I

April 3, 2009
Pearl
Period 1
American Freedom
By Benji Pacheco
Do Americans have too much freedom? When the colonies of Britain in the New

World decided they should and could be free, they took action; because the people were

oppressed they had the positive liberty, or potential, to act according to their ideals. Have

Americans lost that positive liberty because they have so much freedom? When bringing

up a child, should he have a say to what is right and wrong? Is it in his best interest that

he, as a young, inexperienced human, exercises his free will? The freedom that America

has, and any freedom given to most people of this world, is a freedom that inhibits

laziness, corruption, and conflict. Freedom is not bad for people, we in contrast thrive

from freedom but it does leave itself greatly open for potential abuse.

Freedom is indeed beautiful, and bondage, along with oppression, is a destructor

of life. The promise of liberty in America is evident everywhere, from the Statue of

Liberty in New York to the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania. After the Twin Towers were

destroyed by people opposed to our liberties and the French were opposed to American’s

meditated invasion of Iraq, they felt a pride in their nation and some even started calling

French Fries, Freedom Fries and the same with French toast. Their belief and adulation

for freedom is clearly seen since the Revolutionary War against Britain, more than two

centuries ago. President Obama, America’s first black president is an inspiring example

of an open society, but even he has been called a socialist because of his ‘Robin Hood’

policies of taxing the wealthy (Donmoyer). Entering a time of economic recession like

the Great Depression has spurred an economic stimulus bill that the people oppose,

mostly because they fear that America will be oppressed by its debt. Everyday people
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fear the loss of their positive and negative liberty and it’s not a surprise when you’re an

American. Plainly said, positive liberty is the ability to do something, or to reach your

potential while negative liberty is the ability to do things without restrictions. For

example, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution which was passed on

January 18, 1919 prohibited alcohol (N.A.R.A.). It took away the negative liberty to

consume alcohol but didn’t limit positive liberty because speakeasies, or underground

bars, still existed. It did though increase the positive liberty of the U.S. government to

stop the consummation of alcohol. Today, it seems like Americans are fighting more for

negative liberties which can be anti-progressive, while they overlook the possibilities of

positive liberty. If, hypothetically, someone fought for the freedom to be productive in

one way, it would be less effective than finding a more able way of productivity and less

time would be spent fighting than actually getting something done. Conflict is created in

this fashion. Freedom, whether positive or negative liberty, hasn’t always been an issue

though; today in this Western-leaning world, it is a clearly seen concern, but in the times

as before the Enlightenment, people most likely submitted to the hierarchies that were

already in place. The kingdom, or monarchy, is an elucidate example until most started

failing after the Enlightenment. Freedom for the future is hoped and feared for by

Americans as well. George Orwell depicts a tragic time in which the world is separated

by three totalitarian governments in Nineteen-Eighty Four and Glen Beck on the Fox

News Channel has a segment called ‘Road to Communism’ where he tries to reveal

things happening today that might limit our freedoms in the future (Glenn Beck

Program). It is good that we fear for our freedoms, but in the end, the ignorant abuse of

those very freedoms lead to many of today’s problems in society.

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As said before, Americans fear the elimination of their rights; that’s why the

Constitution of 1787 wasn’t completely ratified until the first Ten Amendments, the Bill

of Rights, was added to it, that’s why Bob Marley sang the song “Get Up, Stand Up”, and

that’s why communism is feared by capitalists everywhere, the fear in which

McCarthyism was founded. We Americans get to make our own decisions each day, we

can choose to love or to hate, to buy or to donate, to obey or disobey, and we people like

having the freedom to do so. The American concern is that they keep America the land of

the free and the home of the brave, and they have the mindset that no one should be able

to take that away, even if the lack of freedom helps them. When 30 Americans were

asked, ranging from 13 to 80 years of age and the average being 26, what their reaction

would be if the government made it law for them to do things that were beneficial to their

health in a time of peace and satisfaction, 22 said they were against it. One, maybe

jokingly, maybe not, said he would respond with “civil war” (Pacheco). Less than one-

fourth of those asked would be fine with having to keep their body in good health by

eating balanced meals and participating in exercise that the government prescribed, rather

than having the moderate, negative liberty not to. Americans would rather protect their

ideals of freedom than participate in the common good. Their concerns are freedom first,

except for a small minority. That minority’s concern in this survey might be that

Americans are living too unhealthily, or maybe their concern is found in their desire to be

pushed towards a better lifestyle in a way they could not have provided for themselves.

