America truly is a melting pot of differing ideas, backgrounds, and life experiences. Recently, however, I came to the realization that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like, we all as Americans share one common privilege: freedom of speech. In a country where we often take the ability to speak our minds for granted, it is important to reflect on how we have all benefited from a society of freedom. While some are served unequal opportunities for seemingly uncontrollable reasons, all Americans are given a voice. Such an ability to express how we feel is a major part of what makes this country unique.
It seems as though over the last few days, tensions in the United States have never been higher. With protests of the brutal murder of George Floyd erupting in violence, Americans everywhere have turned to social media to express their own thoughts on the matter. While this is an obvious and acceptable reaction to such a horrific event, let us not forget how this seemingly insignificant capability shines a bright light on our global privilege.
As the world has been understandably hyper focused on COVID-19, and us Americans have been busy posting our opinions online, understand that not everyone in this world is granted a similar ability to rise up and speak our truths. The last few weeks have seen China taking advantage of global complacency to return to brutally suppressing any last freedoms the city of Hong Kong holds from the grasp of Beijing. In a sweeping effort to undermine the “one country, two system agreement,” China is now stealthily pushing new national security legislation on Hong Kong. These proposed decrees would all but limit the city’s ability to act as an autonomous governing body, as their legal agreement with Beijing previously dictated. Under the provisions of the new law, China would fully determine who can and cannot speak out against their draconian rule. Without help, any previously existing hope of freedom for Hong Kong will soon be crushed and their people will be silenced, forced to reconcile with a government that has suppressed their human rights for decades.
China, however, isn’t the only country where cries for help will continue to go unanswered. In Venezuela, thousands of people have turned to protesting Nicholas Maduro’s government, whose brutal socialist rule continues to further deteriorate the quality of life for an already struggling population. With 716 nationwide protests in the month of April alone, it seems as though American and global support for anti-Maduro efforts have faded into the background. The United Nations currently estimates that a third of Venezuelan families are starving, four in ten households lack proper electricity, and 72% of citizens are short of gas. These startling statistics leave us asking one question: “Where is the noise?” “Where are the reports of injustice?” The answer is simple. Any coverage of attempted opposition has been quashed by a government that ranks near the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index. The Maduro government has spent every day of its illegitimate rule stifling freedom of speech, spreading mass propaganda, and fabricating conspiracies of a hostile global media to explain any negative coverage they receive from around the world. The government of Venezuela actively denies the mere existence of these issues that thousands flood the streets to protest. While more and more journalists flee the country due to prolonged violence against a free media, the people of Venezuela are left without a voice. We must realize that while we are granted the privilege and tools to speak out against injustice, Venezuelans lack simple access to an open internet, being subjected rather to one controlled by the state.
In finishing this article, allow me to make one thing clear. It is in no way my intention to challenge or discredit anyone else's opinions on the topics that our country faces today. Rather it is my goal to take a step back and evaluate the privileges we are granted as Americans. We should be celebrating the freedoms we are given in expressing outrage over issues like the murder of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. We should feel blessed to live in a world where there is plenty of free speech to go around, even if that means opinions you don’t always agree with are also expressed. No matter who you are, your opinion is valued in this country. In Cuba, the communist party is afforded every liberty to violently stomp out opposition. In North Korea, no media outside of the government even exists, with journalists sentenced to death for dissent. In America we are all granted a voice, no matter how small of a deal it may seem.
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