Handout B: What Do I Believe About the Freedom of Expression?
Handout B: What Do I Believe About the Freedom of Expression?
Directions: Read each statement with your partner and decide whether you agree, disagree, or might agree. If you want to explain your decision, write your reasoning under “Explanation.” You do not need to agree with your partner, but discuss your thoughts about freedom and what kind of expression should be protected while you answer.
- I believe that the protections of the First Amendment are important ways we maintain a free society of self-governing individuals.
- I believe the First Amendment should protect as many forms of expression as possible.
- I believe that there are times when government can reasonably limit what people say or the ways in which they express themselves.
- I believe that things that some or many people find offensive or inappropriate should be protected by the First Amendment.
- I believe that sexually explicit material, including pornography, should be protected expression.
- I believe that the things I say or do online should be as protected by the First Amendment as the things I say or do in “real life.”
- I believe that strong anti-bullying laws or policies are important, even if they restrict what people say or do online or in school.
- I believe that burning an American flag or a cross as a method of protest should be protected expression.
- I believe that the message someone is trying to communicate always deserves protection, even if they do it in ways that are very offensive to others.