Eight Values of Free Expression

The Eight Values of Expression are theories suggested by experts who analyze why the 1st amendment has contributed to America’s success as a nation to not collapse like other countries. They claim that a big part of America has not experienced government failure due to the amount of freedom that is given and protected by the Bill of Rights. The 1st Amendment gives the right to freedom of speech, religion, assembly, press, and petition. Specifically, freedom of speech has helped the United States become one of the most innovative countries in the world because the government is not allowed to censor citizens' opinions and rights. 

Through my reading about the eight values of free expression, I think promoting innovation resonates with me the most because it relates a lot to the reason why I chose to be a game design major.

     

I decided to become a game designer major because I admire the idea of being able to make my own games and art without being censored if someone disagrees with my choices.

    I think this theory is the most personal to me because video games have been a stable part of my childhood and ways for me and my family to bond through hard times. Video games have helped me become who I am in a way because I love art and programming with my own creativity.

    

    The video game industry is a community that heavily relies on the 1st Amendment specifically to freedom of speech and press. The freedom of speech also ties into freedom of expression and creativity as many video games discuss many difficult topics that society does not want to address. Then freedom of press, video games are a form of media, and this amendment allows for games to be published and distributed without government interference. 

    Video games have been viewed as controversial as the last few decades as it has been blamed for increasing violence and aggression in children.

     Games such as Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, and Call of Duty are very popular video games among young adults, teenagers, and children. However, these games have been blamed by legislators for why children’s behavior has been growing increasing violent. 

    

    Cases such as Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association(2011) was a law in California that prohibited the sale or rental of “violent video games” to minors as it exposed them to obscenity, violent, and sexual materials. The Supreme Court ruled that this law is unconstitutional because it violates the 1st amendment and justices argued that some books that are actually advertised to children should be banned as well if they would have passed this law. Justice Scalia argued that America has a “long tradition of violent themes in books”. The justice's decision is important because this law tried to strip freedom of speech away from young children as this law censors their right to express their opinion.

        In the present day, violent crimes have increased and there have been many cases where legislators continue to bash video games for making individuals more “aggressive” and being a factor into why the individuals committing crimes. Cases such as the Sandy Hook school shooting have been blamed on video games by the National Rifle Association as they claim that video games breed killers. Also, in the recent case of Nicholas Prosper, who blamed his crimes due to his obsession with a character named Clementine from the series, "The Walking Dead" (pg. 3).

  

     In these cases, the suspects were not minors, but they were still young adults whose cases are being used against video games. However, my question is why is social media and books not held to the standards as video games, all of these forms of press that can contain or describe violent themes but why do video games only get ridiculed? Why do parents not monitor and research games that their children are interested in to see if the game is age appropriate?

     Most video games that are considered violent are not even marketed or advertised towards minors as games are required to have a content rating that describes the content in the game before being sold to the public. It is a system that helps determine what age group is suitable to play the game. Also, games are required to have warnings and labels warning to its users to remind them that the game is not real.

    For example, Grand Theft Auto is a M rated game meaning mature audience for ages 18 and up. I think the problem is parents and legislators are looking for something to blame for these horrific events, but they are ignoring a key factor of why these crimes happen is due to a lack of mental health awareness.

    Despite video game having a somewhat of a negative reputation among the government, video games have change art and innovated new trends in so many forms over the years. Especially for children, video games have help children in education by promoting creativity and critical thinking.

    

     In 2012, a survey of 491 children were assigned to play video game frequently and experts noticed a positive outcome in the children's thinking ability has improved (Jackson et al). The games challenged the children to come up with multiple ideas to get to the next point in the game and be creativity on how to get around obstacles.

    Some of the games that they noticed positive changes were Minecraft, Portal 2, and Serious Sam, which is a shooter game. Video game does not only have negative content but as well as positive that are help people develop skills that are useful to everyday life.

        However, video games are still ostracized by the government and some states are even considering banning video game as a whole or games that they view as "violent". Most recently, Illinois is current trying to go through the process of potentially banning all sales of violent video games. Legislators believe that video games have influenced and encouraged crime in the state. I think that video games should not be banned but people should who have children should monitor their kid's consumption of media. It is unconstitutional to strip a community's ability to create art and stories due to someone else's actions.

