AFF 1.

5
When in conflict, an individuals freedom of speech should be valued
above a communitys moral standards.
During a presentation at the National Youth Festival of South Africa
2008 Nelson Mandela ended one of his iconic speeches with these words,
"..you must continue to promote the principle of relentless freedom and
democracy as it is the foundation upon which issues of human rights are
ingrained."
Because I agree with Nelson Mandela (res). I have three contentions for
this statement to present to you today. First, that freedom of speech is a
human right, second freedom of speech upholds human rights, and finally
community moral standards harms human rights.
Definitions:
Conflict -An incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles,
or interests ~Ox
Freedom of Speech -The right to express any opinions without
censorship or restraint. ~ Ox
Community - A society of people living in the same place, under the
same laws and regulations, and who have common rights and privileges
~Black's
Moral - right and wrong and how people should behave ~AHD
Standards - A level of quality or attainment ~ Ox
Today what I'm going to try to achieve is (value) : Human Rights
I'll be defining HR as
-the basic rights and privileges to which all humans are considered to
be entitled, including the rights to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial,
freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression
~AHD
Burden Scope: General statement, majority of the time
C1: Freedom of Speech is a Human Right
(At the beginning of the Declaration of Independence are words that
we should all be familiar with:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Our country was founded on the belief that all men have rights, such
as liberty. Freedom of Speech is simply an extension or application of liberty.
It is written in our very Constitution and the entire First Amendment is

dedicated to our right of Freedom of Speech.)

According to article nineteen of the UDoHR, "Everyone has the right to
freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold
opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information
and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was commissioned by the
UN and drafted by members of eighteen different countries. It arose directly
from the objection to the horrors of Holocaust and is an expression of rights
to which all human beings are inherently entitled. Rights which were denied
to victims of the Holocaust. According to the Preamble to the declaration,
"disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts
which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world
in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom
from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the
common people"
C2. Freedom of Speech Upholds Human Rights
George Washington once stated;
"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may
be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
One of the things that differentiates us from plants or animals is our
ability to have opinions and beliefs and our ability to express those opinions.
Taking away someones ability to speak freely in a way deprives them of part
of their humanity. Without freedom of speech, we have no way to insist on
basic morality and the other human rights.
On Feb 20 of last year an anonymous Ukrainian woman made a video
asking people to support the Ukrainian fight for freedom as violence
continued to erupt in her country. The video went viral, with three million
views in the first three weeks, and raised awareness for the issues in
Ukraine.
Historic figures such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr have used
freedom of speech to change bad communities standards to good ones and
fight against oppression. To do so they had to violate the moral standards of
their communities that said they could not speak out. Martin Luther King Jr,
who spoke out for the human rights of all people regardless of race in the
face of one of America's most regrettable immoral standards.
This is why freedom of speech has to be valued over communities
moral standards when they are in conflict, because freedom of speech is one
of the few things that can end bad moral standards. This brings me to my
final point.
C3. Community Moral Standards Harms Human Rights
( Cms are subjective -CMS change from community to community.
Everyone has different standards to which they hold each other morally.
Community moral standards have no bright line or clear parameters, they
are completely subjective to the community. For example in China it is

considered moral to have only one child, preferably a boy. But in a

community in the Islamic Middle East families are encouraged to have as
many children as possible. Also, cms are constantly changing within the
community. )
Communities should not be given the ability of deciding whether or not
to give their members their basic rights. Valuing communities moral
standards over freedom of speech would give them this ability. Communities
like Pakistan, where any reports critical of the government policy or critical of
the military is censored. Journalists face widespread threats and violence
making Pakistan one of the worst countries to be a journalist in, with 61
being killed since September 2001 and at least 6 murdered in 2013 alone
and sites like Youtube are banned to all citizens because of blasphemy laws.
Or North Korea, where criticism of the government and its leaders is strictly
prohibited and making such statements can be cause for arrest and
consignment to one of North Korea's "re-education" camps where the moral
standards are that the government and leaders are the ultimate good and
the people are brainwashed to holding to these standards due to restrictions
from the outside world.(The News International, Feb 9, 2014) Both of these
countries are accused of some of the worst and most constant human rights
violations [2] [3]
According to a report from Amnesty International, there is a strong
connection between a countrys disrespect for human rights and suppressed
freedom of speech. Quote, In countries around the world, the right to
express one's thoughts and beliefs is under assault. Throughout the world
individuals face harassment and imprisonment as a result of exercising their
right to freedom of expressionThis right is important for the personal
development and dignity of every individual and is vital for the fulfillment of
other human rights."
Some cms are good, some are bad. But we have no way to tell without
hr and no way to change without fos.
In conclusion, although communities across the nation and the
world may disagree on every moral issues we can all agree human rights
should take priority over any moral opinions of individual communities. They
are the bond that holds us together throughout time. We deserve Human
Rights because we are Human and nothing will ever change that, opposed to
constantly changing cms. With that I say thank you, I look forward to an
invigorating debate, and I now stand open for cross-examination and any
points of further clarification.
1. Bloomberg Law
2.Pakistan was recommended by the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in May to be designated as a Country of
Particular Concern (CPC) by the Department of State because of its
governments engagement or toleration of systematic, ongoing, and
egregious violations of religious freedom

3. North Korea's human rights record has been widely condemned, especially
by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the European Union and the
United Nations. North Korea is widely believed to have amongst the worst
human rights record in the world. The General Assembly of the United
Nations has since 2003 annually adopted a resolution condemning the
country's human rights record. The latest resolution of December 19, 2011,
passed by a vote of 12316 with 51 abstentions, urged the government in
Pyongyang to end its "systematic, widespread and grave violations of human
rights", which included public executions and arbitrary detentions. North
Korea rejected the resolution, saying it was politically motivated and based
upon untrue fabrications. In February 2014, a UN special commission
published a detailed, 400-page account based on first-hand testimonies
documenting "unspeakable atrocities" committed in the country.
"I'm fighting back by communicating. It's a peaceful protest. I want the truth
to be known." - Scientology victim. Going Clear