Harassment In The Purge, By H. L. Mencken

“The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” by H.L. Mencken. I do agree with what H.L. Mencken is saying that an average man does want to be safe but I would also have to disagree. People need to feel as if they are free at a certain extent. Countries tend to have cults and gang related violence. This is probably how dictatorship had come about and how other people would argue that as Americans , we don’t care much for our freedom.

On the contrary, one can argue that the individuals within free countries are completely free with the exception of law in order to maintain peace, yet the individuals are the opposite. Human interaction from day to day life is imprisoning as well. Society has molded individuals to seek attention and

The dark abyss of the unknown is a lot scarier than the light of the known. The majority of the population, or the average man, prefers to be coddled with the known and safety rather than to journey into uncertainty. In all modern day civilization, or contemporary societies, this claim is important and must be applied to all citizens. H.L. Mencken wrote “the average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” This quote is very relatable in all contemporary societies, the average man in these societies are too afraid to do something that might change and alter his daily life. A change in a daily routine would be out of the norm and due to human nature, we are afraid of change, we are afraid of new things and we are afraid to not be safe.

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.

Fromm claims that it doesn’t matter which power someone gives their obedience to, so long as that power provides security. This sense of security makes men feel empowered, as they are supported and watched over by a higher power, one that shares their ideals and beliefs (Fromm 262). Sartwell also claims that those who are most malleable to the influences of an outside force is the man who has an intense desire for his own security and, by extension, the security of his family and friends (Sartwell 253). When his security is threatened, man will resort to crimes such as those seen in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The soldiers who were forced to become security guards felt constantly under threat of attack by insurgent forces. They feel rage and fear, which consumes them. By forcing the prisoners to do both humiliating and painful things, such as pose naked with other men in highly sexual positions, the guards/soldiers feel safer, as they have removed the prisoners ability to fight (Szegedy 211). This draws back to Sartwell’s paper, which uses the crisis in Rwanda as an example to llustrate how men can turn to murder and violence in the name of public safety. The Hutus in Rwanda were formed into “ ’civilian self-defense forces’ ” (Sartwell 254) to protect against the group of individuals that they perceived as a threat to their established government. Both papers highlight how men will turn to savagery and violence in order to remain in what

Safety is the condition of being protected from danger. Freedom is the power to do what ever you want, being charge of yourself. H.L. Mencken, and American and social critic, wrote "The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." Mencken's quote applies to contemporary society in the way that individuals nowadays want both. However his perspective is only partially relevant regarding today's society.

Have you ever stopped and thought about how nice it is to be free? Imagine a life where you are not able to make all your own decisions by yourself and you are forced to do things by your government. You can’t choose your job, way of life, or anything. Everyday life just isn't the same anymore because of something that happened.

Similar to Thomas Hobbes statements which include that people are generally drawn towards peace out of the fear of death, hope, and anarchy, most people support the expression of liberty in their society when thinking about ways that they can to increase their chances of survival. A man has liberty when he is willing to regard his own person and property and is unopposed by another’s will. A man does not possess liberty when he enjoys a freedom and he causes no harm to another. Some examples of modern violations of our liberty could include having no privacy when using digital software, banks and college campuses reintroducing the idea of indentured servitude when students cannot pay off their education, and lack of privacy in a workplace

America has both safety and freedom. Other countries have one of the two. Others have neither. Other nations are barely hanging on to life, because of restrictions or lack thereof. As H.L. Mencken wrote, “The average man does does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe”; he is correct in his statement. For example, there are laws concerning gun safety, and security precautions put in place after the September eleventh attacks; therefore, people would want safety more than they would want freedom.

For the past 20 years, Americans have watched as the news displayed more and more headlines about massacres, scandals, and acts of terror. In addition, pictures of rallies and protests, similar to Edelson's portrayal of the protests in Berkeley, California, have flooded the newspapers. All of these recurring events instill a strong sense of fear into the American public. If America touts itself as being the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” why do its inhabitants feel powerless and vulnerable? Social critic, H.L. Mencken states that “the average man does not want to be free,” and behind the facade of freedom, “he simply wants to be safe.” Through examples in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the overbearing weight which fear has on one’s life is extremely evident. In addition, Robert J. Samuelson’s support of Trump’s proposal for a wall running along the Mexican-American border in his article “Yes, Build the Wall,” is a clear example of the extent to which Americans in contemporary society are willing to go to protect themselves from any possible threat. Although the average man craves the freedom to live according to his own wishes, one is willing to ultimately give up those desires in order to live in a bubble of safety, suppressing any fragment of fear.

Furthermore, there is a demand for political authority and power. It creates fear of punishment amongst human beings and therefore it limits their human desires. They have the right to do anything as long as they do not infringe on other’s rights. This is what Hobbes wanted to during the English Civil War. “Hobbes believed to prevent state of all against all, there was a need for a governing state during English Civil War. This would regulate human behavior and maintain peace.” (Acton, ) In a society where regulation exists through a governing state, people would not compete as much with one another to the extent where lives are lost. If one human being was to strike first, there would no need for the other to strike back; they have the support

An American essayist and social critic, H. L. Mencken, once wrote that “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” However, throughout the course of history the average man does not simply want safety - they want freedom. Freedom is the incorporation of all rights to life, which essentially includes safety. Freedom encompasses every natural right to man: “Life , Liberty, and Property”. Throughout history and in today’s society, people strive for these freedoms around the world. Many are willing to give up their own safety for political and social freedom, and to be able to choose their own destinies.

Since America's inception, freedom and safety have been vital parts of society. Especially today, people debate on which concept is valued to a greater extent. H. L. Mencken once wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe”. This observation does not exactly apply to today's society for numerous individuals desire freedoms without considering their own safety. Whether it is regarding people's right to privacy, race rights, gun control, and an assortment of other topics, people seem to crave certain freedoms, even if it is at the cost of their own safety.

violence as a means to achieve freedom never obtain it Since violence is a never ending cycle,

Humans, in essence, act in their own self interest. As a species, we require benefit from taking action in order to decide to do it. Even some of the most selfless acts ultimately benefit the doer, perhaps not in material means, but rather in the emotional benefit reaped. If acting completely in one's own self interest, killing, alongside many other brutal acts, could be justified at the expense of another. Early human existence was saturated with actions like this, due to the disjunct nature of life around this era. Small tribes would form, but conflict between these groups were frequent and highly deadly. The formation of society, therefore, comes about as a means of balancing one’s own self interest with the will of the general populous. Some liberty is sacrificed in order to maintain security of safety, happiness, and property. This concept is known as the “Social Contract,” a concept coined by enlightenment thinker Thomas Hobbes. He, as well as many of his contemporaries, felt that man was innately an evil creature as a byproduct of acting completely within their self interest. He felt that laws and systems of morals were completely necessary in the maintenance of order. This is illustrated in the Japanese novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, where a group of forty two 15-16 year old high school classmates are pitted against one another in a brutal fight to death. Each are given meager supplies alongside a randomly chosen weapon. This could range from farming tools