Freedom of Speech or Is It?

      Freedom of speech is the first Amendment of the United States Constitution. But does this really mean an individual can say whatever they would like? Well, in today's society an individual cannot. Social networking has taken over the world with people using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to express their thoughts.The internet was a great way for an individual to express their beliefs, but now an individual must ask permission before they can post what they believe. In today's society an individual must ask permission to use a song or mention a business on their web pages. The consequences are severe if an individual does not ask for permission first, they could  potentially get sued. The term freedom of speech is almost irrelevant now because in order to post an opinion an individual must ask for permission. The term now is permission to speak and this is preventing the individual to express their imagination and expand on their thoughts. Almost anything people say now the person needs permission and if the company says no then nobody wants to fight it because people cannot pay for lawyers. The lack of freedom of speech being allowed for the individual is hurting the growth of the individual because one cannot express their thoughts and beliefs freely.
     In Lawrence Lessig's book Free Culture we read the chapter "Creators". This section talked about how Walt Disney got his stories from the Grimm Fairy Tales. In 1928 there was a thirty year rule, which meant after thirty years of the work anybody could use the information without needing permission. As Lessig states, "No permission is then needed to drawn upon or use that work"(Lessig). Walt Disney was able to rewrite his own stories from the original Grimm Fairy Tales. Now, people are not able to use somebody's idea and expand on it because of all the copyright laws. In Japan they take Comics very seriously and it is crucial for their economy. Japanese are very big on developing their comic authors and they believe the best philosophy is to look at others works. This was a philosophy that the Japanese took from the Americans in the 1920s, which is banned in America today, but beneficial for the Japanese society now. Lessig said, "American comics were born out of copying each other.. That is how the artist was taught how to draw"(Lessig). The best way for people to learn how to get better is by learning from the best. In America we are not allowed to do this because of the copy rights laws and nobody wants to get sued. In Japan they encourage others to copy and take notes because they know that is the best way for them to grow. The Japanese have the freedom of speech and right to explore others works, which helps the individual grow because they can use others works to develop their own thoughts.
     America now has a permission policy where we must ask before we look into somebody's else work. In Lessig's book he talks about how back in the 1920's Walt Disney did not need permission to ask to look at somebodies work. Because Walt Disney was able to look at the Grimm's fairy tales, it helped him discover a billion dollar industry. In order for an individual to succeed he needs to look at the professionals works and see why they were successful. By looking at somebody's work it helps gives the individual the expectations that are required to be successful. Japan has a very vibrant economy right now and people in Japan have a reputation for being extremely well educated. Japanese take comics very seriously and in their culture they encourage others to explore others' work. Because the Japanese are able to look at other people's works it expands their minds and helps discover their ideas. In America today we are not able to use freedom of speech because anything we say or publish without must get permission from the source can lead to serious consequences. The inability for Americans to express their thoughts and beliefs freely is hurting the growth of the individual in our society.