The 1st amendment is an important one. What do yous think of censorship that we see happening today on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, ect?*************
While these places take the guise of a private business. In todays times theyre basically a virtual public forum.
What do you think it says when they have to silence disent or views they dont agree with or dont want being heard?”************
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
“At its core, the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause prohibits the government from suppressing or forcing conformity with particular ideas or messages.”
“Indeed, the more authorities—whether formally through the exercise of government power, or informally through social intolerance—prescribe a single correct view and demonize others, the more citizens lose the ability to form responsible judgments and defend the many other freedoms that undergird human dignity and self-government.”
“Freedom of speech is essential to freedom of thought because a person cannot develop an
independent point of view about the world unless he or she is exposed to different ideas about what is important and what beliefs are most meaningful, and is permitted to converse with others about their experiences or beliefs. Just as totalitarian societies are premised on complete control over people’s actions and beliefs, free societies are premised on freedom of thought and freedom of conscience—the
right to have beliefs without risking punishment for “thoughtcrime” (the holding of unapproved beliefs and ideas). This freedom can develop only in a society that protects a broad and diverse range of opinion.”
AC