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The United States Of America Elected A New President Essay

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On November 9, 2016 the United States of America elected a new president. Donald J. Trump won the Electoral College and will take office on January 20, 2017. However, the president elect lost the popular vote by more than 1.5 million votes (MSNBC, 2016). Although this was already the case when George W. Bush won against Al Gore in 2000, the country is now more dividend than in the past. One week after the election was over, 1000 students at Syracuse University protested against Mr. Trump and declared that they “reject” the president elect (Daily Orange, 2016). Nationwide, protesters conveyed the unique message that they are ready to disobey executive actions of a Trump administration. This poses a general question. What role should obedience play in modern western nations? Although autonomous obedience can unleash valuable group dynamics, extreme compulsory obedience can lead to disastrous outcomes. History indicates that obedience in the context of a nation is most successful when people see substantial reasons to obey the orders of a government and its subdivisions. During World War II the American military defeated fascism on various geographical fronts. Although it was not mandatory to serve in the US military, many volunteers were ready to fight for American values like individual freedom and democracy. This created what Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth H. Wenker calls autonomous obedience (Walker, 1981). According to the Professor of Philosophy at the US Air-Force Academy,

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