PMS 2021 Solved Essay | Freedom of Expression – a Double-Edged Sword
Minahil Mohsin, a Sir Syed Kazim Ali student, has attempted the PMS 2021 Solved Essay “Freedom of Expression – a Double-Edged Sword” on the given pattern, which Sir Syed Kazim Ali teaches his students. Sir Syed Kazim Ali has been Pakistan’s top English writing and CSS, PMS essay and precis coach with the highest success rate of his students. The essay is uploaded to help other competitive aspirants learn and practice essay writing techniques and patterns to qualify for the essay paper.
Outline
1-Introduction
Freedom of expression, while a cornerstone of a healthy democracy, is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it fosters the exchange of ideas, challenges authority, and fuels artistic expression; however, on the other hand, it can also be misused to spread hate speech, incite violence, and erode societal harmony.
2-What Constitutes Freedom of Expression and What is Meant by Its Being a Double-Edged Sword?
3-How Freedom of Expression Proves a Bane
- ✓Inciting Violence and Hate Speech
- Evidence: The Charlie Hebdo Attack in France in 2015 due to the Publication of Offensive Cartoons
- ✓Spreading Misinformation
- Evidence: Use of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Fakes to Incite Violence among Masses and Deceive the Public
- ✓Rising Cases of Privacy Infringement
- Evidence: Harassment and Abuse in the Gamergate Conspiracy in 2014
- ✓Increasing the Ruling Elite’s Draconian Powers Regarding Censorship
- Evidence: The Case Study of North Korea, a Totalitarian Regime
4-How Freedom of Expression Proves a Boon
- ✓Supporting Democracy
- Evidence: Growth of the Democratic Trends Since the Era of Enlightenment with More Power Vested in the General Public
- ✓Promoting Innovation
- Evidence: Availability of Information and Widespread Knowledge-Sharing Via the World Wide Web
- ✓Bringing Positive Social Change
- Evidence: The Civil Rights Movement in America Brought About Through Protests and Debates, Empowering Marginalized Communities
- ✓Enriching Society with Tolerance and Increased Cultural Diversity
- Evidence: Model United Nations Helping Bring Together Participants from Diverse Backgrounds to Engage in Open Dialogue and Increase Understanding and Tolerance
- ✓Promoting Global Citizenship
- Evidence: Social Media Platforms and the Film Industry Allowing People to Develop a Better Inter-Cultural Understanding and Helping Avoid Misconceptions
5-How to Cope with the Challenges Posed by an Unchecked Freedom of Expression
- ✓By Educating the Masses About the Responsible Use of Their Right to Free Speech
- ✓Enforcing Strict Laws Against the Unchecked Use of the Freedom of Expression by The Masses
- ✓By Keeping a Check On the Media’s Use of Free Speech
- ✓By Defining Legal Frameworks for Human Rights Protection Against Ill-Usage of the Freedom of Expression
- ✓By Promoting Multilingualism to Develop a Better Global Understanding
6-Freedom of Expression, an Absolute Form of Freedom? A Critical Overview
7-Conclusion
Born a free-spirited animal, a man holds the inalienable right to expression by birth. In truth, freedom of expression refers to the right to speak, write, or express oneself in any way one deems fit, and although a utopic concept, this freedom holds the keys to both prosperity and doom. As an illustration, this right, when unbridled, can make situations go out of hand and incite hate speech and violence, spread misinformation, and infringe upon people’s privacy; for example, artificial intelligence, especially deep fakes, are being used, under the guise of free expression, to deceive and intimidate the masses. In contrast, freedom of expression also serves as a means for growth and development by helping democracy flourish, promoting innovation, enriching society with tolerance, and bringing positive social change. For instance, due to the right to free speech, knowledge-sharing has become universal via the World Wide Web. Still, particular checks and balances need to be in place to curb the misuse of this right; they include educating the masses about the responsible use of their rights and strengthening law-making and enforcement to ensure human rights are protected all the time. Thus, freedom of expression is not an absolute form of freedom, for it holds serious setbacks when practised unconditionally; instead, it is a controlled right to help humanity evolve and progress with time. This essay explores the positive and negative dimensions of the right to free expression and gives measures to keep its practice in check.
