Democracy In Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

For 250 years, democracy has been a principle American value, through which bureaucratic institutions and democratic hierarchies have reflected the prosperity and values of maintaining democratic pluralism, freedom of speech, civil society, and civil participation. From the traditional endeavors of “transmitting itself unimpaired to posterity,” the US government has become both a policeman and peacemaker to domestic and global political affairs. However, in Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience (1849), Thoreau criticizes the “vitality” and “force” of the US government to be ineffective to the ‘single living man’ and simply compares the ideals set forth by the American government to a wooden gun. Even until today, the evidence provided by

One of these people is George Carlin. Known for his transparent and often profane stand-up comedy shows, Carlin exposes and increases visibility to what large, propagandic institutions do not want Americans to accept in popular belief or culture. One quote of Carlin’s that elucidates the transparency in his work that goes against popular beliefs is “the reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it." This is an example of Carlin speaking against mainstream beliefs and dreams to offer his view of what American life is really like. This paper will identify George Carlin’s response to the institutions of bureaucracy in the US government by his siding with the third-party Libertarian movement. The effect of euphemisms in our culture will also be introduced to further explain the marginalization of the individual under the government. Carlin’s legacy through his desires, tactics, and outcomes on behalf of the Libertarian movement and the piece of evidence will be illustrated in this paper as

Refusing to vote in 1976, Carlin criticized political activist groups that they would never right the wrongs of this world and the only thing their activity would accomplish would be done to make them feel like they were making a difference. George Carlin’s quote from the piece of evidence helps the reader to recognize and appreciate the viewpoints of Carlin’s libertarian views that oppose the power of bureaucratic institutions in the United States that limit the freedom of individuals. Carlin reaches his audience mostly through stand-up comedy, the Tonight Show, and HBO. This strategy reached the typical American, who connected through social media. George Carlin was tactfully expressing his beliefs to his audience through humor-driven and engaging live shows. As a result of reaching his audience in creative and refreshing ways, George Carlin is still remembered today as the “American Orwell” and counter-culture ‘provocateur’ that argued for libertarianism through motifs such as demanding free will and civil liberties. This particular poster on the campus of UCLA reveals the pertinence of this quote at a public institution that furthers and supports the libertarian movement and transparency of civil liberties to the younger generations of the voting body. However, this poster also serves as a caution to the student