Hi everyone, I'm posting this article about 9/11 for two reasons. One, I liked it, and two, there's a part on the second page which I thought tied in well with the Tocqueville reading. Tocqueville discusses the power that the majority exercises over thought, pointing out that "The majority is vested with a force, at once material and moral, that acts on the will as much as on actions". (p.243) While reading, I disagreed (and still somewhat do) with Tocqueville's presentation of power of the majority in restraining free thought. However, the point about the majority (in this case the public) holding sway is illustrated in the article:
"In the White House, President Obama has maintained tactics that were reviled when conducted by President Bush, including dramatically escalating the use of drones to zap terror suspects in Pakistan.He has also bowed to public sentiment in ordering military tribunal trials at Guantanamo Bay for the chief engineers of 9/11".
What were all of your reactions to Tocqueville's claims about majority control of thought? Do you think it is as true today as it perhaps once was, and if so, are politicians bending to majority will?
Oh and here's the link to the full article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2011/09/11/2011-09-11_new_york_and_the_nation_observe_a_decade_of_mourning_and_a_decade_of_resolve_sin.html
1 comment:
I think Tocqueville's quote can refer more directly to not strictly governmental issues such as political correctness. People will not sprout antisemetic, racist, fascist, sexist, ideas because people will ostricise them. This can also apply to religious, political, and sexual issues but the opinion being suppressed (i believe) varies more than with the other ideas listed.
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