“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”
Noam Chomsky, American Linguist and Activist
The notion as old as time, freedom of expression refers to the right to speak, write, or express oneself in any way one deems fit. It means that a person can speak up on matters of interest and be vocal about his opinions on any matter under discussion, and nobody would have the right to stop him from expressing himself in any way. However, as much as it seems utopic to be able to express oneself, it can prove a bane if the right is used without checks. In such a case, it becomes a double-edged sword; it can hurt people’s sentiments, incite violence, and promote extremism. The following paragraphs will focus on both aspects of freedom of expression.
First, delving into the negative aspects of unchecked freedom of expression, one finds that it has a huge potential to incite violence and hate speech. When people are not considerate of others’ feelings being hurt because of their actions, they go far and beyond social norms in the name of this freedom, which often causes a strong backlash from the community. A case in point is that of the Charlie Hebdo Attack in France in 2015 due to the publication of offensive cartoons in a newspaper, hurting Muslim sentiments worldwide. This gave rise to public protests and sit-ins by people, especially Muslims, across the globe. Thus, freedom of expression could become a bane if violence and hate speech are not kept in check.
Another way freedom of expression can prove harmful is by spreading misinformation. When the masses are allowed to spread and publish content at will freely, and no measures of fact-checking are put in place, misinformation becomes the norm of the day. For instance, Artificial Intelligence, especially Deep fake technology, has become a huge threat today as it can easily promote violence and deceive the public by spreading rumours and misinformation. The technology makes use of high-functioning software and computers to generate fake videos of influential individuals delivering controversial speeches that can have severe repercussions politically, economically, and socially. Thus, spreading misinformation is one of the cons of unchecked freedom of expression.
Another threat it poses is that of privacy infringement. Recently, there has been a rise in cases of privacy breaches across the globe, especially in the social media and gaming sectors. People have become insensitive to others’ emotions while expressing theirs. The Gamergate Conspiracy is a case in point where harassment and abuse were faced by several people, especially females, back in 2014. These unfortunate events were all done under cover of freedom of speech, and the right to privacy was ignored by the harassers. Thus, rising cases of privacy infringement are another negative aspect of the uncontrolled use of freedom of expression.
Finally, the over-usage of freedom of expression has led to an unstoppable increase in the ruling elite’s draconian powers. Those sitting high up in the power hierarchy, by the power vested in them via the right to do as they desire, have been witnessed to misuse their authority. They take extreme censorship measures and curb the freedom of those living under their tyrannical rule. A case in point is that of North Korea, a totalitarian regime where the current ruling Kim family has been deciding the fate of the nation since 1948, the year when the country gained independence. The people there hardly enjoy any freedom, not even having the authority to decide what and how much to eat. Hence, the freedom of expression for one might prove a hurdle in the way of others.
On the lighter side of the picture, freedom of expression has been the root of most revolutions that have changed the world for the better. Liberty is the spirit of democracy. The more the masses are empowered to make decisions for themselves, the more they are destined to become a democratic nation. To substantiate the argument, a rising trend of democracy has been witnessed since the Era of Enlightenment when more power was vested in the general public. In this way, the powers of the kings of the time, the then-ruling elite, were checked and curtailed to allow people to rule themselves. In this way, freedom of expression supports democracy and proves a boon.
“Freedom of expression – in particular, freedom of the press – guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy.”
Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines
Next to it, freedom of expression also boosts innovation and inventions. It supports new ideas and lets people experiment and come up with novelty in all fields of life, especially in science and technology. For instance, it has allowed the availability of information and widespread knowledge-sharing via the World Wide Web (WWW), and people across the globe can access the Internet and share their findings and opinions openly. In this way, the global community stays up-to-date with the latest happenings in the realm of science, and these innovations keep proving a headway towards further development. So, freedom of expression promotes innovation and modernization.
