Decoded by Danielle

Ahhh, freedom of expression. It’s a topic that is very relevant in today’s political landscape. It’s a concept that we’ve all pretty much taken for granted until things happen to challenge the status quo. In the United States, we are ruled by a democracy, where free speech and the right to peaceful protest are synonymous with our freedoms. However, recently we have had to really think about what freedom of expression means. Like, what it really means. Not just the legalities and rights afforded to us by the constitution, but the capability to tell our stories even when we feel scared and/or scrutinized when doing so.

The terms parrhesia and isegoria are Ancient Greek terms that describe different types of free speech. Isegoria is a term that means that all citizens are equal and therefore can equally voice their thoughts and opinions in public, which was an early idea of democracy as we know it today. Parrhesia is a term that means that honesty is at the forefront of those who voice their ideas and opinions, even if it’s risky and/or the citizen feels scared to do so. Through the required readings this week, I was prompted to think about our current media landscape and how our society (today) struggles with balancing the right to speak and having the courage to do so, freely. Michel Foucault’s Discourse and Truth: The Problematization of Parrhesia prompted me to think about how today’s fear of cancel culture can make people apprehensively hold back on saying things. With the emergence of social media, I think that today’s society aligns more with the idea of isegoria rather than parrhesia. I say this because social media platforms (X, Threads, Instagram, TikTok, Meta, etc.) have given free reign to the masses and have given them a platform to voice their opinions and thoughts, although certain individuals (and voices) have more influence than others, while certain individuals are censored or silenced. In Gayatri Spivak’s piece Can the Subaltern Speak, she mentions that marginalized people (women, colonized people, poor people) can’t speak for themselves, instead more powerful people (people of stature and respect) speak about them as opposed to being heard, which ultimately causes their voices to get lost. Therefore, the idea of our society having the right to speak doesn’t matter if your voice isn’t heard.

A valuable democratic society is one that allows and protects free expression. Openly allowing citizens to grow, disagree, agree, and connect on thoughts and issues shows just how closely democracies and identities are connected. In order for a democracy to thrive, it is imperative that ALL citizens are equally able to speak freely, openly and without fear.