The Freedom Of Speech Essay Example For Students

The Freedom Of Speech Essay The founders of the United States government tried to protect our liberty by assuring a free press, to gather and publish information without being under control or power of another, in the First Amendment to the Constitution. We are not very protected by this guarantee, so we concern ourselves on account of special interest groups that are fighting to change the freedom of expression, the right to freely represent individual thoughts, feeling and views, in order to protect their families as well as others. These groups, religious or otherwise, believe that publishing unorthodox material is an abuse of free expression under the First Amendment. As we know, the Supreme Court plays an important role in the subject of free speech and expression, and we need to understand that the court system is the center of the interpretation of our First Amendment rights. We will write a custom essay on The Freedom Of Speech specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now There are various reasons given for censorship; a classroom or library may restrict or ban a book or other learning resource because it includes social, political, or religious views believed to be inappropriate or threatening. A movie or TV program may be considered violent, or indecent because of nudity or inappropriate behavior. Also, a song or speech could contain language thought to be vulgar, or ideas and values that some consider objectionable. Although these examples are good reasons for censorship, initiating these steps would unveil a censorship disaster. Looking at all levels of American citizens, some of the people that want censorship are legislators on a local, state, and even federal level. Others are members of boards or committees, organized to review books, films, or other forms of communication on behalf of a community. Occasionally the censurers are teachers, librarians, or school administrators, who determine that a book or a classroom item may not be suitable fo r the students. Often censurers are parents, members of religious groups, or just citizens who are concerned about the presence of indecent or improper material in their schools, libraries, theaters, bookstores, television, and else where in the community. As always, there are those individuals that oppose the power to censor. There are members of society that believe in the freedom to speak publicly and to publish. This is a basic belief in the freedom of expression and is to be protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. On the eve of the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights, the first wave of a nationwide survey, comprising more than 1500 citizens was conducted. Through this survey it was found that American rate free speech as their second most precious First Amendment right and regard a free press highly in the abstract. Although there are strong cases made for and against censorship, the rising trend calling for censorship can threaten our basic rights to free expressi on and the right to be informed. At the center of the debate is the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees our right to read, speak, write, and communicate freely. The government at the state or federal level cannot interfere with this right. However, the First Amendment does not protect some forms of expression including libel and slander, false advertising, and obscenity. Compared to other countries within the world, we are advanced politically and technically. Our ability to learn and to communicate with one another will only make the complex issue of censorship grow. We should consider ourselves lucky by world standards, in many countries the freedom of expression is extremely limited, or sometimes not permitted at all. In these societies, the government censors views that are not in line with their policies, controlling controversial opinions on television, in newspapers, and even in public or private meetings. Members in our society believe in following the tradition of our First Amendment. This tradition allows us the freedom to read, write, speak, and therefore to learn. Our basic freedom is necessary for progressing society. It would be impossible ever to agree upon what should and should not be censored.

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buy custom Emotional Stress essay Klein (2008), notes that domestic violence can also occur when a family member is under emotional stress and intentionally or unintentionally transfers this stress to other family members. Emotional causes may be due to various reasons: Anger It is a very normal thing for one to be angry. However, different people act in different ways when they are angry. Some people fight with family members while others stay away from them. Some recover from this emotional feeling while for others, this feeling lasts for days, even months. Either way, domestic violence may arise from anger. An angry person may hurl insults at family members. He may also chase them away from the home. There are incidences where anger has driven some people into killing their spouse and children. Stress Stress can drive people from abandoning their marital responsibilities. When a spouse is under stress, he cannot perform his family roles in the right way. When this happens, other family members complain. This complains may make the stressed persons condition worse, leading to a situation whereby the condition ges worse with time, finally getting out of hand. Stress may be work-related or it may emanate from overwhelming family responsibilities. Either way, it is upon all family members to express their understanding of an individuals suffering. Without this understanding, the stress condition can only get worse. Thomas (1993) says that people who are under stress may direct violence towards their families as a way of attracting attention to their problems. When no family member seems to take notice, the situation gets worse with time, finally ending in the disintegration of the family. Jealousy When parents treat their children unequally, those who are discriminated against may complain. The complaints may lead to violence when no one heeds them. Fights among children often arise because of unfair distribution of resources. Some children may be given access to all the educational and emotional resources while other children get none. It is difficult for the children who are treated in this manner to sit back and watch this happen. Poverty Poverty in the family may drive everyone into a feeling of helplessness. According to UNICEF (2006), poverty is the leading cause of domestic violence in most poor countries. Unemployment, high costs of living and general impoverishment easily drives family members into being susceptible to violence. For some people, violence is a good way of shifting emotional attention from the existing problems. When poverty reigns, there are high chances that conflicts relating to matters of resource distribution will arise. Media The media remains a very influential force in all facets of our societies. The family may be depicted in movies as a flawless institution that is glamorous all the time. This is very far from the truth. Unfortunately, people do not understand this, something that makes them try to act out what they see on TV in their own family settings. When things do not work out their way, this may lead to emotional turmoil that fuels domestic violence. Additionally, children who have been brought up in an environment where they watch violent movies all the time end up becoming adults who are emotionally immature. They become violent for no apparent reason since they think that life should be all about violence. Buy custom Emotional Stress essay