Either way, some are concerned with getting what they want and the rest are concerned

with specifically getting what is good. Which is going to benefit America more?
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There are many good things about American freedom; freedom is a beautiful

thing. If you’re born poor, theoretically you can work your way up the ladder; if you have

a product that people want, then you have yourself a business in the ‘free market’. Of

course, there are restrictions, but isn’t it a good thing that our government has limited

things that can harm our health, with or without our knowledge? The freedom given to

the American government to pass legislature is a good freedom because it keeps order

and structure unless they abuse it. Moving on, human will consists of a different freedom;

George Orwell states in his book 1984 that this different freedom is what keeps us

human. Winston, the protagonist is constantly being watched by the Thought Police,

whose sole objective is to control the minds of each government official so that they are

completely loyal to their office. In an observation of his society, he realizes that the

‘proles’, or the lowest class of society, had remained human because they had freedoms,

freedoms that members of the government could be executed for exercising. Winston was

a martyr for his freedom (Orwell). Liberty is a part of mankind that I can never see being

taken away lest we become some different type of animal.

On the contrary, freedom could be the reason children are starving each day. It’s

an ugly realization, one that is easily ignorable, but it is one that must be brought to

attention. The same freedom that made Bill Gates, an entrepreneur at the time of a

computer revolution, super wealthy is the same freedom that allows American poverty

(Wallace). It’s the mindset of survival of the fittest, the mindset of possessions and of

selfishness that is destructive to humanity. Recently I’ve heard of the concept of the

legalization of marijuana. If the government has the freedom to lift the ban and the people

have the negative liberty to obtain and consume it, then we have more freedom but it may
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cause more destruction than life. There is a bad side to freedom, and when it’s glorified

higher than good itself, the freedom has the potential to become more bad than good.

Beautiful Lady Liberty is abused when those who are in possession of her don’t know

what they’re doing. Freedom gives way to human choice and many humans are more

emotionally inclined than logically, leading to the apparent abuse of liberty; an abuse that

can lead to the ruined lives; destruction of humanity at the hands of acquiescence,

conflict and corruption.

American freedom leads to laziness and anti-progression is the consequence.

Most Americans naturally want to live a life not oppressed by work, but freedom gives to

much leeway to privileged humans resulting in an unbalance of labor. Some Americans

live their lives casually in a manner that gives into desire; everyday we participate in

activities that feed the greed in those who govern us, whether through business or

politics. Some have the freedom to live as pigs, to indulge in things that are unnecessary

and even things that are harmful and not only negatively affecting Americans, but

continuing the cycles of wrong and acquiescence. Couldn’t we invest in things to

improve the world instead of using our freedom to waste away temporary pleasures? The

freedom that we have built up is eating away at progression and gluttony is following.

Let’s back up to a previous example; a child is supposed to have fun and to grow up in a

healthy, almost careless environment. He is later expected to contribute to society.

Someone with a ‘recess’ isn’t usually able to comprehend what is healthy and what is not.

It’s the same with grown Americans; we have the positive and negative liberties to abuse

ourselves and we, in open and closed view take part in the things that lead to laziness and
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anti-progression. Do we know what is right and wrong, good and bad? But nevertheless,

with acquiescence is present, conflict is already there.

