Blog Post Three: You do You

There are eight values of freedom of expression including Marketplace of Ideas, Participation in Self-Government, Stable Change, Individual Self-Fulfillment, Check on Governmental Power, and Promotion of Tolerance, Innovation, and Dissent. Although each value plays a role in our idea of freedom of expression in the United States, I think Promotion of Dissent and Individual Self-Fulfillment really resonate with me most.

In many countries you cannot express your dissent in the highly public and outlandish ways in which Americans choose to do. For instance, during the "Metoo" movement, there were a number of parades across the country where women proudly walked around with crocheted vaginas on their heads. Many of these parades were protests against Trump being elected because of his treatment toward women. This Business Insider article revealed how over half a million protestors marched in DC in support of women and against Trump.

Someone even put a miniature vagina hat on the former President Trump in the form of a bobble head. Creative expression at its finest.  

Now only a few years later the same hats that unified women in their fight for gender rights is now seen as inappropriate and offensive to wear as it excludes people who identify as female but were not born with the correct genitalia. It can be difficult to promote dissent through freedom of expression when acceptability is so fluid. 

If national level protests are too confusing, another option is to focus your efforts locally in a smaller community. Protests don’t have to be taken to busy city streets to still make their point to millions. In an article by youtango.com the author shows how two high school students revealed gender inequality in the school’s dress code. A male and female student both wore a cropped shirt to school, revealing their mid section. 

 

They recorded reactions from students and teachers throughout the day. At the end of the day, the female student was written up for violating the dress code while nobody said anything to the male student. The Tik-Tok video went viral and hopefully teachers in a number of schools took pause before correcting a student's clothing choice.

I’m grateful to live in a country where people can feel free to be themselves. Sometimes they are not expressing themselves as an act of protest but rather as a way to make money and gain popularity. Another value protected by the First Amendment is Individual Self-Fulfillment. A well-known example of this is the Naked Cowboy often seen in Times Square in New York City.  

Robert John Burck has been the subject of many articles, a documentary, and has appeared in numerous movies and television shows, He is as much a part of the New York City landscape as Times Square itself. Since 1998 he has been slipping on his patriotic painted briefs, cowboy hat, boots, and guitar to entertain and pose with tourists. At the time of publication this article by Roadtrippers, reported Burke's annual income at $150,000 before including any money made from endorsements deals, his book, and three albums. I can’t think of a better example of using freedom of expression for self-fulfillment.

Granted our founding fathers probably didn’t have the Naked Cowboy, cropped shirts, or vagina hats in mind when they drafted the First Amendment, but it would be interesting to hear what they thought of these implementations. Although more on the extreme end, I believe these are great modern examples of how in the United States you can protest your president and dance in the streets in your underwear without fear of retribution from the law. 

Sometimes you can do both at the same time.

 

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