It's a research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

It's a - Research Paper Example The romans realized the value of rhetoric and sought to use it developing their speeches, an aspect that was common during the renaissance and humanism periods. Rhetoric is recognized as the art of ruling the minds of men; it is an ornament that decorates language by making it more persuasive or appealing to the language user. Rhetoric presents the message in coded language that has little harm to the author as well as the readers. It also provides room for expression of issues in different contexts and situations because the technique can perform many tasks using similar words. This research paper seeks to analyze the use of rhetoric in literature and construction of genres. There are many rhetoric devices. They include questions, parallel structures, sound patterns such as alteration and assonance, contrasts, for example, a statement like; we have to be cruel to be kind. Other rhetoric patterns include repetition, hyperboles, emotive language, imagery, and contrast. Primary themes in every literary work examine the issue of appearance and reality. The authors justify appearance and the reality in their works in several ways. They create characters that pretend to be what they are not to link these two aspects in a dramatic way. Don Quijote is one of the great Spanish literary works written by a prominent Spanish writer, Cervantes. The novel was published in 1615 as a response to an earlier version published by an unknown person. In this novel, Cervantes defends himself from the earlier allegations made by an unknown publisher. He demonstrates reality by mentioning the earlier version of the book that he considers as being false and to the second part which is the true book. The author rhetorically creates characters who have read the false book are recognized a lie. He sought to bring reality and truth at a time when an unknown publisher of his first

The Potato Chip Industry Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Potato Chip Industry - Term Paper Example d ‘Wonks’ which was started by two smart lawyers who secretly bought up all the firms of this sector and began their operations as a monopolistic firm. The intention of this paper is to gain an in depth understanding of the monopoly market structure in comparison to the monopolistically competitive market structure with reference to potato chip industry. A monopoly market structure is characterized by meager or insignificant competition and complete control of the monopolist over the market. It is often learnt to be extremely profitable to the shareholders who intends to invest in a monopolistic business. It is because of the fact that the shareholders have to face insignificant risks of suffering loss from the business as the monopoly firm enjoys an apparent influence over the price of the commodities which can be altered at any time to substantiate the probable risks, thus securing the shareholders’ value. Moreover, a monopolistic firm also enjoys minimum exposure to the risk of close substitutes, since there are no other firms associated with supplying the same product. In case of a monopoly market, since there is only a single firm in market selling a particular commodity, it also becomes easier for the government to regulate the market operations (Petru, 2011). A monopoly firm is found to be consistently innovative in the long run for the reason that if the firm does not encourage innovation in its products and/or services, the consumers may opt for a substitute of the product instead of the same monotonous commodity which in turn is most likely to reward better market opportunities to the new entrants. In other words, it can be affirmed that if a monopoly firm continues with a same product without innovation, as a result of the growing consumer demand for new products, new entrants are most likely to get an opportunity to invade the market. Thus, it is quite likely that a monopoly market structure will be able to reward better customer services with

