Free Expression Reflection

The Marketplace of Ideas, introduced by John Milton, is a powerful phenomenon that rewards the truth no matter the lies that surround it. The idea is that truth and deceit will dance around one another in a battle for the top. However, no matter the strength of the intervention, the truth will rise above. If anything, the battle between good and evil actually strengthens the truth when everything is all said and done. 

Mostly seen in court trials and political disputes, the truth prevails despite outside efforts to hide and cover it up with lies and half-truths that stray from the main issue. The truth is not always easy to find, but it only takes on slip up or just one incoherent clue to destroy a whole web of lies. Continuous counterarguments and investigation of evidence establish a forum where many individual pieces overlap and are cross-referenced to give a detailed and accurate timeline of events. If one detail is off, the truth has already won. 

One area that I see the Marketplace of Ideas springs into action is in the case of divorce. I'm not referring to divorces that end on common ground where the two parties peacefully separate and, if children are involved, work together to provide for the child in a healthy coparenting environment. Coming from a divorced family where the first priority on everyone's minds has always been to protect their own image, the truth tends to get lost in the cutting-edge, detailed design to target the "opponent" and ruin their integrity. 

The case of Gohil v. Gohil (2015) is a prime example of a divorce case where the law works diligently to ensure that truth triumphs and the proper consequences are dealt. To summarize, in Gohil v. Gohil, a couple goes to court because the wife believes that the husband was not fully disclosing his financial assets in accordance with the approved divorce proceedings. The husband originally stated that any of his side transactions belonged to his parents and not himself. The Marketplace of Ideas had revealed that not only was the husband keeping aside money of his own, but he was also a part of some criminal activity on top of that. If it were not for the wife's insistence to push past his lies, the court would not have been aware of the additional violations being committed. 

Divorce has left a mark on nearly half the United States population of children, as growing studies show that 50% of children will be the result of a separated household. The neurological impact of such a big change in a kid's life has the potential to leave a scarring mark on the child's ability to interact with others and resolve conflict as they mature in their adult years. Bringing acknowledgement to the harm that a messy divorce can have on youth is essential in teaching divorced parents how to put aside their differences if they want what's best for the child. 

The truth can be difficult to pinpoint if it is clouded by a mirage of falsities and deception. However, hope is not entirely lost. There is only so much manipulation that can be done before there is no choice but for the truth to come out. Additionally, in our day-and-age of technology, it's difficult for things to stay secret for long. It only takes one sneaky reporter to shine light on the real story.