Blog 5: Speech Theories

When viewing speech theories and connecting them to the modern-day, one in particular that stands out is the "Promote Tolerance" theory. This means that, by allowing the American citizens to have the freedom of speech, whether that be positive or negative, it creates a more tolerant society. Because Americans are given the right to say hateful speech without apprehension, it allows society to absorb that knowledge and become more tolerant of hurtful things. This connects to the modern day through the current election. By allowing individuals to discuss hateful things about the President and the other candidates, it allows the people to feel that they have a voice, that the truth can be spoken, and that all are treated equally. This also distinguishes where political parties differ and allow different political views to society. Unlike a dictatorship, the government can not stop the citizens from saying how they feel. This allows people to not feel suffocated from saying their thoughts and problems. This can give the government insight on what the American citizens feel unjust and could be changed.
This is an important theory to me because these are times that cause people to question the First Amendment. With police brutality causing a backlash in the media, it is important to recognize that the government is allowing people to say hateful things about figures in power. With the Black Lives Matter movement causing people to speak out, the American people are becoming more educated through media, and can even change their perspective to promote racial equality. There are countries that do not have the ability to scrutinize the government. We have the ability to use hate speech when we see something unjust or offensive in society. It is a right given to us that allows Americans to learn from and tolerate one another.
I think this theory has been extremely prominent in media today. If you look through an Instagram story or two, you may find political, mental health, or equality awareness pictures. Some may be attacking racist, feminist, or homophobist, and are creating hate speech because they care about human rights. They believe that equality is something to stand for and if someone is doing hurtful things, they will backlash and say their opinion. These disputes over the internet are changing our world and opening it to different perspectives to allow us to be a more tolerable nation.

Citation:

Hodson, Matthew. “Black Lives Matter.” Aidsmap.com, 4 June 2020, www.aidsmap.com/news/jun-2020/black-lives-matter.

Blog 4: Antiwar Websites

The websites, ANTIWAR.COM  and American Conservative, are sites that are not recognized in the mainstream media but have so much information about the world that we did not know. These websites reveal the activity with American troops in Syria, deep explanations about the President’s war decisions, and give inciting articles discussing American politics through realism. Before this class, I did not know these websites existed, even though they have so much information I wished I had known before. I assume that these websites are not as common because it discusses the raw truth about America’s war plans and how they could be problematic. The government doesn’t like journalists who bash on the public and whether the internet tries to hide these sites or not, it must be acknowledged that important information like this should not be overlooked. I think that most journalism is sugar-coated and never tell the whole truth. Over the top headlines and misunderstood quoting has taken over the media to grab our attention. It’s important to take a step back I look at the raw truth and the events that are hiding in the background.

Citations:

“$20/Year Print Subscription to THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE.” Stormfields, 2 Jan. 2018, bradbirzer.com/2018/01/02/20-year-print-subscription-to-the-american-conservative/.

Antiwar.com, www.antiwar.com/.

Extra Credit: Coded Bias Reflection

After watching the documentary, Coded Bias, I have been educated about the problems with artificial intelligence. When Joy Buolamwini made an art project with an algorithm that detected faces, she noticed that her face and other darker-skinned people were not easily detected by the face identification. The programs created by big companies like Amazon and Google have bias by the specific information put into the system. Because the pictures in the data are mostly white males, women and people with different skin tones are not detected and treated the same way. The face identification system used by police also wrongly detects criminals on the streets. The algorithm that companies use is so advanced that even the creators do not fully understand how it works. This has caused problems in hiring and firing workers, miss reading resumes, and giving a disadvantage to women. The computers are learning from the bias in society that even Twitter's experiment with an artificial intelligence named "Tay" began to learn to say racist and sexist comments after reading hurtful tweets in less than 16 hours. Joy created Algorithmic Justice League to help society delete bias against sex, race, and wealth from artificial intelligence. These members are diverse and know how false face recognition can affect their lives. I enjoyed how almost all the interviews in this documentary were from women. It was so refreshing and it shows the representation that is lacking in the algorithm. The fight for these changes to ban bias facial recognition is truly inspiring. We must put some sort of ethics in these mathematical equations.

