Mencken On Safety Over Freedom

In his observation, essayist and social critic H. c. Mencken argues that the average man does not want to be free he simply wants to be safe, more specifically he believes that the main priority of a citizen is safety over the loss of certain rights of freedoms.

In my opinion Mencken is right about the average man having more interest or need for safety over freedom . One example which makes this clear is the ratification of the second amendment which provides the citizens of the united states, the freedom to bear arms for self protection or in this case, safety; however, if these firearms end up in the wrong hands this then it threatens the well being of more than just the person whose right it is to bear a firearm. This issue has resulted in many protests and disagreements on whether or not guns should be allowed which means that not only do people care about their own safety but they are also willing to give up the freedom to bear these firearms for their protection.
One other example of safety over freedom is the fences around schools which are being implemented to keep any intruders who can cause harm to students, out of the campus.
Although these fences make the school seem more like a prison rather than a place for education and growth the students understand what their purpose is and therefore feel safer which is why more schools have these fences put
up.

In conclusion, Mencken’s observation which states “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” has some validity to it because of the various precautions that are being taken to ensure the safety and protection of communities even if it means having to surrender certain freedoms.