There is an abundance of heated debates regarding the First Amendment to The U.S. Constitution in recent times, yet this topic is rarely being discussed in films. Liz Garbus’s Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech provides an in-depth look into the subject, exploring many controversial cases revolving around the freedom of speech. Martin Garbus, the father of the film’s director and the First Amendment attorney, expresses his point of view throughout the film. He considers the First Amendment to be the key feature that led the United States to become the world’s leader (Shouting Fire 0:1:50).
The discussion about the topic examines both past and more recent cases of the consequences of free speech. Even though the First Amendment explicitly prohibits any laws regarding the freedom of speech, Congress continues to make exceptions from it (Shouting Fire). Even in the past, politicians have recognized that freedom of speech can play a detrimental role in their agendas (Shouting Fire 0:36:20). Despite some of the concerns raised by the movie that can cause some distress in modern society, the issue of dwindling freedom of speech remains largely ignored while more laws are being passed that limit it.
The film’s take on this topic shows how the United States continues to drift away from the fundamental basics on which this country was able to build a great nation. The movie depicts how a major adverse event can shift the views of society towards the acceptance of fewer freedoms in return for perceived safety. Free speech requires to be protected continuously from any attempts of limiting it (Shouting Fire). I believe that this notion remains as strong as ever in the current year.
Work Cited
Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech. Directed by Liz Garbus, Moxie Firecracker Films, 2009.