Photo of House of Representative listening and voting a bill that can impact millions of people

The Founding Era: Reflection Questions on The U.S. Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court is the most powerful branch of government in the United States. They hold the power to check over all the other branches of government to ensure that the other branches do not overstep their roles. The Supreme Court enforces and interprets the precedent to maintain laws to protect American citizen's rights. Examples of these precedents are the Bill of Rights, Amendments, and the Constitution. Through watching the film about the history of the Supreme Court, I have gathered an understanding about the standards, purpose, and influence that the Supreme Court has in the United States.

One thing that I learn about the Supreme Court that I did not know was that the Supreme Court was not always respected and accepted by the American people. It was not until John Marshall was appointed as chief justice, The Supreme Court started to gain trust by the American people to protect them from their rights being violated by the government. His influence upon the Supreme Court is still practiced in the present day, specifically his decision on the case of Marbury V. Madison helped establish the process of Judicial review to maintain the court’s power.

The most important take-away was about the process of how the nine justices handle cases and determine their decisions for each case. I was really surprised about how much work that justices have to do just to make a decision in cases.

First, the court receives thousands of cases by petition for writ of certiorari. Then the justices choose over 80 cases to hear for oral arguments, and these cases are carefully considered in order to be picked.

I love how the nine justices set standards among themselves to allow everyone to speak before speaking a second time showing that they value each other's opinions. I did not know that it took multiple weeks for the Supreme Court to come to a decision, I thought that the decision took months since it is difficult to even get cases picked by the Supreme Court.

I also was surprised that the justices had to write opinion writings that were essays about 80 pages long, detailing each justice’s opinion on each case. After watching this video, I respect the justices more because I knew that being a Supreme Court chief justice was difficult but the idea of writing essays for the rest of your life sound exhausting. Also, your decision will have impacting huge millions of people, or someone's life is terrifying.

The most surprising thing I learned was the rule of four and the concept of negative v. positive rights. First, justices have to agree to review the case given and the decision from the lower court. Then at least four justices have to agree on a case for it to be heard for an oral argument on why the decision was unconstitutional. I found this surprising because it gives voice to the minority of the justices to review a case even if it does not win by the majority vote. I assumed that the majority vote between justices was the final say among the Supreme Court standard, and I think this part of really cool. It is significant because it ensures a voice for all the justices in a way.

Then the system of negative rights v. positive rights was interesting because they aim to protect individuals' needs and rights from being restrained by the government. Negative rights protect individuals from being restricted by the government such as the 1st Amendment allow the right to free speech but also freedom from censorship. Then positive rights are systems set in place to help individuals to get specific needs such as the right to education.

Before I watched the video, my opinion about the Supreme Court was very close minded at first. If I am being honest, I thought the Supreme Court was full of old people who just decided on their own on what the Constitution meant but did enforce the laws as they were written by our founders.

I think my view stayed this way for a long time because of how many presidents tried to sabotage branches of government by hiring friends or unqualified people. I think the part that stood out to me is that justices are able to feel comfortable and express their opinions in the oral argument, discussion, and the opinion writing about each case that is heard. A lot of work goes into just proposing their opinion and even trying to convince other justices to change their decision. This has opened my mind a lot about how much work goes into trying to change laws or trying to amend the constitution. I like how difficult it is to change the laws because if it was easy, people’s rights would not be protected. 

Supreme Court Building

In conclusion, The Supreme Court plays a crucial role in the U.S. government as they aim to make sure that individual's rights are protected. They enforce and hold different branches accountable by overseeing their actions making so that they do not overstep citizens' natural rights given by the founding fathers.

Through watching this video about the history of the Supreme Court, I have developed an understanding of how the that shaped America's law and society. This branch is significant because it helps America progress as a nation by making sure that U.S. government does not become a monarchy by using complex systems of court. It serves as a voice for the people by addressing nation issue and represent the unrepresented by preserving their rights.

