In a world where “FAKE NEWS” and disinformation practically rule the internet, it is important now more than ever to have a plethora of sources to receive information from. We, as Americans, have a right to pursue the “discovery of truth”, as outlined by John Milton. For this reason, I believe the Marketplace of Ideas is one of the most significant values of free expression. In his pamphlet titled “Areopagitica” (1644), Milton argues against needing government approval before publishing books and other forms of print. Milton’s advocacy for the exchange of free ideas to improve logical and theoretical development are what helped shape the foundation of our First Amendment and generated support for freedom of speech. Allowing everyone to state their ideas without restrictions from the government is important because it allows us as a society to sort through those ideas and form a consensus on what the better idea is to find the truth.
Currently, we see the value of the marketplace of ideas being compromised, especially within the past two years. During the pandemic and today’s political climate, censorship has been very present. On sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, any posts that contain the words “Covid-19” or “vaccine” are marked with a warning label telling users to visit the Covid-19 Information Center for vaccine resources. Additionally, material that is posted is also subject to be removed from said platforms. For example, Joe Rogan recently signed a contract with the streaming platform Spotify and he discovered that many of his podcast episodes were not published to be accessible. One of them included an interview with Robert Malone who was talking about how he believes vaccine mandates and forcing children to get the vaccine are bad. Spotify decided to not post those podcast episodes because they have opposing views and believed the podcast was too controversial in terms of public health.
This is just one instance where we see “cancel culture” at work. Cancel culture is a dominating force on the internet today that essentially ostracizes anyone who does not hold the popular opinion. Celebrities especially can lose their power essentially overnight if they do or say something that makes the public want to cancel them. As Americans, we pride ourselves on having free speech and protecting our individual rights; however, “cancel culture” and censorship go against those beliefs completely. More people must support the marketplace of ideas and realize that we need to have various thoughts to draw a distinction between good and bad notions.
In conjunction with the marketplace of ideas, I find the values of promoting tolerance and individual self-fulfillment to be significant as well. I’ve always believed that there is a difference between acceptance and tolerance. While you don’t have to accept something that someone says or does, tolerating it is a different story. Although the First Amendment does allow hate speech, it doesn’t allow people to act on the hateful things they might say. As much as we wish everyone could be tolerant of other people’s life choices, our society does not function like that, but people have to recognize that individual self-fulfillment is a natural right. Our foundation as Americans is “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, so each person has the right to form their own identity and form their own opinions of others. So long as your speech is not threatening or considered to be incitement, then you can state your convictions, even if they are not accepted by society or align with the “norm”.
Sources:
Davis, K. R. (2009). John Milton. Retrieved February 5, 2022, from https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1259/john-milton
Speech. Areopagitica: Text. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2022, from https://milton.host.dartmouth.edu/reading_room/areopagitica/text.html
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