Third, freedom of expression also holds the key to bringing positive social change. It supports victims of oppression and the mistreated people of society to raise their voices against their oppressors. In this way, the negative elements of society are countered with great force, establishing truth and peace across the board. To elaborate, the Civil Rights Movement in America was brought about through protests and debates, empowering marginalized communities. This definitely wouldn’t have been possible if the right to free expression had been curtailed. Thus, freedom of expression is the foundation stone of revolutions.
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
George Washington, US Founding Father and the First President
Next, freedom of expression also helps enrich society with tolerance by inculcating a sense of acceptance of diversity among people. Thus, a more tolerant community welcomes cultural diversity with open arms. It is evident from MUNs (Model United Nations) – replicas of the real United Nations sessions – bringing together young participants with diverse backgrounds from all around the world to work on resolving global issues through research-based strategies. These sessions engage the youngsters in open dialogue that further increases intercultural understanding and tolerance. Hence, freedom of speech is a positive force shaping human society for the better.
Finally, the right to expression has a positive impact on the global level as well. It promotes global citizenship so that every person is aware of and empathic about everyone else’s problems and can better contribute to resolving them. This global citizenship is promoted by building strong interpersonal relationships with people from different countries. To elaborate, social media platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, and the film industry allow people to develop a better intercultural understanding and help avoid misconceptions arising from cultural differences. Thus, the constructive power of the freedom of expression extends beyond individual or societal realms and is spread across the globe.
“The internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”
Bill Gates, American Business Magnate
Now, the question arises: How could the challenges posed by an unchecked right to expression be countered? The first and foremost action to take in this regard is to educate the masses about the responsible use of their right to free speech. It is a great power in their hands and must not be misused.
Next, the law and order must be strict enough to impose checks against the misuse of the freedom of expression. Laws must be clearly defined and comprehensive; moreover, the people who use this right to spread chaos and disorder in society must face severe repercussions for their acts.
Moreover, the higher authorities must check the media’s use of freedom of speech. Policymakers should keep both the print and digital arenas in mind while formulating policies, and Law Enforcement Agencies should ensure that the policies are strictly enforced.
Linking to the aforementioned suggestion, legal frameworks should be devised in such a way as to protect human rights violations that over or ill-usage of this right brings about. Thus, special emphasis must be given while defining the laws for Human Rights Protection.
Finally, better understanding and tolerance must be ensured in multicultural and multilingual societies. When people are more aware of cultural barriers and differences, they might grow to be more sensitive towards issues of any specific community. They can, hence, avoid saying or doing anything that might appear offensive to others.
So, is freedom of expression an absolute form of freedom? And if it is not, should it be unbridled? To answer this question, one must weigh the pros and cons of the phenomena arising from both the controlled and uncontrolled usage of the right. In a strong analysis of the aforementioned arguments, it becomes clear that no good has ever come out of the unchecked usage of freedom of expression; it has only resulted in chaos and trouble. Conversely, the concepts of tolerance, equity, and global citizenship, along with the much-celebrated democracy, would be mere myths if the right were curbed altogether. Thus, the truth of the matter is that freedom of expression must be promoted but in a harnessed manner to avoid unintended repercussions.
“Two things form the bedrock of any open society – freedom of expression and the rule of law. If you don’t have those things, you don’t have a free country.”
Salman Rushdie, British American Novelist
In a nutshell, freedom of expression is the birthright that allows man to use all the tools at his disposal to publically voice his opinions without any fear of violent opposition. The right has allowed better intercultural understanding, supported open dialogue and global problem-solving, promoted human rights movements, and flourished democracy. Contrarily, the unchecked use of this right has resulted in all sorts of negativity, from harassment and violence to rising cases of privacy infringement and the ever-increasing draconian powers of the ruling elite. Thus, it is high time the right was harnessed by education and awareness and kept in check by promoting multilingualism and strengthening human rights laws to reap the maximum benefits of the freedom of expression.
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