Statistics Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Statistics Project - Research Paper Example So aaccording to given conditions we state that null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis will be There are various statistical packages designed to carry out quantitative data analysis, the most widely used package is SPSS. SPSS enables the researcher to input raw data modify or reorganize the data once inputted and then perform a wide selection of analytical techniques (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight 2001). The scales utilized within the test instruments will be designed to denote the use of detailed statistical algorithms on collected data. Preliminary data analysis will include descriptive statistics, which will encompass univariate analytic techniques such as means, modes and standard deviations, and exploratory descriptive statistics, which will ascertain if the data collected, is normally distributed. So the Pearson correlation (r) of popularity and math scores is equal to -0.368. So according to this small value of correlation coefficient we conclude that there is a week negative association between these variables. This may imply as popularity level increases, math test scores decreases and vice versa. We use correlation method to determine whether some variable that's not under our control is associated - correlated - with another variable of our interest. Correlational studies aim at identifying relationships between variables. So i Test Statistic By using formula t = , = = = -1.1194 Scatter Plot Critical Region: t 2.048 Do not reject Ho, because the calculated value is not fall in the critical region. Conclusion: Do not reject null hypothesis so we conclude that there is no significant linear association/relationship between level of popularity and math test score. So in the relationship between children's level of popularity with their peers and their performance in academic tests they respond that there is no significant relationship between these popularity level and their maths scores. Descriptive Statistics The Descriptive procedure displays univariate summary statistics for several variables in a single table and calculates standardized values (z scores). Variables can be ordered by the size of their means (in ascending or descending order), alphabetically, or by the order in which we select the variables. Simple it is a useful procedure for obtaining summary comparisons of

