Freedom of Speech Essay

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Melissa Fisher
Mrs. Jarrard
Eng 101, Section 3
6 February 2013
Personal Rights versus Self-Expression:
The New Normal Picture a world in which we were not able to express ourselves. For many people in other countries, this world is a reality they live in every day. They must find other ways to express themselves, sometimes creating an identity not always visible to others. We as an American society, now so far ahead of our forefathers, have long forgotten their vision and their struggles. Rights are taken for granted and tampered with as we add to the list of what our personal rights should be. Our right to Freedom of Speech has become skewed due to the confusion of our rights versus self-expression. We have all heard the phrase, “If you don’t like it, don’t look at it” or “If you don’t like what’s on, change the channel”. What happened to our consideration of society? Focus is no longer on the morality of society as a whole, but on the ever important individual. Gone are the days of politeness and manners. We increasingly see today’s individual choosing not to utilize manners. A shocking evidence of the changing times is television. There was a time when tampons and condoms were socially taboo and not discussed, much less advertised for the nation to see. Companies now not only advertise their product, but also every advantage of using the product no matter how personal. Tampon commercials actually display an image of a tampon diagramming how well they fit a woman’s body for superior protection. Trojan claims their condoms are “ribbed for her pleasure”. Societal limits are a thing of the past. As a child I remember watching re-runs of I Love Lucy and thinking to myself, “Why in the world do Ricky and Lucy sleep in separate beds? They’re married…”. I now know that back when the show was produced, it was unacceptable to show a man and woman together in bed, married or not. Unless you have been under a rock, I need not compare today’s differences. One sunny afternoon my father picked me up from grade school. When he saw the look on my face he asked me what was wrong. “I’m pissed!”, I said to him. My childhood frustrations must have clouded my judgment. Let’s just say to this day, I still hesitate to use the word “piss”. Children today are much more exposed to profanity because it is now widely accepted. At best, what I said on a bad day as a child was what we would now call distasteful. What is said today by children is unthinkable, but who can blame them when they are bombarded by it. The effects of profanity as freedom of speech often go unnoticed. Whoever said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” was a bold-faced liar. As a disabled citizen, I see again and again how words are used as weapons. More often than not when in an altercation, my
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