Singh 1

Kashish Sing
ELA 10 H
Mr. Lundstrom
January 7, 2016
Submitting to the Majority
Every day of our lives we tend to sway towards others opinions and viewpoints because it
is the most popular view. If we were to stray away from the majority then suddenly certain
aspects of life become much tougher. So in order to avoid this, many simply fall in line to bow
down to the majority in fear of difficulty. This is a major violation of growth and individuality
itself. If individuals feel that the majority is wrong, they should be able to voice their opinion and
provide their own views. Instead they are persecuted or ignored for simply being different.
To begin with, why? Why does the majority demand that others fall to their whims? If
people do not fall in line then they are persecuted by their fellow peers in ways that would seem
unjust and yet is allowable by law. And nothing can be done to change this unless others to
slowly change their mind else be endlessly ignored or judged for their thoughts. There needs
protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of
society to impose, by other means than civil penalties. (John Stuart Mill) This is absolutely
maddening considering that our society constantly preaches about freedom of speech and how
our nation was built on the freedoms of individuals. And yet we are all slaves to the whims of
society.
But why is falling in line with the majority a bad thing if your life is made easier? The
simple answer to this is that you will not be you anymore. Throughout our lives weve had where
we must hold our tongues and remain silent to make our lives easier. And yet that didnt mean we
were happy or joyful about it. Quite the opposite in fact. Not only that but after constant
exposure to this you simply lose your own individual choices and decisions while becoming a
carbon copy of others. Some of the greatest nations and empires to exist slowly began to fall
apart once the people lost themselves to the majority and not themselves. To fetter the
development and, if possible, prevent the formation of nay individuality not in harmony with its
ways, and compel all characters to fashion themselves upon the model of its own. (Mill)
Some may argue however, that the minority can be a bad thing as well. After all if the
minority became a majority then that would be a conundrum in terms of the entire topic itself.
And whereas this may be true, that doesnt mean that the minorities should be completely
silenced either. Sometimes there needs to be other voices and ideas brought to the table and not
just one. After all thats how ideas evolve and develop. A solution is rarely made with the first
statement.
So to state it all in simpler terms, do not submit to the majority because you feel you have
to. Everyone is their own person and has their own ideas. And they have the right to be heard
without fearing being shunned by their friends, families, and co-workers. So whenever you feel
like your opinion should be heard then make it so. And you may find like-minded individuals as
well who you can discuss with your opinions and thoughts with if others wont listen. There is a
limit to the legitimate interference of collective opinion encroachment, is as indispensable to a
good condition of human affairs as protection against political despotism. (Mill)