Random Rants

There is a thin line to the first amendment regarding free speech and  its repercussions

Often , people voice their opinions without realizing the consequences. For e.g. Kanye West and his rant about abolishing the 13th Amendment on the opening of the SNL season. The strides that blacks have made to be recognized and respected has been a very long journey. What is really troubling about this is that one of their own is asking that the 13th amendment be abolished. The problem with this is that people like West who is a renowned international artist with a big following make such claims it can be misinterpreted that he is speaking on behalf of a group of people i.e. The African American population. He has since stated that what he says he does not mean but cannot clarify exactly what he means.

In the past he has made other comments which has people concerned about his mental health. Soledad O’Brien a journalist after reading Kanye’s recent tweet a second time suggested that he could be mentally ill, which I think to be troubling.  The first amendment was put in place to give people the freedom to express themselves. Besides the ordinary man, journalist are given first amendment rights regarding free press. However, we must think about the ways people may use these platforms to sway public opinion. I believe a journalist has a responsibility to report what they deem is news to the people. I am not encouraging biased journalism.  However, not because someone is a celebrity their views matter. What about facts vs. opinions?

With the agenda of the current administration and the conservative supreme court the president now has more leverage to roll back on policies that benefit minorities, underprivileged and poor people.  For e.g. the trump administration has rolled back on LGBT health policies.   In addition, The trump administration wants to tax protest, which is definitely a restraint on free speech. Last but not least, the op-ed that I mentioned in the last blog post President Trump said it was treason. I guess if your views do not align with his then it’s treason. However, since Kanye has openly said he is  pro -Trump, the current administration loves him.