as anybody's. I’m not trying to say that Donald Trump shouldn’t be protested. People who think his message is wrong should absolutely voice their opinions, but people who are anti-Trump do not have the right to stomp on the civil liberties of Trump supporters.
The push to restrict the freedom of speech of Trump supporters can also be easily seen on the internet. On social media every day, there are people who claim that Trump’s word are hate speech. Anti-Trump people are more than welcome to engage in debate about Trump’s policies, or satirize and even ridicule these policies, but they don’t have the right to say that they cannot be shared. The internet is the major forum for the exchange of ideas in today’s world and freedom of speech on the internet has rather loose definitions. What some might call “the PC police,” have used the internet to go after people who voice differing opinions from their own because they find it offensive. Although freedom of speech does have limitations, most of what is written online falls under the category of protected speech without a doubt. There is an interesting argument that has floated around that “the PC police” are even partially responsible for the popularity of Donald Trump. The idea behind this being that people became so fed up with other people telling them what is ok or not ok to say, that they latched on to a candidate that has no qualms about speaking openly. The fact of the matter is that freedom of speech, in every form, needs to be protected or America stops becoming a legitimate democracy.
Freedom of speech is an American’s most valuable right and it is critical to maintaining our democracy. Whether you agree with the speech or not, you need to able to recognize that people are allowed to hold different opinions than you and they have the right to share just as you have the right to share yours. No matter what is said, there is a possibility that someone somewhere will get offended. No one has the right to make sure everyone is safe and shielded from opinions that differ from their own. You need to be exposed to opposing ideas, otherwise you close your mind and isolate yourself from others. This is a major reason why America is as divided as it is.
