Do you feel that speech is really free Why or why not Essay

Do you feel that speech is really free Why or why not - Essay Example But does this really exist in our society today? Some groups of citizen, especially the military, who are supposed to be protected by this freedom, continue to have limitation on how free they can express themselves through speech. The following paper seeks to show ways in which this freedom of speech has been diluted and can no longer be termed as freedom. The first amendment assures that one has the right to say what they want but with little exclusion. It however does not protect people from the consequences of their actions or words if it may offend others. There are large files and documents in the legal environment that pose rules and regulations on what one can say, when it can be said, in which surroundings it can be conveyed and to whom it is told. Is this freedom of speech? By definition, this clearly does not reflect any democracy. Even though different countries put different weights on discretion of what can be said, there lacks a single country whether in the west or east which fully allows its citizens to express themselves freely. In fact, all countries expect political correctness in one way or another. Americans may be comparatively free to air our views compared to some countries where this subject of writing will lead to incarceration, harassment or even punishable by death (Curtis). The United States of America and the United Kingdom are praised for upholding democracy and protecting a good number of basic human rights including the freedom of speech. However, this is mostly perceived by those living outside these countries and more so in the third world countries. However, individuals like bloggers and political activists feel over-controlled and violated in regards to what can and cannot be said. A good example is expression by two people where one expresses himself by waiving a flag and the other by burning it. The two are treated differently. The one waving the flag will be assumed to be exercising his freedom of