Ben Lisk

HELA 10 pd 3
1/6/16
Tyranny of the Majority
Here in the United States of America we have a representative democracy. That means
a group of people are elected and they vote on laws and the majority wins. This helps keep the
power away from one certain person. Majority rule is an effective method of government and the
majority of the people should not be able to impose their views on all the citizens.
First off, majority rule is an excellent way to have a government because it prevents one
leader from having too much control and making bad decisions for the government. For
example, in North Korea they have a dictatorship and the dictator is Kim Jung Un. He makes all
the decisions and has all the power. He has not made a good country and makes bad choices
all the time. Another example is in America we have majority rules and we have the best country
ever. Keeping one individual away from all the power is the best way possible to run a
government.
Although majority rule is a great way to run a government, the head people should not
be able to impose their views on all the citizens. John Mill Stuart said, "... there needs
protections also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency
of society to impose." By saying that he means we as citizens, do not need to be forced to
agree with the thoughts of the people running the country. Going back to North Korea, Kim Jung
Un has imposed his opinions on all of his citizens and they think that everything he is doing is
great, but he is doing awful things. To add to that, North Korea does not have freedom of
religion which is very important for a country to have. So that is why the majority shouldn't be
able to force their opinions on their citizens.
Some people may say that majority rule is not good for a government, or it is unfair
to the leader of the country. Also, people say the rulers of a country should be able to impose
their views on all citizens so they can keep the followers under control. However, that is not the
best way to run a country. The president or director of the country often makes poor decisions
when there is not majority rule in the government. Also, officers of a nation should not impose
their will because people should have freedom of religion. Citizens should be able to make most
of their own decisions.
To conclude, all societies should have a representative democracy and have majority
rules in the government. The citizens opinions should be their own opinions, not the
government's opinion that is forced to be their opinion. All nations around the world need to be
like this. Citizens in these countries are happier because they have more freedom and the
democracies run smoother.