Expression enables us to present elements of our internal selves externally. Whether we want others to know our subculture, our preferences, interests, or even values, expression is a daily mechanism for most of us. This is a privilege many do not have the chance to live with. For many, expression is restricted and monitored, confined and governed. In our modern world, it’s even easier to see how expression is a privilege when compared to global differences in policies and governments concerning personal freedoms. But, expression isn’t always so simple and surface-level. It is often driven by political motivation and fights for recognition and equality. So, is expression really always a privilege?
Many, without doubt, consider safety as a prerequisite in deciding what, when, and how to express themselves. Such societies exist, but disproportionately in the West. The Freedom of Expression Index shows a clear global disproportionality between countries where people are free to discuss political matters (presenting different political perspectives) at home, in the public sphere, and in the media. Other reports show a worrying statistic of globally declining rights and freedoms: The Human Freedom Index 2025 shows freedom has declined for almost 90% of the world’s population, with “76% of the world’s population living in the bottom half of the index”; The Social Progress Imperative illustrates how social progress has stagnated since 2021, and that there has been a long-term decline in rights and freedoms globally. Faced with the threat of imprisonment, violence, or worse, expression simply isn’t an option for a large population. Living in a society that isn’t directly impacted by these statistics is therefore, undeniably, a privilege.
However, living in such a society doesn’t presuppose the privileges of all expression. Consider cases of radical expression. In many cases, expression is rather a reaction against a norm, a reaction against implicit rules imposed onto us. A reaction that openly rejects. Radical political expression is a historical affair.
The 1960s and 70s saw the rise of the hippie movement in Western society. Established as mass reactionism against conformity, militarism, and mainstream Western society, hippies used expression to communicate messages. Similarly, Riot Girls of the early 1990s used dress and music to express a response against a system and government. Although established in the privileged West, their radical expression was necessary and urgent. Can we therefore really call these groups, wanting to respond to their corrupt societies, privileged?
Expression that is driven by reactionism to inequality, injustice, and oppression is not entirely one of privilege. Oftentimes the groups that do express radical views as an overt rejection of norms are considered marginalised. Norms aren’t always harmless and simple either. Sometimes these can be dangerously detrimental to certain groups, made worse by how they are deeply engraved in our societies and propagated by governments. These include racial, sexual, and identity ‘norms’. For example, heteronormative ‘norms’ force certain expectations of structures within society. For groups that fall outside of this ‘norm’, it is important for them to express their identity – to emphasise its validity, value, and normality.
Would there be a need for expression in these circumstances if the system wasn’t structured in a way that automatically opposes what isn’t the norm?
It’s important to recognise that for marginalised groups – where expression is a crucial mechanism in establishing rights and freedoms – expression seldom comes without consequences. Even in societies that rank higher in freedom of speech, social progress, and human freedom indexes, ‘radical’ political expression often comes at a price. Emily Wilding Davison’s death brought immense global attention to the fight for women’s suffrage and became a powerful symbol. Matthew Shepard was raising LGBTQ+ awareness on a University Campus. Their expression came at a price. Expressing yourself and paying the price of a life is not a privilege.
We must remember that rankings and statistics taken of entire countries don’t guarantee widespread acceptance and safety. Stonewall reported 21,000 trans related hate crimes and hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation between March 2024 and March 2025 in the UK – seemingly ranking high in terms of various freedoms and equalities.
So, is expression really a privilege? Is it a privilege to be oppressed and feel the need to respond to, and reject, society’s and the government’s rules? It’s easy to compare what privileges one has and doesn’t have, but it is important to recognise others’ hardships in their advocacy for universal freedom. Privilege shouldn’t overshadow the struggles and oppression encountered in the fight for equality, and every bit of privilege gained can be seen as strength acquired for the ongoing movement towards true privilege of expression.