"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.' You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free."*
(Watch President Andrew Shepherd's Press Conference on Bob Rumson and the Crime Bill here.)
What can you learn about the First Amendment?
That free speech is one of the most crucial aspects of freedom. Without the ability to express and argue for what you believe in, any other conception of liberty falls apart.
What can you learn about life?
That understanding of the position contrary to your own is crucial to the strength of your conviction. To doubt and question your beliefs and come out on the other side still believing is the true test of faith. Faith in anything - family, friends, religion, ideas, or philosophy.
In other words:
- Anything worth having is worth fighting for
- Freedom is listening to both sides regardless of personal opinion
- Conviction is fighting for what you believe in even when you think you are going to lose
Okay, okay, okay, so this is a scripted quote from a speech given by a fictional President in a movie from the mid-90s. Nevertheless, this blurb has meant more to my understanding of patriotism and politics than anything else. Has this quote romanticized the American conception of freedom? Definitely. Yet, I think that such an ideal is precisely what the country should strive to achieve. As scary as it is, you have to set the bar high to accomplish anything worth the effort.
*The American President. Columbia Pictures, 1995.
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Danielle Robinette, of Campbell County, Ky., is a sophomore McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is majoring in political science and Spanish.