Comparing Philosophers Hobbes And Locke Philosophy Essay

Comparing Philosophers Hobbes And Locke Philosophy Essay Social contract is an essential principle applied in most societies in the world. Many nations have elected governments which are tasked with maintaining rule of law. Sovereignty of countries is therefore given to governments in exchange of maintaining order. Social contract therefore forms the legitimacy of governments since they require consent from the governed people in order to be considered legitimate. This is seen as important principle which encourages individual and social order. Some of the most important philosophers who advanced arguments for social contract include Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau. They however held different views on social contract with Locke supporting liberal monarchy and Hobbes supporting authoritarian monarchy. Their arguments have set the framework for development of theories such as liberal democracy, constitutional monarchy, republicanism and others. Their theories have also been implemented in many democracies across the world. This paper will evaluate Lockes and Hobbes arguments on social contract with specific focus on the differences in their approach to the topic. The paper will then take one viewpoint from among the two discussed and explain why it is superior to the other. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Hobbes view of social contract Hobbes was of the opinion that authoritarian monarchy is the most effective form of social order in society. In this form of organization, the people submit to the authority or leadership. Hobbes supported leadership where exclusive power was given to leaders or a political class (Adams 2003). This form of leadership has several characteristics which include the concentration of power among leaders and the use of strategies such as exclusion of challengers and political repression to maintain authority. In this form of leadership, Hobbes was of the view that mass organizations and political parties are effective in mobilizing the population around the goals of a political system. He supported this political system since he viewed men as equal and therefore preventing conflict amongst them was impossible. Man fought for basic necessities and material possession which would ultimately lead to social collapse. The authoritarian monarchy was viewed as most effective in stemming this chao s in society. Hobbes supported monarchy since it was difficult for monarchs to disagree with themselves. However, this system of governance features unpopular leadership strategies such as rigging of elections, making of political decisions by the minority as well as presence of bureaucracy. Leaders are appointed by the political class without participation of citizens and there is unregulated and informal use of power. This system also features intolerance for the opposition and deprivation of civil liberties. In order to control political power, the military is often used in states which exercise authoritarian forms of power. Social control is maintained by regulating the civil society and establishing allegiance through use of socialization processes. These forms of leadership are usually weakened by poor performance of the political class with regards to peoples needs. Many collapse due to revolution by the population against leadership. During the Cold War, the USSR governance system is an example of the authoritarian rule in society. Currently, countries such as Chad and North Kor ea adhere to this governance system. Lockes view of social contract Locke supported liberal monarchy which supports equal rights and liberty in governance. This leadership structure supports liberal democracy, constitutions, human rights, free elections, free trade, capitalism and religious freedom (Arnold 2006). It is also known as constitutional monarchy. In this political system, a monarch acts as head of state and derives power from the constitution. In many liberal monarchies, parliamentary systems are applied and these serve the purpose of checking excesses by the executive. In the past, liberal monarchy co-existed with quasi-fascist, fascist or military dictatorship. Liberal monarchy systems believe in going to war in cases of aggression although use of unilateral force is not supported as it encourages cycles of violence. Locke believed that liberal monarchy would best protect private property and encourage liberty; two of the most important amenities enjoyed by humans (Locke 2003). He viewed the human nature as being driven by self preservat ion and survival instincts, which made it necessary to have a supreme power in order to maintain social order. The social contract between people being governed and the sovereign authority achieved this objective. There are various weaknesses which are associated with the liberal monarchy governance system. The first is that although representatives are elected, these are few individuals who make decisions on behalf of the whole system. In essence, power is therefore held by few individuals who have a similar ability to misuse it as is seen in the authoritative governance system. Some critics, especially those who have Marxist roots, argue that this governance system is controlled by the rich as opposed to the majority. It is therefore not democratic as it is class based. The rich have the power and resources to ensure they are elected into power, which defeats the objectives of the system. In such systems, religious and ethnic conflicts are also often seen and this is viewed as a weakness of the system. In authoritarian rule, the government would stem such conflicts and restore social order. Finally, these governance systems are seen to focus on short term objectives as opposed to long term o nes. Since the election of government is held regularly, legislators focus on short term goals which would make them popular with the electorate as opposed to long term ones which may not be visible within short term durations. Current liberal monarchies include Bahrain, Bahamas, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Cambodia, Lesotho, Monaco, Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, UK, Thailand and others. Differences between Hobbes and Lockes approach to social contract theory A major difference between Hobbes and Lockes views on social contract is that Hobbes believes in authoritarian rule where the political power yields absolute power while Locke believes in the power of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights (Hegel 2001). Locke believed in protecting private property and liberty while Hobbes believed that human beings were incapable of living without conflict unless an authoritarian authority restored order. Another difference between these theories is that Locke views society as possessing power to overthrow governments. Locke viewed society as creators of the government which gave them power to overthrow it. However, Hobbes views the government as a powerful monarch which the people cannot overthrow. Locke is of the opinion that abolishing a government and replacing it with another as upholding the social contract. Unlike Hobbes who viewed the human nature as driven to fight for basic necessities and material possession which would ultimately lead to social collapse, Locke believed that God had created human beings with wisdom which could prevent their greedy nature from taking over. Locke also believed that the social contract between the authoritative monarch and the people would not be fair as two distinctive groups would emerge; property owners and the poor. The poor would then have different contracts from the rich and they would suffer under this rule. Personal opinion on the best social contract approach I believe that Lockes social contract approach is the most effective in maintaining social order in society. Liberal monarchy advocates for equal rights and liberty in governance. This leadership structure supports liberal democracy, constitutions, human rights, free elections, free trade, capitalism and religious freedom. There are several reasons which I will advance for support of Lockes liberal monarchy political system and these arguments will be contrasted against Hobbes theories to prove that the latter is inferior in achieving stable political and social unit. The first reason for support of Lockes approach is political and economic stability. Many countries across the world have enjoyed economic and political stability from democracy over centuries. In fact, most countries of the world follow a structure similar to liberal monarchy which supports equal rights and democratic election of government officials. These countries have enjoyed stability since they make decisions based on the rule of the majority. Democracy is followed in making political decisions and the people participate in political systems through the officials they elect. Due to this, most people support democratic regimes since they stand for what the majority advocates for. However, countries which have followed Hobbes authoritative leadership styles have experienced conflicts and revolutions. This is due to the reason that the leadership goals are not in line with what the people stand for. The fact that oppression and intolerance for opposition strategies are used also reduces public confidence in the political class. Governments which have been overthrown as a result of using this system include Tunisia, USSR, Uganda, Cuba, Germany, France and others. . Another reason why I support Lockes social contract approach is that it upholds human rights. Human rights are the basic freedoms which people enjoy. Some of the rights upheld by this system include the right to own property, right to religious freedom, right of expression and others. Locke supports safeguarding of rights according to the constitution. He advocates for protection of property and justice. However, Hobbes vests power in a few people who make all political decisions. These people in power hold the rights of the society and they make unilateral decisions of what is acceptable or not. This can be seen to be infringement of human rights which everyone should have access to. This makes Hobbes leadership approach unacceptable in the modern society. Finally, history has proven that countries which have practiced Lockes approach have prospered while those which have applied Hobbes approach have collapsed in the long run. Many revolutions such as the French revolution and Cuban revolution as well as the collapse of countries such as the USSR can be attributed to the use of Hobbes authoritarian monarchy leadership system. Current revolutions against countries such as Tunisia and Egypt can also be traced to the use of a similar approach. On the other hand, economically and politically stable countries in the modern world such as UK, US and others have applied the democratic governance system. This shows that Lockes approach is more effective in maintaining social order than Hobbes approach. Summary and conclusion Social contract has been discussed to be a form of gaining government legitimacy through giving governments sovereignty in exchange for maintaining order. Locke and Hobbes are important philosophers who analyzed social contract theories. However, their approaches were different with Locke supporting liberal monarchy and Hobbes supporting authoritarian monarchy. Both approaches have weaknesses and strengths which have been discussed in the paper. The most effective approach to apply in leadership especially in the modern world is Lockes approach which supports liberal democracy, constitutions, human rights, free elections, free trade, capitalism and religious freedom. This approach is consistent with the needs of several societies and it has been successfully implemented in many states. Hobbes approach has failed in several countries due to revolution against the political class which practices authoritarian rule. It is important for leaders to embrace leadership which supports respect for human rights, democracy and protection of property. History has proven that this is the most effective leadership style. Leaders who have failed to embrace democracy have faced revolutions and the current ones in Tunisia and Egypt can be traced to the weaknesses in Hobbes leadership style. When leaders impose their will on the people, there is likely to be resistance since the majority will not have their way. Although strategies such as repression work in the short term, eventually the people lose faith in leadership and a revolution is born. Leaders should therefore follow Lockes liberal monarchy political system and embrace democracy. Once democracy is embraced, human rights protected and the constitution is adhered to, the leadership gains support from the people. This ensures that order is maintained within states and that people live in harmony and peace.

