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The Average Man Does Not Want To Be Free By H. L Mencken

740 Words3 Pages

When asking people about the NSA and if what they do is correct, most people will jump at you and say that what they are doing is wrong. They will tell you that spying on someone’s text messages and phone calls is a violation of their privacy and freedom. Little do people know that this small amount of freedom the NSA is intruding upon is actually for their own safety. Therefore, the quote by H.L. Mencken, that “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe,” is incorrect. A revised quote by H.L. Mencken would say that “The average man wants to be free and safe, and does not view one more important than the other.” This quote would be correct. The average smartphone using person of the twenty-first century prefers to be safe and free. They would prefer to be free to do …show more content…

However, at the same time, they want to be safe and know that no-one is hacking into their Instagram account or looking at their pictures without permission. The average person wants both safety and freedom, and because it is the twenty-first century, do whatever they can to get what they want. Another way that H.L. Mencken is wrong, is that the average high-school student does not have freedom or safety, and that is very much the College Board’s doing. To start, the SAT’s take away all the freedom one thinks they have at any point during the school year. Every student plans on taking the SAT or ACT and needs to study immense amounts for either one. This studying is on top of all the school work a student has. As a Yeshiva School student, (yes, I am Jewish) my nights are packed with hours and hours of work. When I am not doing school work, I am studying for some

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