Protect Dissent and the Right to Criticize the Government

The First Amendment is one that gives United States citizens numerous “freedoms,” which colonists did not have under the rule of England. The freedoms that are given are the freedom of religion, for religion, of speech, of the press, to assemble, and to petition the Government. Two of these freedoms need to be highlighted – the freedom of speech and the freedom to petition the Government.

Freedom of Speech gives citizens the right to say their opinions on certain matters without getting punished to an extent. “To an extent” meaning that the as people are able to speak their truth, it would be illegal for people to act on their words, which is called “expressive action.” For instance, someone could say that they did not like something that was occurring in the country. However, they could not act upon those words with violence.

Freedom to petition the Government is an important freedom that is given in the First Amendment as many people may have grievances with the government and this freedom allows people to voice their grievances. This freedom has been crucial throughout history and even in current times. In modern day, people are able to express their views on the government through a multitude of ways, whether it is through print, television, or even through social media.

Protecting Dissent, or in this case, the right to criticize the government is very important. As we enter an era where social media is one of the most utilized tool to communicate. At this current moment with the struggle regarding COVID-19, protecting dissent is extremely important. At any given time of the day, there is someone talking about the politics regarding the pandemic. People have been voicing their opinions and critiquing the choices that political figures are making.

In Dissent, Injustice and the Meanings of America, it is proposed that it  is our “patriotic duty” to criticize the government. In this text, it is advocating for each individual to voice our opinions, good or bad. In an article called “Protect the Right to Criticize the Government,” it compares it to a “civic duty.” All in all, as a citizen of the United States of America, it is our duty to be able to speak what we believe. It is our duty to our nation to voice what we think are wrongdoings to hope for improvement. This right gives us a voice to the public and it gives us power.

Link: https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/protect-the-right-to-criticize-the-government/

Coronavirus Impacting Business

When you turn on the news, a major headline reoccurring is the Coronavirus. Originating in China, this virus has been a big topic of discussion. People are asking: what is it? Can it cause death? What are symptoms? But, what they are not asking is: how will it affect consumer-driven industries?

With the concern about the virus, traveling has been magnified. Some businesses have been telling employees to not travel domestically or internationally. An important question being asked is, how is it spread?

Another major concern regarding the new outbreak of an unheard of virus is regarding shipping and manufacturing of products. Many major corporations have products manufactured in China. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Some of these companies have manufacturing locations in areas where the outbreak is incredibly prominent. As a result, these locations have temporarily shut down or production has been slow due to workers having this virus. What does this mean for the business and for the consumer?

For the business, this could mean that supplies and stock can be low until the coronavirus is wiped away. For the consumer, this means that whatever product they may wish for can be very hard to get if there is a shortage of products being created in China.

Many questions have been formed based off of the virus specifically with businesses. Some people wonder if other businesses, such as UberEats and Netflix will skyrocket due to the weariness of exposing oneself to others. In the past week, the telecommunicating software of Zoom has already skyrocketed.

What does this mean for all businesses?

Reference: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/technology/coronavirus-disrupts-industry.html

Culture of Motion Pictures

In modern day, in people’s free time, they will sit back, relax, and turn on their preferred streaming platform. Where did it all start?

The evolution of motion pictures began in 1888. During this year, Thomas Edison and William Dickson wanted to create a device that had the ability to record motion pictures. That led to the Kinetograph – the first camera to record motion and could be displayed on a screen. Then in 1894, the “Kinetograph Parlors” opened allowing public film screenings.

As the United States were working on the first recording device and first public way to screen movies, the French were also working too. The Cinématographe by the Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis was introduced in 1895. This device could project 16 frames per second.

The device projecting motion pictures became a big hit. Eventually, filmmakers started introducing new concepts into these motion pictures. For instance, these films would have story lines and would have music throughout the background. Up until 1927, these films would be “silent films,” where audio was not incorporated, but there was music to emphasize change in the plot line.

But now, in the year of 2020, motion pictures have evolved completely. Cameras have evolved and the process to create a movie has become very extensive. Dialogue is heavily used as well as effects.

The culture of movies have changed. People go to the movie theaters in their free time, but the emergence of streaming movies has evolved the use of motion pictures. People do not have to go to the movie theaters in order to watch a film. They can watch from their couch at home and watch not one, but countless movies.

Over a hundred years have passed and the culture of motion pictures have completely changed with the evolution of technology.

Reference: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pickford-early-history-motion-pictures/