Citations:

Spotlight - Coded Bias Documentary, www.ajl.org/spotlight-documentary-coded-bias.

Blog 3: The Six Freedoms in the Black Lives Matter Movement

I have reviewed the article “USA: Law enforcement violated Black Lives Matter protesters’ human rights, documents act of police violence and excessive Force” written by Amnesty International. The article is slightly biased towards the protestors who are against the police. It discusses “the unnecessary and sometimes excessive use of force by police against protesters exhibits the very systemic racism and impunity they had taken to the streets to protest.” The article gives specific examples of how the police have used tear gas and pepper spray and gave brutal beatings on innocent lives. It also explains at the end of the text that AIUSA is calling on Congress to pass the Protect our Protestors Act of 2020 to revise the policies and practices for the policing of protests.

To understand the importance of this article, it can be analyzed by viewing through The Six Freedoms of the First Amendment. One of the freedoms is the right to peaceful protest. According to the article, the protestors were “wearing masks and attempting to socially distance due to virus,” but when the police intervened, they “fired tear gas and pepper spray” causing the “release of airborne particles.” This was a violation of the fifth clause of the First Amendment stating the freedom of assembly. Because the protest was peaceful with no urge for violent behavior, there was no reason for police brutality and may have cost the health and safety of the people.

In the bedrock principle, the First Amendment is not a shield against the law of general applicability; however, these protests were harmless and were peacefully expressing freedoms the Bill of Rights gave the citizens. The freedom of the press is a “fundamental personal right” allow journalist and protestors to speak their mind about police brutality. Although the president was trying to secure the safety of the streets, the police went too far when it came to responding. The Black Lives Matter movement is a very important part of history and especially in American politics. The question is, where does the government draw the line when it comes to the power of the police. This article discusses deeply how the American people’s rights have been violated due to the lack of control in police protocol.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/black-lives-matter-support-impact/index.html

Citation:

"US Law Enforcement Violated Black Lives Matter Protesters' Human Rights." Amnesty International, 4 Aug. 2020, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/08/usa-law-enforcement-violated-black-lives-matter-protesters-human-rights/.

Blog 2: The History of the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court was established in 1789 by Article Three of the United States Constitution. Congress created this justice system so that all the branches have limits to their power and that large important cases have a place to be evaluated. This adds to the idea of checks and balances because although the government checks the states, the government itself also needs to be checked so it doesn’t become corrupt.

The Supreme Court is made up of six justices who serve a life term, or until retired. The chief justice is responsible for holding the meetings and setting the agenda for each week’s meetings. An influential chief justice is John Marshall who reviewed the famous court case, Marbury v. Madison. He recognized that the court is not above the Constitution and that the Constitution was the supreme law of the land. It's important to recognize that although the Supreme Court makes the final decision, it cannot disobey the Constitution. The judicial branch in the United States was specifically organized to have each level of the court be checked to do to its case's importance.

John Marshall

The Supreme court has made the decisions of America's toughest cases, discovering the fine line between what is constitutional and what is not. This includes cases like Mapp. v. Ohio, create a rule in the court that illegally obtained evidence can not be used in criminal cases. The Supreme court has changed society for the better, like in Obergefell v. Hodges. These cases changed the lives of the LGBTQ community by legalizing same-sex marriages throughout the entire country. The Supreme Court defines the rights and limits of the American people through difficult cases that truly changed society.

Citations:
History.com Editors. "Supreme Court." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 May 2010, www. history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts.
Photos:
McNamara, Robert. “Meet John Marshall, the Supreme Court's Most Influential Chief Justice.” ThoughtCo, www.thoughtco.com/john-marshall-biography-4173065.
“The Supreme Court Building.” Home - Supreme Court of the United States, www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtbuilding.aspx.