The 1st Amendment

Lyrics

The first Amendments involves freedom of expression

Combining five liberties mentioned in state conventions

“Congress will make no law establishing any religion

And prohibition of its free exercise is forbidden...

(As long as they’re Christian…) Well that part’s not written

But its often said freely, since the bigots get permission

To say what they wanna, even if its wrong ‘cause

Democracy means that people can freely be some dumb dumbs

Got the right to be dumb with “freedom of the press”

And “peaceably assemble and petition for a redress

In grievances to the government”

But this does not include insurrectionists

Who freely scream lies from their Fox-ed up press

Liberty leads to tyranny and oppression like this

We fear the zealotry of a potential state religion

But patriotic faith in ways and traditions? also divisive

Look at the way that they rage and freely demonstrate

Their right to scream out their hate, they think they can say

Anything that they wanna and walk away unscathed

But democracy works in ways we can’t anticipate

So the government won’t arrest you if you’re an asshole

But bet the people will make sure your ass gets canceled

Analysis

There are five specific civil liberties that had been debated from state conventions during the initial ratification debates of the US Constitution.

Specifically freedom of speech and religion are the focal points. While these are incredibly important rights to protect, that does not mean that there are not debates around the nuances of these rights.

For example, despite the fact that we have separated church from state, many Americans still believe that Christians founded the country and that is therefore a Christian country. While the reality of the historical context is accurate, it does not reflect the changed demographics within the country. Other religions are and should be protected from oppression based on this Amendment.

Unfortunately, many of the hardline Christians in the country have amplified their refusal to accept this 1st Amendment liberty by utilizing ANOTHER 1st Amendment liberty: freedom of speech.

Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other xenophobic/racist statements are protected by this amendment, for better or worse. With the exception of Hate Speech, which can cause physical harm, the government does not restrict the ability of Americans to speak their mind.

Thanks to technological advances in communication, however, democracy has found a way to fight back. By raising voices against someone who means to do harm, “Cancel Culture” has become a weapon to hold those accountable in arenas where the government should not intervene. It is a natural progression of democracy.

Of course, there are examples of “Cancel Culture” attacking people based on misinformation or lack of it. Welcome to human nature! Too much of any type of power is hazardous.

The reality is that CC is an incredibly powerful deterrent to ensure that hate and bigotry, while legal, is not glorified or acceptable. But like anything, we must be mindful of the power at our hands and constantly monitor it to ensure that there is a criteria for which one is “Canceled”.

In general, people need to stop whining about being prevented from confidently saying ignorant ideas without accountability.