Post Four: Antiwar Voices & Anti "Fake" News

This week we talked about life following the end of WWI. People were tired of the war and talking about it was triggering (kind of how I feel with coronavirus - ha!). Then we led into prohibition and just more divide and hardship. Life during and after this war, individuals were persecuted for any antiwar talk.

Skimming Antiwar.com and American Conservative, I found it quite interesting to read a dialogue so drastically different than that of mainstream media today. Most news today (even with each network's biases) portrays the world through certain lenses. Regardless of how news may "lean," there is still a certain level of political correctness prevalent throughout.

Donald Trump is notorious for his attack on "fake news." I'm not here to get political at all, but I think he makes a very important point that as Americans we should caution ourselves with. Everything we hear is filtered and filtrated to some degree. I think it is hard to come to your own conclusions when approaching current events because everything is told to us through a narrative of how the author wants us to comprehend the information. 

While we never seem to hear about these strong voices on mainstream news, I think it is wonderful that there is a place for them to exist. This doesn't mean that I agree with what is being said, I just find it important that all voices have the ability to be heard. It causes me distress sometimes by the lack of information I can find on certain topics because of media censorship - but this is off topic and I digress.

I think you have to seek out antiwar voices because the government needs the overwhelming support of citizens when it comes to things such as war. 

Post Three: Bedrock Principles & TikTok Ban

This week in class we studied the six freedoms of the first amendment in-depth by looking at the Civil War + Reconstruction timeline and the 3 freedoms of the First Amendment and the bedrock principles of the First Amendment law. 

Prior to this course, I think I was pretty ignorant when it came to what is included versus what is not included when looking at the Freedom of Speech. Now, I firmly believe most people are. 

The Six Freedoms include From Religion, Of Religion; Speech, Press; Assembly, and Petition.

The Bedrock Principles are something completely new to me that I had never studied before, and it really helps to delve deeper into the first amendment. 

The first principle is that First Amendment protection is not absolute. This means that you can be punished and held accountable for threatening the president or public safety.

The second principle is that the First Amendment is not a shield against the law of general applicability. This means that for some laws, there is no exception. Everyone is held accountable for criminal and traffic laws.

The final principle is that the Freedom of the Press is a fundamental personal right, not an institutional one. This is the strongest type of right because it is specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights. We are all equally protected.

The first amendment condones that Congress shall make no laws infringing on personal liberties, but obscenity, fraud, child pornography, and true threats are not given protection under the First Amendment. 

VARIETY.com recently published an article about Trump's banning of TikTok. Critics of this ban say that this decision is made without precedent, and others flat out claim that this abridges First Amendment rights. This decision is made with the Trump Administration's concern that the Chinese government will be able to access Americans' personal data through this app. 

I find this whole topic very fascinating because it is a bit unprecedented. As technology evolves, the dangers and risks on society change. This is crazy to me because I never really thought the First Amendment was still controversial today, but honestly, it is more relevant and critical than ever before. 

The claim to ban TikTok is out of concern for national security and personal safety, yet it an act of the Government controlling its people. Where do we draw the line? This entire controversy has made me really question the amount of personal privacy in my own life, and I am more than guilty of falling down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories about our phones listening to us and personal data being hacked. 

I can honestly say that I do not have a strong opinion either way on this TikTok ban, but I am very intrigued as to what will happen.

Source: Variety.com

Post Two: U.S. Supreme Court

This week in class, we learned so much about the U.S. government, branches of government, and allocation of power. We specifically focused on the Supreme Court. It's been since high school since I've had any class on U.S. government, and it's been since middle school that I truly comprehensively studied the branches of government. This was a good (and very necessary) refresher.

In class, we discussed the "formula for American democracy" which explains how we shift power from federal level to state level to power in the hands of each individual. Professor Smith discusses how America is the only country that at its core believes in limited government. We have enumerated powers which means the powers of each government entity is written out and assigned. The government gets its power through the consent of the people, and these powers tell the government what they can and cannot do. American democracy believes in freedom maximization for its people. We want the largest amount of freedom for each individual without interfering with another person's freedom. Professor Smith coined this "ordered liberty."

