Freedom In The Emperor's New Clothes
Freedom is the driving force of our society, inspiring the change and growth in our lives that grant a better present, and a prominent future. Freedom is a basic right that gives us the ability to act and express our thoughts without restrictions from internal or external forces. However, supporting a society in which there is unlimited freedom will never work in practice, meaning many limitations are present. Internal freedom is comprised of your conscience and consists of your thoughts, only to be controlled by your own personality. External freedom involves your environment, with security and social pressure being main limiting factors, clearly evident in the story “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
As humans, we like to act and speak in accordance
to what others think of us, meaning our actions are limited to what we collectively consider right or wrong. When Colin Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem, he was faced with severe backlash based on society’s general belief that it was unpatriotic and disrespectful to do so. This also applied to the lyric change made by Remigio Pereira in the singing of O Canada during the MLB All-Star Game where he tried to convey a simple message but at a questionable time. It should be noted that freedom of expression is unprotected by law if it includes offensive language that incites immediate violence, especially if targeting a specific group. This was clearly not the case with both Kaepernick and Pereira.
Along with expression, there is freedom of information, which provides public access to information held by major institutions. However, Wikileaks and the documentary Citizenfour show us that the government would rather neglect this right for greater public safety, posing the question; what is the line between a country’s safety and freedom of information? As Edward Snowden said, the power of an informed public will lead to positive change. Of course, there are also physical boundaries that regulate freedom. Charlie Parker believed that “Jazz achieves the nature of true freedom, in both art and life.” Obviously, music is physically restricted by note pitch; the variation of frequency in sound waves, and not all combinations are possible. Freedom is limited by society as a whole,
As humans, we like to act and speak in accordance
to what others think of us, meaning our actions are limited to what we collectively consider right or wrong. When Colin Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem, he was faced with severe backlash based on society’s general belief that it was unpatriotic and disrespectful to do so. This also applied to the lyric change made by Remigio Pereira in the singing of O Canada during the MLB All-Star Game where he tried to convey a simple message but at a questionable time. It should be noted that freedom of expression is unprotected by law if it includes offensive language that incites immediate violence, especially if targeting a specific group. This was clearly not the case with both Kaepernick and Pereira.
Along with expression, there is freedom of information, which provides public access to information held by major institutions. However, Wikileaks and the documentary Citizenfour show us that the government would rather neglect this right for greater public safety, posing the question; what is the line between a country’s safety and freedom of information? As Edward Snowden said, the power of an informed public will lead to positive change. Of course, there are also physical boundaries that regulate freedom. Charlie Parker believed that “Jazz achieves the nature of true freedom, in both art and life.” Obviously, music is physically restricted by note pitch; the variation of frequency in sound waves, and not all combinations are possible. Freedom is limited by society as a whole,