Viewfinder: Videomaker's Vision
"The rights of the whole can be no more than the sum of the rights of the individuals." --Thomas Jefferson
We live in a time in which we have unprecedented access to opinions. Never before in the history of mankind have we had access to such a diversity of information sources. Now we can truly participate in a robust "marketplace of ideas" as Thomas Jefferson envisioned.
Jefferson wrote about his belief in the value of diverse opinions in the Declaration of Independence:
"...a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
He also set forth these beliefs in the Bill of Rights. The underlying purpose of the First Amendment was to facilitate a search for the truth, thereby empowering all citizens to self-governance. The truth is revealed when all people have diverse sources of opinion.
The writing of John Milton may have inspired Jefferson. Milton wrote in his pamphlet Areopagetica, "No man can be sure he has discovered the truth until he has examined all points of view and is free to make his own choice. Give me liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties And though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to doubt her strength. Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?"
Milton named Areopagetica for an ancient Greek forum. Areopagus (pronounced air-ee-AH-pa-gus) is the name of a stony hilltop next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Around 500 BC it was a place where democracy and freedom of speech saw one of its earliest flowerings. The University of California, Berkeley established a similar forum during the free-speech movement of the 1960s. Believing that freedom of inquiry and discussion are basic and essential to intellectual development, the University designated a "free speech area" in front of the administration building as a place where individuals or groups could exercise these freedoms. Both of these public areas were dedicated to open debate of any and all issues.
In the past, bottlenecks in the flow of information from people wishing to express an observation or opinion hampered communication. Illiteracy was the greatest impediment for centuries; then it was the lack of mass production and distribution of printed materials (Gutenberg helped solve that problem). Publishing printed materials is a resource-intensive process; however, only a few opinion holders have that privilege. In recent decades TV has become a major source from which people collect information. TV production and distribution were also resource-intensive processes, so again, very few opinion holders have had the privilege. In recent years the costs of TV production and distribution have changed dramatically. Inexpensive camcorders are within reach of nearly every citizen. Their productions, though often simple and unsophisticated, are hailed as "reality" TV by producers and viewers. Videocassettes and the Internet are two other distribution options that are inexpensive and accessible by the masses.
We are about to leave the Dark Ages, during which the only well-distributed opinions are those of the information aristocracy. We are entering an Age of Enlightenment, in which the democratic process will extend to the dissemination of ideas and opinions by anyone to anyone. The people will finally rule themselves. As Jefferson envisioned, when we have a free flow of information, then we will truly self-govern. For democratic rule requires independent thought and debate.
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