Laws Protect Individual Expression, and the Freedom of Other People, Or Does It?

I’ve read this article from a Dubaian ex-prisoner regarding self-expression and it gave me some insight on modern laws.

Individuals have their own ways of expressing themselves. The more freedom people have, the happier they are. In a romantic relationship, people enjoy each other’s company because they’re free to become who they really are as there is acceptance from both sides. People can love their governments better if they have more freedom to express themselves.

However, not everyone can accept an individual, which is why there are laws in place. These laws protect the integrity of another person, especially in cases where there is behaviour or expression that cannot be accepted by the majority of people.

In the modern world where the internet exists, anybody could express themselves, much to the chagrin of people who do not appreciate these forms of expression based on culture, beliefs, religion and other ways of thought. Laws protect people from this particular form by raising issues that defame their own image. It is a right of an individual to protecthis or her own image by litigation.

However, the law is only accessible to people with power. Governments can shoot down individuals who do not agree with the status quo using laws. It is a direct violation of human rights if the government does not respect the wishes of the majority in certain cases and if it expresses itself with harsh laws that vindicate individuality.

In a sense, the individual protection by law could be trampled with by power, which makes laws both a protective wall, and a wall that also serves as a prison of the individual.