The Land Of The Free Analysis

How Free is our Liberty? In “The Land of the Free”, there are many questions upon the government. Citizens often find themselves lost in politics. One day after another, people rant on social media about “fake news”, and they whine because they were offended by someone else’s statement. Political leaders are often said to be too political, the wealthy are portrayed as greedy hotheads, the minorities are represented as irresponsible and effortless, and the people who are not engaged are labeled as the quiet cowards along the sideline. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau recognizes one of the most important political complaints today; The government has too much control. Thoreau has passionate feelings against the nation’s government. He portrays
those ideas throughout his book of essays in Civil Disobedience. As a result of being an anti-democratic, Thoreau personally believes that having no government would be the best decision. Since he believes “[t]hat government is best which governs not at all...”, he often finds himself enjoying the freedom of nature (Thoreau 1). Thoreau’s beliefs drive him to be an opinionated activist, which he encourages immensely of everyone else. His teachings are well respected and preached by people who share similar views. Thoreau suggested minorities should act against the majority on behalf of the oppressed, even if it means to “forcefully [defend] active resistance and… violence”(Newman). Thoreau is one of many popular activists who encouraged people to stand up and fight for what they believe in, disregarding the stereotypes and the statistics. He believed laws should be broken at the correct time, and that the conscience of a man should always overrule the government.
One specific act America has today would most likely upset Mr.
Thoreau: The U.S. Patriot Act. Ever since 2001, everyone’s privacy has been kept in the palm of the government’s hand. Before this act was passed, the court would need a permit to put their nose into someone’s business. Now, with the Patriot Act in place, “law enforcement [can] use surveillance against more crimes of terror” without a permit (“What”). Who is in charge of debating whether or not something seems suspicious of terrorism? No one. Simply, anyone in the justice department can get their hands on whatever they want, whenever they want it. They may have a lead on someone in an investigation and take advantage of the Patriot Act to access what they’re looking for. Someone with that control can go through anyone’s information based on their religious background or skin color. Acts like this need to be handled in a better manner where victims of stereotypes are not affected. Acts like this, give the government too much
power.
Our ways of living are being regulated for us.
Some people believe in fulfilling their wants/appetite is more important than their personal appearance. If that’s how he/she wants to live, then they should have the right to do so. Let the media and their peers sway them toward a healthier way of living, no one should force a new lifestyle upon them, but that’s exactly what Michelle Obama did. While her husband was president, she decided to take her role to make a change in our society. She changed school meal regulations, many times in the past 8 years, and to the students, she only made it worse. A sarcastic hashtag has gone viral on twitter many times: “#ThanksMichelleObama” was posted next to pictures of students' gross mystery meat that they were served. Whether or not Michelle Obama had amiable intentions is irrelevant, the fact that the habits of citizens in “The Land of the Free” are being regulated is the problem. Not only did she make the school lunches unattractive, but she also made them more expensive. How ironic. Kids now are paying more for meals that are half the quality of the ones they had before. Many people think Mrs. Obama’s regulations "are driving students away from healthy school meals while threatening to bankrupt many school meal programs"(Newton-Small). Bankrupting schools are something that should never be taken lightly. To avoid events like this, the government should give the U.S. a little more freedom in their choices and in the end it may
prevent harmful long term effects.
Nowadays, the government accommodates the overly sensitive citizens. They, in particular, will complain and complain about things to get their way. Recently, the NCAA changed Florida State Seminole’s vintage mascot for 46 years considering the nose of the character’s face was too large. After the new and improved logo came out, it was shamed by dozens of fans on twitter. Many people thought the new logo, was a “[n]ike-enhanced ‘Seminole Head’” creating tons of unhappy fans (Gattuso). The fact that the government can change American culture due to a handful of offending Native Americans, gives them too much power. In some cases, a handful of people and their feelings shouldn’t be blown off, but if it’s a drawing, they can blow it off themselves.
Thoreau does a wonderful job of pointing out the negative effects of having a too strong central government, and his philosophy should be looked at more. America needs to wear its liberty more appropriately, and Thoreau agrees. Thoreau said the best government is one that doesn’t govern at all, but he also said “The government is best which governs least”(Thoreau). It’s impossible to run a country without some form of government, but it can be ruled with less power.