Airport Security By H. L. Mencken

“To be free, a man must be free from his brothers.”when people hear this they may think

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

Within a piece of his writing, american essayist and social critic H. L. Mencken stated “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” I strongly agree with Mencken’s claim within this essay. He is saying while people may believe that they want safety, they are subconsciously desiring the safety that comes along with freedom. Mencken was born in 1880, and did not die until 1956; concluding, he lived within the times of the civil rights movement.

From the earlier times in our lives till now, we humans have been struggling hard to be free and independent of the things that limit our right to be free. And even though some people say that having security in life can regulate our lives and messy societies, I believe that too much security or limitation causes more dilemmas. Also, by being independent and free, one can learn new things rather than just by sticking to some widely held beliefs. We can see many examples related to this assumption everywhere in our lives, movies, books, and history.

Most people believe that freedom is the free will to do what ever they want and whenever they want. Eli Mandel’s poem opens up the eyes of the reader to understand how different freedom is from what they believe it is. “Freedom is seldom what you now believe. Mostly you circle round and round the park: Night follows day, these horses never leave”(Mandel 1,2,3). These lines of the poem are talking about how freedom is not what you may think it is, which is emphasized throughout the poem. Everyone has their daily routine and for the most part do what they want to. What most people don 't realize about every day, is that it is just a repeat of yesterday. There are restrictions on “freedom”. People think they are free to do as they please, but there are still laws to follow, family rules, school and work. Everyone has their daily schedule and follow it day in and day out, and are never truly “free.” “And still you pass the same rigged mark” (Mandel 8). Adults and people who are working and want to be free from their jobs to be able to have more time to do what they

As American essayist and social critic H.L. Mencken wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” To be free is to have the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without restraint. This type of freedom can be offered in many places whether it be home, school, or work. Safety is the condition of being protected from or unlikely to because risk, danger, or injury. Safety should be seen as an advantage to have because it’s never truly guaranteed. Most people claim they are proud of the freedoms their nations offer, though many people manifest the willingness to give up these freedoms to secure personal safety.

of their life. “To be free, a man must be free of his brothers,” exemplifies the theme of

Freedom for man is but a bonus when his promise of survival is being threatened; therefore, Mencken’s words accurately symbolize man and his priorities. When an individual is being faced with fear and terror, the need to protect his/her own life and loved ones is the main focus. Man is not concerning

The American essayist and social critic, H.L. Mencken wrote a statement that says “ The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” I feel as if the statement that he wrote can relate to the society that we are in today. People may believe that they are in a free place were their safety is completely guaranteed. I believe that the problem is still being faced today . During the 1800s-1956s, a suppose that slavery was still a problem. Even though slavery is not being used today race is a big problem. People are constantly being ridiculed because of the way they act, speak, and even look. Freedom is not even the problem to begin with, we are allowed to be free and express ourselves anyway we can desire. But, if he go out into the world and express ourselves are we really going to be free from the words of others. We have no idea what tomorrow or the day before that will bring.

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, body scans and security checkpoints have become the norm for airports throughout America. Airports tell you what you’re allowed to have and they restrict small things such as scissors, pocket knives, too much

Legally speaking, the constitution and the Supreme Court prizes privacy, not surveillance in the name of security. The Fourth Amendment gives us the right to be free of “unreasonable search and seizure.” In 1890, the Supreme Court decided that this amendment also implied the “right to be left alone.” Under the Fourth Amendment, a warrant needs to be obtained before people can be searched, and to obtain the warrant, evidence proving

free. He simply wants to be safe." Many can debated that this observation has been seen in

There are numerous conflicting views on the methods the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to examine a passenger who is going to board a plane. Although the methods use seem necessary for one's safety at airports, passengers feel that full body scans and pat-downs are a violation of their Fourth Amendment and the Privacy Act as Hunter, M.(2010) stated as one of the lawsuits made by a public interest research group. The TSA being able to search you without

The need to protect National Security is far more important than individual privacy. The greatest part of living in the United States of America is the freedom that we have. That freedom and the right to live freely is protected by various government agencies. From time to time, the privacy a person has may have to be invaded to guarantee the security of the country and other citizens. Everyone has the right to not have their life controlled by the government, but it has the right to make sure that citizens are not doing anything to threaten the security of

An American essayist, H.L. Mencken stated, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants be safe”. I disagree with this statement because an “average man” wants to live. In order to live you must have two necessities; freedom and safety. I believe neither is more important than one another because being free gives you the opportunity to a safe nation, and a safe nation allows you to be free. You cannot live a life without exploring and growing because that would not be considered living. On the other hand, you cannot expect to be free without safety around you.