Analysis of Voltaire's Views on Challenging Authority

Society has always struggled with the issue of right and wrong; it is a historical moral battle that every human faces. Countless times throughout history there have been circumstances where the government or authority has become flawed and each citizen must decide to go along with it or stand up to it. The world has seen dictators like Stalin and Mao who killed anyone who opposed their rule. The world has seen peaceful leaders like Ghandi and MLK assassinated because of their opposition to the government. Voltaire’s claim states that it is dangerous to be right in matters when the established authorities are wrong. This statement has reminded true even to this day, in a world that is generally considered civilized. Nonconformity equated suicide. You can look at it this way; you can go ahead and ask all of the people that have “disappeared” over the course of time for being right when the established authorities are wrong. So as long as the established authorities don’t know that you’re right, you will be okay. Then again, the whole point of the first amendment ad the Declaration of Independence is standing up to your government and saying what you believe. You should be able to stand up and protest or disagree, but it is dangerous, especially when dealing with different types of government.
As time went on, people began to receive more and more rights, leaving authorities with less power. Now, the 21st century, this quote does not pertain to the peoples residing in the United States of America. Our government is revolved around the people, our rights are more significant, and even prejudice cannot stop someone from speaking their mind. The United States portrays our leader to be the president, but if we did happen to think our president is doing something wrong, we have every right to criticize the situation. We have our right to give our own opinion, where in other countries they have fewer rights, therefore a reason to be afraid of their authorities. We even