“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The United States has followed the U.S. Constitution since 1787. With that being said, can someone please explain to me why I and so many others are constantly ridiculed for our beliefs? Does the freedom of speech not apply to me? Or does it only apply if it is what the public wants to hear?

This is a prime example of what is called a “double standard” and is currently flooding the nation and threatening people’s voices all around the globe. This country has adopted a sense of a “my way or the highway” attitude. One person can speak what is on their mind, and it will be covered by the first amendment. When that person hears something he or she does not want to hear, they might claim that what they heard is out of place and shouldn’t have been said.

This column, for starters — many will argue that I am out of place for talking about these subjects that so many columnists avoid. However, I can assure you that not only do I know my rights, I plan on exercising them for as long as I live.

Elijah Parish Lovejoy, who was killed by the public in an attempt to destroy his writings said, “As long as I am an American citizen and as long as American blood runs in these veins, I shall hold myself at liberty to speak, to write and to publish whatever I please, being amenable to the laws of my country for the same.”

There are many things that have double standards that tag along with them. Many are often politically charged. The fight between those who are pro-life and pro-choice has been going on for decades. I am constantly ridiculed for my beliefs. I am even called names for simply having a pin with a picture of baby feet on my lanyard, representing my pro-life beliefs. Yet, my beliefs are my beliefs. I don’t tell you that your beliefs are wrong.

Gun control is often a touchy subject for many people. If someone carries a weapon on them, it is constantly portrayed that they are some kind of killer. There are facts on either side of the debate, but the common misconception is that every person that owns a gun is a criminal and has it purely for harming others.

Another example of a double standard is a racially motivated one. An instance of this is the recent Paula Deen scandal. Southern cook Paula Deen admitted to using the socially forbidden “n word” years ago. Deen lost sponsors, she lost money and most importantly, she lost credibility to a lot of her fans. Yet, idolized rap star, Lil Wayne, used the word 25 times in a song that happens to have the word in the title of said song. The song is six minutes long and he uses the word more than four times a minute. It was also counted that he used the word 182 times in one album. So why the big outburst when Mrs. Deen admitted to using the word years ago?

Perhaps the double standard that annoys me the most, though, is the one surrounding the subject of gay marriage. It has become practically “against the norm” to be against gay marriage and for someone to express their belief towards gay marriage is unheard of. They are nearly always shunned by society because of it. What confuses me most is when the public asks a company, such as Chick-Fil-A, a controversial question.

Chick-Fil-A is a Christian food chain that is outspoken about being a family and is also closed on Sunday’s for religious beliefs. They asked CEO Dan Cathy his views on gay marriage, although they were well aware of the answer before they even asked the question. Following this, the public acted entirely shocked, as if they were incapable of anticipating the answer of a traditional Christian. Many people boycotted Chick-Fil-A after this was brought to the public’s eye. However, it ultimately backfired because countless people, myself included, waited for chicken and stood up for their beliefs despite the public’s outcry of hatred towards Cathy and his company.

Chick-Fil-A isn’t the only business to have been approached with such a question. Companies such as Hobby Lobby and Salvation Army have also been asked their views, and their answers elicited a similar public response. Why is it okay for someone to agree with something so much, but not okay for someone to disagree with that belief, no matter what the majority of the public thinks?

We the people, need to come together to abolish double standards. We need to treat everyone the same. We need to not ridicule others’ beliefs. Rather, we should respect them and move on, always staying true to our own values, despite what the public says we should think.