The Supreme Court is the Judicial branch of the United State the highest court in the United States, and its main role is to guard and uphold the Constitution. It manages cases appealing to the Constitution and has the authority to prevent laws that are unconstitutional. Many of the Supreme Court decisions are made by the nine justices that make up the court. These justices are appointed by the president. However, the Senate can block the appointment. This means that filling the nine justice spots when one becomes available often becomes cut-throat and political. **I watched this video  and found it super helpful. It is a quick 2-minute video that simplifies everything, and a great watch if you have a couple minutes to spare in your day. 

The Supreme Court is very important to our daily lives as American citizens. Their role ensures that the First Amendment remains protected and after this week's class, I'm much more aware of just how important the role of the Supreme Court is in American democracy.

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Sources: Supreme Court History, Newsweek Video

Post One: My Top News Sources

Never in human history have we had the ease, efficiency, and access to information that we have today. We live in an era where we are constantly connected and the news is oftentimes so current that it's live. You would think with this overload of information and access at our fingertips, we'd be the smartest and most informed generation to date. Unfortunately, this is false. Much of the news we receive is fabricated, censored, biased, or just plain fake. It is our duty as citizens and as intelligent minds to educate ourselves from a multitude of perspectives and never limit ourselves to one ideology that we limit ourselves from the ability to experience paradigm shifts and the ability to grow and evolve our mindsets.

I'll be the first to admit that sometimes the news can be a depressing addition to our day and can sometimes feel like a chore. And I am by NO MEANS the most informed citizen, but I am committed to always making some type of effort to read about something I don't know about almost every day.

I'm always right. Ha! Don't take this the wrong way, I do not know everything or even close to everything. BUT, I am very careful about the things I speak and write because I never want to share something that I am not certain is right (or the truth). I'd rather say nothing than ever share something untruthful. Sure, I have my opinions, but all of them, I am ready to back up in my rationale. And if I ever speak something with uncertainty, I am sure to say "I don't know for sure" to never mislead. I hate lies because I hate deception, and it is up to each of us to educate ourselves by reading a variety of perspectives and forming our own conclusions.

• Fox News

I have grown up watching Fox News, and now I really enjoy the ease of their website and app. I can skim the top stories to get a general idea of what's happening in the world each day. Tucker Carlson is my favorite journalist, and honestly, he is one of the few journalists I can listen to speak for an entire hour. I look to Fox News to stay up to date with most of politics, but I also find interesting news stories from all genres.

• WSMV - Nashville Local Station

This station is local to where I'm from. I use this source for local information from local happenings to weather. This keeps me informed on issues happening in my city, state, and region that might not make national headlines. While it is important to be aware of global and national events, it is equally important to know what is going on locally.  

• The Skimm - A Satire on News, But Quick Way to Get Informed

I love The Skimm because it is such a quick way to get informed. It skims the surface and even mocks some pretty serious stuff (which can sometimes be offensive),  but the humor keeps me engaged and it helps me pick a few quick stories to go and do more research on. If something I read sparks my interest, I can delve deeper into research from other sources. However if it is something less interesting to me, then at least I'm informed about it and can understand references or join in on the conversation in day-to-day life.

• BBC - World View

I don't go to this site often, but whenever I do, I typically learn about something happening globally from an entirely new perspective. I find it fun to seek out new stories that aren't about people and cultures of which I'm most familiar. I think it's really interesting to read about U.S. politics or anything about our country on this site because oftentimes the perspective is super different as it is told from a very much outsider perspective.

• Facebook/Bloggers/Social Media

Sad but true, I truly look to Facebook and bloggers and other social media platforms to stay informed. I don't read them through the same lens as I do traditional media, and I judge their credibility differently. Maybe not about earth-shattering news, but there is no better way to read about the news with a more empathetic mindset or get informed about current events than firsthand through these mediums. For example, it is one thing to hear about a new cancer clinical trial on a news site, but it is another to read about a woman going through it through her first-hand accounts or a person sharing about their family member's experience.

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I'm not the most informed citizen, but I believe we have an obligation to do our due diligence when it comes to just about everything we hear or read. I am very firm in my political beliefs, but I truly respect differing opinions when individuals can rationally explain why they believe what they believe. In order to form respectable opinions, I believe people need to truly understand the topics they choose to speak about and not just repeat what they hear from others.