Premium Essay

America

In: English and Literature

Submitted By scvt2012
Words 311
Pages 2
around the world, if someone wrote what I'm writing, they would be arrested and thrown in jail. The very fact that I am able to speak these words and publish these essays demonstrates the level of freedom we still enjoy in the United States of America. Of course, protecting that right is a constant struggle, and that's why we have organizations like the Electronic Freedom Foundation working hard to make sure that freedom of speech remains fully intact.
If you think about it, there are countries like China where you wouldn't dare speak your mind, because you'd be incarcerated or assassinated. There are countries like Iran, where bloggers are put in jail because the Iranian government does not like their blogs. Certainly in the United States there's a lot of censorship and editorial control in the mainstream press, but a blogger can get online and say just about anything they want (as long as it's not something like instructions on how to make a bomb).

We can freely criticize the government, the president, private groups and even professions. At the same time we can sing the praises of those things we believe are really phenomenal and positive in this country. That's what freedom of speech is all about. It doesn't mean that you have to agree with everything I say, or that I have to agree with everything you say. It means that we respect each other's right to voice our opinions, even if we disagree. Especially if we disagree, actually. We let the conversation take place, so that individuals can be exposed to many different views, and then decide on their own what they wish to believe. It's a remarkable freedom, and it's crucial that we preserve that freedom. It's one of the best things about living in the United States today.

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