Who Needs a Government Anyway?

Government is something that people are always talking about, be it the news anchors on TV or Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show or, in this case, Mr. Henry David Thoreau in his essay On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. His long and dense piece can be summarized in two sentences: A) “That government is best which governs not at all” (Thoreau 1) and B) Always disregard authority and, whenever the opportunity presents itself, be a rebel.
 In Thoreau’s case, what he did made sense. He refused to pay taxes because he knew that his money was being used to fight a war that he disagreed with, and consequently he went to jail for it until someone payed his taxes for him. He rebelled because he disagreed with something the government was doing. But then he wrote a 16-page essay about how the entire government system sucks and is completely unnecessary. Which I completely disagree with. Having a government is imperative. How else will a country and its citizens remain in order, and be safe and protected?
I suppose I’m being a little unfair - Thoreau’s not saying to get rid of the government completely. Essentially, he wants a government which will mold to his desires and be everything he wants it to be. As we discussed in class, Thoreau values not the citizens as a whole, but the individual. But this isn’t possible, as everyone can’t be pleased. (Which reminds me of this story.) Everything is a give and take, and compromises must be made.


Yes, the government has its faults, and yes, sometimes a guy like Donald Trump will become president, but in the end, as long as our government does not have the notion of turning our nation into a communist country or a 1984-type scenario, we need it.

 Sorry, David Henry Thoreau. 😈




Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 24, 2017 at 3:28 PM

    I agree with us needing to have a government. Government is what prevents anarchy, but I think Thoreau simply wanted men to act with a conscience. He didn't like how people were voting for a presidential candidate simply because they were on the ballot. You made a good point when you said that Thoreau just wrote an essay about his feelings about the government rather than acting further. Good job!

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