Blog #4

 First Amendment Language COVID-19

By: Meagan Flynn

April 1, 2021

Article: US News: COVID-19 Pushing US to a Breaking Point

In our Media, Law, and Literacy class, we have been talking about the First Amendment with the Six clauses/freedoms, the eight values of free expression, the speech/action dichotomy, and the Bedrock Principles. COVID-19 has been the international pandemic causing trouble to all for the past year. We have had to alter our lives just to keep others and ourselves safe. As always, people have their opinions and can go against the CDC and government mandates. As the Bedrock Principle states, "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." 

In the article by US News, they explain that people, especially school teachers, are reaching a breaking point with the virus. Children are missing school, dying, and falling behind on practically growing up. There comes a point where schools are to be shut down to lower the sickness and death rates. A quote from the article is, "The Teams are getting exhausted." I believe this is not only teachers, but everyone in the world. We have to constantly wear masks, social distance, and get retested before going to another state. There is only so much time until people start going against orders and doing what they want to do in their lives. 

Depending on the state that someone lives, there are guidelines for face coverings and the different vaccines offered. However, the specific guidelines won't stop anyone from getting what they want. The First Amendment gives Americans the six freedoms/clauses which are freedom from religion, freedom of religion, freedom from speech, freedom of press, freedom from assembly, and freedom of petition. Essentially, the First Amendment allows us to make our own decisions and what we think is right for ourselves in this country. The government cannot tell us what to do, as we can do what we want, but there is a line where we want to keep everyone safe and healthy. We can write and speak our opinions, as stated in the first amendment, but following the CDC guidelines will keep you and others out of trouble. Now, if there is not mask worn inside an establishment, the government has the right to put you in jail or fine that person a big amount of money. 

Looking at this, this goes back to the article that there is only so much time that people are going to follow the rules and want to get back to their lives from a year ago. Over the past year, citizens have followed the rules, but we all would like to have a life since life is so short. 

Along with the First Amendment, there are eight values of free expression which relates to different situations in the world. I believe number six- Promote Tolerance- connects to the pandemic because it states, " It has been argued that freedom of speech, especially through our  practice of extending protection to speech that we find hateful or personally upsetting, teaches us to become more tolerant in other aspects of life — and that a more tolerant society is a better society. Somewhat counter-intuitive, the First Amendment protects hate speech because society learns valuable lessons from, including why it is hateful and worthy of condemnation. It’s how we spread norms about acceptable behavior." 

The sixth value of free expression explains that from the First Amendment protecting hate speech about the pandemic, we learn about the normal behavior of everyday life and what will happen if we don't follow the rules of masks and social distancing. We get mad at the people who don't wear masks because we don't want to wear masks, but follow the rules as we learn from 'Promote Tolerance.' 

Overall, people are getting tired of the pandemic and all the rules placed in the world. We want to go back to normal lives and people will use their fundamental First Amendment rights to prove that they can say anything they want and do anything they want as long as they can get around the government, as the government can't control everything we do. The First Amendment gives us the right for freedom of speech, religion, and petition to an extent, along with the bed rock principles of not being able to condone hateful speech; however, there is also a line of where to stop with the speech we want to say or do. Speech/action dichotomy is not protected by the First Amendment which relating to the pandemic can hurt people in the end. 

Ultimately, we should follow the rules of social distancing and mask wearing along with being vaccinated, and the pandemic will be over soon. However, people will get to a point of too much government control and the First Amendment will not help our case in the end.