What is Stable Change?

 

After learning about the Eight Values of Free Expression there are many values that are valuable in today’s society. The value that stands out to me the most, Stable Change. 

Stable change or safety valve is from Benedict Spinoza a Dutch Jewish philosopher. This value is summarized as, “It’s been suggested that a society in which angry and alienated citizens are allowed to speak their mind, or "vent," will be more stable, as people will be less likely to resort to violence.  It has also been pointed out that allowing the alienated and discontented to speak freely enables government to better monitor potentially dangerous groups who would otherwise act more clandestinely. Ultimately, it is in the government’s own self-interest to allow such venting”. 

This resonated with me because it values the need for people to talk about their problems and frustrations. I have found that I feel better about a situation the anger me when I talk to someone about it. This has also prevented me from acting rashly and possibly doing something I will regret. I have seen others close to me do the same thing and being allowed to speak their mind helps them work through their issue. 

Another important point Spinoza makes is the ability for the government to better monitor potential threats when they are allowed to speak their mind. I have been in situations where someone freely speaks their mind, but they may be speaking about an issue I strongly disagree with or showing themselves to be of poor charter. This had helped me determine who I want to be close with and who I will bring up my issues. 

Recently there was extreme controversy regarding the 2020 Presidential Election. People were constantly “venting” about the candidates to their friends, family, and online. Tensions were escalating as election day got closer and people speaking freely about their issues with the election helped the government and candidates prepare. 

One of the biggest and most controversial places people spoke about the election was on social media. People were posting news stories, their opinions, and “facts” about their candidates. With the nation constantly talking about the election it was almost impossible for people not to think about their opinion and voting. NPR reported that “the number of early voters under 30 who are voting for the first time in their life is more than double the number of first-time voters at this point in the 2016 election”, and the University of Maryland said, “early voting has broken historic records at 99.7 million early votes submitted (already more than two-thirds of the total votes cast in 2016)”. 

With the increased election attention there was more information for people to predict the results. The increased information also led to preparations in case of riots or violence from people angry with the results. Luckily nothing happened, but the Stable Change value allowed everyone to be prepared for the worst, get their frustrations off their back, connect with others, and it increased the number of voters.