Name 2contempoay myths that are prevalent in North American Society

Contemporary American Myths

The American culture has spawned many myths . Many of these myths were spawned by misinterpretation of the United States Constitution . While freedom of speech ' is a constitutional right , universal freedom of speech ' is a contemporary myth that is an unfortunate misinterpretation of that right . The belief in the separation of church and state gives lie to the belief in freedom of religion and yet the first of those beliefs is a myth as well . Both of these myths have serious implications for the quality of life in the United

States , as well as for the future of its people

Go to virtually any email list or online forum or chat room , and you will eventually see someone write I can say whatever I want to you because I have freedom of speech ' This myth is a long-standing one that has some basis in truth . However , many people believe that this right extends to speech made in the private sector , which is what creates the myth . The truth is that the right only extends to speech made either in the privacy of one 's own home or in a publicly-owned forum . That right is also limited to protection from the intrusion of the government into the flow of communication . This misunderstanding has led to the myth of universal freedom of speech , which allegedly allows an individual to say whatever he or she feels like saying , no matter what the country of origin and no matter who owns the forum With the prevalence of the Internet , even in less developed countries this myth could lead to misunderstandings between ordinary citizens of differing nations , with potential for political implications in the future . Sadly , even the original right is slipping into the category of myth , as can be seen by recent government wiretapping

The second myth is that connected with the separation of church and state . It is almost impossible to separate this myth from the right of the freedom of religion , which is being forced into being a myth of its own by the first myth . The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU ) would have the American people believe that this separation of church and state means that religion is prohibited in any state or federal function . The fact is , however , that the Founding Fathers intended only that the federal government should not be permitted to create a national religion . Due to efforts of the ACLU , the religion ' that is being connected with the federal government is , essentially , secularism (Baldacchino , 1999 , pars . 7-8 . The United States was founded as a Christian ' nation , with freedom for the practice of any religion With the current efforts to remove religion from schools and any other organizations connected with the government , this freedom is becoming a myth itself . Today , the United States is not only not a Christian nation , it appears to be popular to bash Christianity while promoting other religions

These myths are both based in truth , as many myths tend to be . In...