What is freedom of artistic expression?

Do you think democracy really knows how to define "freedom of expression"?

• It seems like democracy has a difficult time defining just exactly what freedom, and freedom of expression is. I just saw on the news that on youtube, people have posted videos on how to use drugs- cocaine, marijuana etc. and statistically most who see these videos are teenagers....one girl who was interviewed for this segment for the news said she learned how to use drugs because of websites like this. Our founding fathers describes freedom as to do what you ought, but not to do whatever you want; meaning freedom, true freedom has boundaries not this misconception today that freedom is whatever you want to do, and whatever makes you feel good, or what gives you total "satisfaction." Freedom is ordered not disordered. Do you think freedom is misunderstood, or misdefined in today's America, and in general difficult to define in a democracy?

• Answer:

  "Democracy" doesn't know, say, or do anything, it's just a system by which humans interact. The reason there is a question of meaning is not the result of democracy but of lack of education, people don't bother to learn what the words they are using mean and thus are incapable of communicating or comprehending a complex thought. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary gives us this: "Freedom - (n) the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action". Carried to an extreme by every individual this would unquestionably make any form of society impossible, which is why even animal herds have clear social rules. In order for any society to function it is necessary for the actions of each individual to be circumscribed by the needs of maintaining the society as a whole, or put another way, my freedom of expression stops at your nose.