Does the first Amendment affect your livelihood?

Does the first Amendment affect your livelihood? Hmmm...I'm not sure...Is water wet? Is the grass green? Do skittles come in different colors? Do we even really need to ask? Of course it does....The first Amendment is important for a lot of reasons, one being that it allows us to show our individuality and uniqueness. If we weren't allowed to express ourselves, be it in writing dancing, comedy, and many other ways, then our individuality and uniqueness would never be seen. We might as well be mindless drones. We all need rights to live our lives the way we want.

We could just go through life following whatever everyone else tells us to do, conform to what is the white-dominated government, or we can take a stand to protest our rights with the freedom of peaceably to assemble.

This is what the African Americans did only a couple of decades ago, and if they hadn't then the world we live in now would be completely different. I (being Asian) wouldn't be going to the same school as my friend (which is white). They would separate us and discriminate again me; because I would be considered "colored". Now that's different I can be friends with whom ever I want, all because of the first Amendment. Without it if something bad was going on around you, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Another reason why the first Amendment is important is because of the freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech we wouldn't be able to express out feelings. And also I wouldn't be here writing about it by now. Some might think that's a good thing, but think of the alternative...if there was no first amendment I would be the person I am today, I would of never learned to interpret the world the way I wanted to, and analyze facts and data of everyday life the way I see fits.

I personally, talk out of terms in many situations and say stuff that shouldn't be said, but for my benefit the fact that I can say the stuff and not be put in jail for it is a good thing. I mean I could go around saying I hate the president if I wanted to and it would have been ok (by the way I in fact do believe the president is a complete fool but that's beside the point).

Just like the people do in shows like MAD and Saturday Night Live. And if they were ban then you know MTV and VH1 would be the next to go. Imagine a world where Tupac and Biggie never existed. They were inspiration to many people of today. Their songs and what they wrote about touched a lot of people, it would be terrible if there was a law preventing them from doing their thing.

And freedom of speech goes along with freedom of the press. Where the media choose what they want to say and how they do it. We need the media to determine many things and the media gives us an insight on what's happening around the world and allows us to put our own view on it.

Also without freedom of the press we would have never gotten to read Huckleberry Finn. That book was very controversial and it was also banned from many libraries and school, but last year we still were allowed to read it and it has broaden our views on many subjects.

Another right that the first amendment gives us is the freedom of religion. This particular right affects me very personally, because I have chosen not to have a religion. But even if I wanted to have one I could pick the one I choose and not have to stick with whatever was told to choose. Anyways, if I were to be told what my religion was odds are it would be Christianity, because most people in America is Christian. You see Christianity everywhere, even in our holidays! Christmas will never look the same again (doesn't really matter though, I'm in it for the presents, as are most children). Above all in that particular religion you have to believe in God and the whole thing about Jesus, so that would be a problem considering I don't believe in god.

Now people may say that it doesn't matter, they don't watch TV anyways who cares. Or it's not like the read the paper, so it doesn't matter. And they don't listen to music, never petitioned against anything, and blah blah blah....They don't realize that they are taking their rights for granted. What if that day comes where you need to speak out for yourself and you can't because there's a law preventing it, what then???

I would just like to end this by saying without freedom of right we would not be able to live in this world. The conditions that would be the effects of no freedom would be unbearable. The first amendment affects our live in more ways than you think.