Blog Post #3

 Out of the eight values of free expression I would say that individual self-fulfillment resonates most with me. I think that growing up I struggled a lot with who I was and I often silenced myself. As I've grown up and grown into the person that I am now I feel as though I wouldn't have been able to do so fully without the freedom to speak my mind. It is so important to me that my friends and family feel as though they are heard, and know that they can speak freely regardless of the topic. Freedom of speech has allowed myself and those around me to learn respect, and to learn to love those with different opinions than your own. For example one of my best friends has completely opposite political views from me, and we tend to challenge each other. However this is important because although our views are different we still listen to each other and hear each other the best we can. I can also appreciate that her views are a part of who she is, and I love who she is. It also makes us both think and sometimes realize that we are wrong in some situations. 

Seeing this topic through a larger looking glass I believe that society wouldn't be the same without individual self fulfillment. Without different views and different personalities the world would be a bore. A world where we all keep our thoughts and values to ourselves is not a world that I ever want to live in. The diversity that exists throughout society is what makes it function. 

Let's look at social media for example. Social media would not be as prevalent as it is without individual self fulfillment and the ability for people to share their views and values. Human connection is such an important part of cognitive development and society as a whole. Influencers and celebrities share their views and their lives on social media hoping that a certain audience will resonate with them. Certain people follow certain influencers for a reason. Even though we may not know these influencers personally, something about them draws us in and keeps us interested in the content that they share. this wouldn't be possible without individual self fulfillment. If these influencers didn't believe in what they put on the internet their followings wouldn't be as large and loyal as they are. The opinion of each individual distinguishes them from the next. The main purpose of social media is to connect people regardless of their geographic location. Connections between individuals all over the world wouldn't be possible without free speech and expression. 

Currently the government is trying to ban Tik Tok which is a very popular form of social media. Not only is it popular in the United States, but it is popular all around the world. It connects people of many cultures, ethnicities, geological locations, etc... Tik Tok is a platform where users post videos on various topics. The topics vary depending on the person that is posting the videos. Story-times are a very popular type of video that is shared on Tik Tok. I think the reason that people love these story times is because they get an insider perspective of someone else's experiences. If the government does end up passing the bill to ban Tik Tok it would impede on the individual self fulfillment of users all over the United States. Tik Tok is an outlet where people learn, share, and grow; which is why users love it so much. I personally think it would be a shame if it was taken away from us. 

Blog Post #2

 

The Supreme Court was established in 1789. The Supreme Court is the highest federal court in the country. The Supreme Court is also the head of the judicial branch of government in the United States. This court has jurisdiction over all laws. It is up to the Supreme Court to rule whether a law is constitutional or not. The Supreme Court also has the power to check the other two branches of the government. The Supreme Court has a duty to make sure the actions of the federal government are constitutional. However the Supreme Court doesn't just rule over the federal government, the court also has a duty to keep the state governments and U.S. citizens in check constitutionally.  

The Supreme Court is currently made up of 9 justices. The justices are nominated by the president and confirmed or denied by the Senate. There are 8 regular justices and one chief justice. The Chief Justice controls the agenda of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice is also expected to sit on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian. 

The Supreme Court doesn't see every case that goes through the judicial system, that wouldn't be feasible. To get a case to the Supreme Court it needs to go through an appeal process, and there must be a petition for the Supreme Court to hear the case. There are many important Supreme Court cases including Roe v. Wade, Obergefell v. Hodges, and Texas v. Johnson. Roe v. Wade ruled that women have a right to abortion, this ruling has since been overturned. Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same sex marriage across all 50 states. Texas v. Johnson ruled that flag burning and other offensive speech is protected by the First Amendment. Although these cases took place years ago they still hold great significance today. The outcome of these cases shifted the entire future of the United States. 

The Supreme Court plays an extremely important role in not only the U.S. government, but society as a whole. Society has changed in drastic ways since the Constitution was first created. The Supreme Court is needed to interpret the older meanings of the constitution and adjust them to rule on modern day cases. The Supreme Court makes social change possible because it gives people the opportunity to disagree publicly with the government or the laws made by the government. With the presence of the Supreme Court we the people feel as though we are heard. 

The videos and the article taught me that the Supreme Court originally had 6 justices. I originally thought that it had always been 9. I also learned that justices are expected to serve on the Supreme Court until retirement or death, they never have to run for reelection. This is an interesting concept because with most other government positions there are set terms of a much shorter length.  

Blog Post #1

https://www.apple.com/apple-news/ 

Apple News is my favorite and most used news source. This is because I have apple products, which makes Apple News easily accessible to me on all of my devices. I also like that there are many news types to explore within Apple News, including podcasts and recorded stories. Apple News takes the best stories from other news sources and compiles them into a "Top Stories" Category within the app. Beyond that it has news from every category, from politics to fashion. Every type of story that you could want you can find within this one platform. Getting news from here eliminates bias in a way because you are reading stories from so many different sources. I highly recommend apple news as a place to find important news and short leisure pop culture reads. 

I would say that my second most used news source is social media. This is because it is so easy to accidentally stumble across a story. Once my attention is caught I have to know the rest of the information regarding the topic. Whether it be a story about a pop star or senator, if I'm intrigued I will dive deeper. This causes me to click links bringing me to different social media platforms to get the rest of the story. I spend a decent amount of time on social media each week so I'm bound to read some news stories on these platforms. I like getting news on social media because I can see what other people think about these stories, and read their comments. This often makes me reevaluate or shift my perspective, I think it is important to challenge your own thoughts. 

https://www.foxnews.com

Fox News is one of the United States' most popular news sources. Millions of people choose to get their news from Fox daily. Fox News is known to be right leaning with its commentary and stance on certain issues. I would not consider myself to be a conservative however my views are predominately right leaning. With that being said I don't always agree with how Fox covers certain issues, or with the commentary that is had over said issues. Overall I do find Fox News to be reliable and to always have a story that is relevant. Which is why it is one of my most used news sources. 

https://nypost.com

I was born and raised in Vermont but I reside in New York now. My parents have a subscription to the post and use it as one of their main news sources. By association I gravitate towards the post for news. One of my favorite things about the New York Post is how their website is set up. You can find news of every kind, in its designated section, easily. The post also covers national news however I would say that a lot of their most popular stories are from the north eastern states because that is where most of the Posts' readers reside. I would say that the post isn't as reliable as Fox with news stories, however it tends to publish more pop culture news stories which is what I am mostly interested in. 

Finally I get a lot of my news from friends and family. Although they are not a primary source and there may be many holes in the stories that they provide me with, I tend to learn a lot from them. Especially my step father. He is constantly sending me news stories. For example before I went on spring break to another country he sent me many stories about spring break gone wrong, telling me to be safe and smart. I think I probably get most of my information from them.