The Dehumanization Process in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Do

The Dehumanization Process in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Throughout American history, minority groups were victims of American governmental policies, and these policies made them vulnerable to barbaric and inhumane treatment at the hands of white Americans. American slavery is a telling example of a government sanctioned institution that victimized and oppressed a race of people by indoctrinating and encouraging enslavement, racism and abuse. This institution is injurious to slaves and slave holders alike because American society, especially in the south, underwent a dehumanization process in order to implement the harsh and inhumane doctrine. In the episodic autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Frederick Douglass illustrates, through personal experience, the brutality and violence of slave life. As a young boy, Douglass is sent to Baltimore, an event that gives him temporary relief from the harsh conditions on the plantation. In Baltimore, he teaches himself to read and write and begins a jou rney to mental freedom that eventually paves the way to his successful escape to the North. Despite the hardships he endures, â€Å"most amazing is the indestructible total humanity of [Douglass] whom society called a thing, a chattel to be bought and sold† (Rexroth 134). Amazingly, Douglass realizes at a young age that the institution of slavery poisons people who might otherwise act in good and decent ways. His autobiography focuses primarily on the ill effects slavery has on slaves; however, he also acknowledges the damage that enforcing the laws of slavery has on slave holders. Through the use of imagery, Douglass masterfully illustrates the dehuman... ...oppression due to the lack of liberty, education, humanity, or justice. Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Vol 1. 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York, 2002. 1817-1880. Franklin, Bruce. â€Å"Animal Farm Unbound.† Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. 29-43. Houston PBS Online. Resource Book: People and Events Frederick Douglass 1818-1895. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html Rexroth, Kenneth. â€Å"Frederick Douglass.† The Elastic Retort: Essays in Literature and Ideas. The Continuum, 1973: 108-11. Rpt. in Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. Eds. Laura Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1984. 133-34.