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5 News Sources and Importance

 1.  6abc Action News

When I am homesick, I go to 6abc Action News to keep me updated on local news from my lovely city of Philadelphia. It is a very community oriented, feel-good, and family friendly News channel, it provides news coverage ranging from crime, traffic, local business/organizations, and State Government issues that can impact the people of Philadelphia. They have video footage, live streams, and mobile apps in order to keep users informed on its articles. They specialize in Live action journalism as they document news in the area where the crime took place to find out more information about the case being investigated.

This news channel is not just about breaking news but highlights the positive stories as well that display good deeds that can help low-income people in the city. I love this source because it has an authentic feel and aims to show all sides of the story even if the cases are very unfortunate. Their ability to produce highly detailed stories into a short article makes it easy for its user to receive information at any time of the day. I downloaded the app to listen to the podcast to get the recaps for news and memorable moments for Philadelphians such as the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. 6abc Action News is my favorite go-to-news source as I love to keep myself educated on matters that affect me directly even if I am not home.

2. Variety

If you love pop-culture, movies, games, and music then Variety.com is the website for you. It has everything when providing information on all forms of the entertainment industry. It highlights the hottest story about who is playing in the next Marvel movie to Drake filing another Lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar. Most of this website's coverage revolves around celebrities, technology, and films. It has many features that allow its users to find any topic that they want by separating news by sections and popularity.

This platform is free for all to use but it does have payment plans for users. The payment plans cater to those who want a physical copy of the news or have access to data and research that the journalist wrote themselves. I use this website daily as it helps me a lot with my major as it involves keeping myself updated on current games or technology that is currently trending. I also use this app to see what new games are coming out and what are the new updates as I aspire to work in that field when I graduate. 

3. Game Rant

Gamerant.com is an entertaining, engaging, and interactive news website about gaming. I have been using this website since I was younger and became a big fan of video games. The website is not just for gamers, but it is for everyone as it has the articles, game reviews, breaking news, and guides to how to play games. Easy access and no subscription needed to receive news, as this website strives to inform anyone curious about the gaming world. I love how this website, when reporting news about gaming, aims to remain neutral and an educational approach toward its users. My favorite section of the website is game rant advance where developers of the games give insight and discuss the importance of the game. 

However, the website does not restrict users' opinions using threads and forums and they will be labeled as under the editorial section or rumor to prevent misinformation if the article is opinionated. I use this website when I want to find something out about a new game or possible updates to a game I currently play. I interact a lot with the forums and threads to talk to other people about news and gain other perspectives. This news source is like home to me because I am able to inform myself about news and learn more about creation of games. Game Rant is a source that is useful to everyone because it provides research and insight into how much work goes into gaming even if it is a guide to how to play the game. This website’s detailed writing challenges and opens their users' minds about impact on gaming. 

4. CNN

CNN.com is one of the favorite websites to use quick, global, and credible news about the world. I remember when I went to school, my class would watch CNN 10 in order to be updated on world news and important current events. We would have to write an exit ticket about what one part that stood out to us and why it is important. I continue to do this as CNN 10 has taught me a lot about remaining myself to keep myself informed on news because I tend to forget to check news.

This news channel covers US, World, Business, Health, Climate and many more. I love this new channel because they cater to all of their users' needs. They understand that people have busy lives, so they make videos or podcasts that recaps the most relevant, influential, and current news that affects the world. CNN is a source that aims to educate and inform people around the world about global news at any time of the day.

5.  billboard

billboard.com has quality journalism behind the art of music, business, and entertainment in Hollywood. It features not just the news about albums but charts, artist interviews, and exclusive behind the scenes news about the show business. It has a really cool feature that allows users to see what the hottest music is all over the world and tracks how many listeners are engaging with the album. They show both sides of the music business as their researchers actively go to award shows, court houses, and release parties to keep fans up to date on current news about their favorite musicians.

Their most interesting feature that I enjoy are the artist exclusive interviews because they display well-researched information to the artist as they prepare specific questions for them about their music or past. They go the extra mile to do more research on their guests to show appreciation for the artist and try to understand their perspective on music. This source values analysis and interception to an extent because music is subject and not easy to understand on the first listen. Billboard pushes users to look beyond the surface and listen to an album multiple times before making a judgement. It is a website for anyone who is interested in knowing more, it is not just for music lovers.