However, this marketplace of ideas isn't exactly free. It comes with certain responsibilities tied to posting your opinion online for all the world to partake of.
With great power comes great responsibility....
Yes I just made that reference.
It's like Dr. Mike said the other day in other day in class, "Is everyone entitled to their opinion?" And of course, as he iterated, NO. They're entitled to have their informed opinion. Those two syllables make all the difference in the kind of opinion that should be allowed to be expressed online, via these 1st Amendment rights. To have an opinion is one thing. Exhibit A: The frivolous hypothetical example....Say your friend is wearing a new yellow dress. It compliments her figure, and the color brings out her eyes brilliantly. The stitching is just gorgeous and the material is to die for. You compliment her on it, saying that that particular designer is a genius, and she thanks you with a smile. This is the opinion of someone who is seeing a solution from one side of the glass. This could be an example of an uninformed opinion. But say you were to find out that the Chinese orphans that sewed that dress together in a sweatshop were paid only four cents an hour and were forced to stretch themselves beyond the means of most child labor laws. Suddenly, that dress doesn't look quite as fabulous. Now, you are able to have an informed opinion about that particular designer and how their business is run.
Now of course, that's a ridiculous example, but I didn't want to use a real-life example. The main point being that rather than shutting oneself off from all sides of an issue, you should expose yourself fully to all points of view before forming an original thought to post for all the world to see. Know that it is your responsibility to your first amendment rights. You can have any opinion you like, that is, any informed opinion.
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