Does public expression of opinion foster the democratic Ideal of free speech? My thoughts on the subMacasieb, Joey AP English Language P.6 Ms. Burke
12/21/06
Draft 3 Argumentation: Opinion and Democratic Ideals From actors to the officials that the people themselves elect into office, it would appear that everyone has an agenda they are trying to push onto the public. Often, the public is subjected to a so-called “expert opinion” or told a half truth at best. However, there comes that rare moment every now and again when something is said that truly causes the public to stop and think on the subject that is being discussed. With a kind of revolution taking place in the way that the American public, and the rest of the world for that matter, gets its information; the line between a worthwhile opinion and the advancement of a personal agenda is very difficult to decipher. While opinions can sometimes be considered as malefic or reliable, it is important to note that it is the democratic ideal of free speech that is nurtured in allowing for people to openly speak their minds. The forefathers of the United States sought out to be sure that every American citizen would have the right to speak their minds freely. Thus, albeit after some persuasion, the First Amendment was written. This right is exercised every day by the many politicians, actors and laypeople that use various types of mediums to express their opinions everyday. Using new mediums such as the internet and online journals, it has been made possible for any American citizen to express his opinion. Therefore, the democratic idea of freedom of the speech and freedom of the press is put into use. Macasieb 2 An important factor to consider is that in the United States, as compared to some European countries, there is little no grey area in political thought. The country is either-or in the area of social and political views. This is represented by the Congress of the United States which currently is dominated by the conservative Republican party and the liberal Democratic party. Because the officials elected are supposed to represent the views of the American people, it is extremely clear that, here in the United States, lines are drawn between political extremes leaving very little room for moderate thought. An increasingly popular form of accessing the opinions of many people is the internet. Popular sites that have recently been put to wide usage are online journals called “Web Blogs”. These sites are more often than not run by every day citizens. Nothing fosters the ideal of freedom of speech more than these mediums. Using the online journal, authors express their opinions on a wide range of subjects such as war to discussing the actions of the President and other politicians. This shows the value of free speech when in other countries, such as Iran or the former Iraq, speaking against the government could get a person killed. While one may not agree with what is said on the internet journals, it is important to note the bias of the author. Since the journal is written by an everyday citizen, it is bound to have a slant in one direction or another. Therefore, nothing said can be taken at face value or used to assume that if the author is associated with some kind of group, such as a church, that their opinions are reflective of the larger number. Talk shows on both the radio and cable news channels are another medium through which fact is often interwoven with opinion. While there is actual news presented thus allowing the viewer or listener to deduce their own thoughts, a person can often find Macasieb 3 himself wading through opinion to get at core fact. News casters such as Bill O’ Reilly and Rush Limbaugh will often begin by presenting news, but interjecting with a - in the specific case of these two particular casters-- conservative slant. On the other side, however, there are casters who add a liberal slant to the news such as caster Bill Handel. The fact that there is the variety of news stations and casters to select from shows once again that a basic freedom is being fostered and is flourishing. Opinions that are also coming to the forefront are that of musicians. Music artists are writing lyrics that, while possibly indirectly, influence American teens to speak out on issues they believe in. When iconic punk rock group Green Day released their album “American Idiot” in September of two thousand four, the public took notice. Politically charged songs like “Holiday” and “American Idiot” expressed anti war sentiments and commented on the slanted American media. Preceding the aforementioned was pop rock group U-2. These particular artists wrote songs about religious persecution in their home country of Ireland and called for an end to violence. One of the most outspoken and prominent bands, however, is heavy metal group System of a Down. With their members Armenian in heritage, the group has crusaded to get world governments to recognize the Armenian genocide in World War I. Their lyrics have also challenged political order and in their 2005 album “Mezmerize”, they too challenged the current Iraq conflict in their song “BYOB”. It is a fact that only two hundred years ago, this radical idea of allowing the people to speak their minds came out of the enlightenment and was adopted by revolutionaries Macasieb 4 seeking to form a new union that was created by and intended to be run by the people. However, today more than ever their idea is put into use. People have the freedom to use various mediums such as the internet to express their thoughts on the major issues confronting the country. The nation was founded by men who sought to create a country which did not restrict a person’s freedom to speak their mind. Their vision is realised more so today with the new technology and innovations in media, than ever before. This is a work I am very proud of. As you can see, I wrote this for my AP English class. Feedback on the essay is appreciated because it is a work in progress. Happy 2007 everyone Joey | 
