Gretchen Hyer

Lundstrom HELA
January 8, 2016
(Tyranny of the Majority)

Protection against persecution

All people need, crave the ability to be themselves, the ability to be unique and to be
accepted for it. Though, when everyone is truly unique and doing completely different things
society cannot work. There could be no laws to retain order because whoever committed what is
currently seen as a crime could say that they were only doing what makes them themselves.
There could not be legitimate punishment because there would not be legitimate faults. However
on the flip side of that idea, if all people were required to do the exact same thing there would be
no accepted individuality. Any minority would be oppressed and discriminated against by the
majority for not conforming to societal demands. It would be a world that embraces prejudice
and hate to keep unity within its clutches. There must be a balance between these unhappy
extremes of civilization! And there is. The keys to a functional and accepting society are rules
and tolerance.
Laws, guidelines, commandments, and rules are the backbone of humanity. Without any
form or fashion of directives chaos would rule and all civility would be forgotten. Yet, with laws,
people have an increased sense of security and peace because they know that unbroken laws
keep them safe. Now individuality has a chance to emerge from the masses as long as it does not
break set rules. Benevolent uniqueness can start its journey into society, but to have differences
become accepted, tolerance must come into play as well.
Tolerance by the majority of all other minorities and vice versa greatly increases the
possibility of a symbiotic relationship with the citizens of the human race. Society must be rid of
all prejudices and hate for differences to be rid of tyrannical actions against differences. This
creates an environment of protection against uncivil punishments for personal independence.
People will no longer have to fret about being openly judged for being themselves. Once
discrimination becomes a cultural taboo the safeguard for personality is eternally fortified.
Humanity abiding by the same guidelines and exercising the freedom of their agency in
beneficial manner lets individuality thrive. All people accepting uniqueness of persons while
encouraging peaceful behavior maintains the hope of a functional society. That enables the
cravings of matchlessness to be satisfied while keeping the order of a community intact. With
this compromise between two extremes there can be a reality of happiness in difference and
freedom from oppressive opinion.