Anarchism is the type of society with the most freedom, but it brings up my

second point, conflict; when Americans, or any large group of people has no restrictions,

they are bound to destroy something, even to the farthest extents of death. People fight

for freedom and they have been for centuries; freedoms regarding the ‘sanctities’ of

marriage or perhaps regarding the recent restrictions that the economy has put us in, have

been protested recently in today’s modern world. Kings have feared revolutions just as

many Americans today fear communism and the like, but Americans not only fight for

freedom, sometimes they fight simply because they can’t find their own peace, even in

their freedoms. In America there are the rights of choice among religions along with the

freedoms of speech and many more, which is beneficial for many things, but dissention is

created among the people. They fight over what is right and wrong, and because there is

much disagreement and division among the people they hurt themselves and others in the

process. Conflict isn’t always bad, sometimes needed, but created simply because

Americans are free to do so, it isn’t right. Americans fight for freedom and because of

freedom and some even fight against it. Most conservatives and some extreme liberals

seem to fight against our future freedoms, and the latter against freedoms we have

already. In addition to potentially destructive things Americans do with their freedoms,

they also fight with freedom as if it were a little pet by their side. Do Americans not file

lawsuits and exploit each other’s faults in court; willingly submit to oppressions of the

military with their freedoms on hold; as well as maneuvering through the systems in such

a way that bypasses restrictions ad regulations? They go through life with the intentions
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of their freedoms helping them out in whichever way they want, and they are beings more

than able to create conflict. In the end, our freedoms give way to conflict and most of the

time, conflict gives way to harm. Harm, the theme of freedom’s shortcomings, is the

focus of the mistakes Americans experience with beautiful Lady Liberty.

Topping laziness and conflict is corruption; when it comes to the negative aspects

of American Freedom, acquiescence and trouble are only vices to the wrongs of our own

hearts. Everything wrong with freedom is entailed in corruption itself. Freedom brings on

corruption and that is how it is abused as well as the reason why I believe Americans

have too much freedom. Corruption is a transition from good to bad; it’s almost natural,

and it even follows the 2nd law of thermodynamics, paraphrased, everything fails to decay

unless work is put in to avoid it. Corruption, inevitable to some extent in humanity, has

been over exceeded in America. You have conspiracy theories and the like, but a lot of

America’s corruption is plainly seen, especially that seen because of freedom. We allow

big business to feed up things that harm us and they continue to eat away at us only

because of our freedom and desire to let them. We the people have been tricked into this

corruption so much that we don’t know the oppression that the markets have brought us.

When we started this country, we relied on markets to survive. It’s gotten to the point

now that we rely on business not only to live, but to exalt ourselves above all others in

ways of self pleasure and pride. Corruption knows no end and many people seem to be

above the law. The law doesn’t always work, and the freedoms that can’t be taken away

by simple law, the freedoms that make us human are also the freedoms that create

corruption. Politicians, businessmen and other leaders are very important in keeping this

society a desirable place to live, but when their freedoms turn them into something other
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than good, moral, ethical people, we all have a burden to face. Can we trust the freedoms

that allow bad things to happen? Freedom is certainly a good thing, but we must limit its

negative effects, for the sake of humanity.

It’s been said plenty of times before that nothing can be done about a lot of things

in this world; some simply don’t care, but there is a way to solve things and that way is

closer to the Americans than they think. It all starts with the mind; without the ability to

be conscience, we have nothing. Education creating accountability for people as well as a

critical thinking mind, able to handle most situations in the correct way, is the first step,

and a very large one at that. Secondly, behind a newly found faith in knowledge and

wisdom, the people should move towards peace, inner and outer as a goal, as well as the

true essence of good being the center of all that is aimed for. Americans should always

have their freedoms, but with those freedoms they should search for a way that is truly

better to live. Action should be put behind their words and thoughts, and they should not

only work to rid the world of all its evils, but set up a system that won’t fail as this one

does today, and to become an ever-reaching, capable people; a people that aren’t satisfied

with the current level of good in their lives, but are always looking for a better way for us

humans, all across the world, to live.

In conclusion, Americans have lost view of what it means to be free; it means

there’s an opportunity to thrive and become advanced as humanity. If Americans are only

using their freedoms to become the ‘trouble-maker’, the ‘bad guy’, or the ‘bum’, which

they clearly do, then their way of life that’s been created should be rethought so that they

can see what truly being free and content are.

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Bibliography

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Donmoyer, Ryan, and Aliza Marcus. "Obama's Planned Tax Would Hit Highest Earners
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Fermi, Enrico. Thermodynamics. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1956.

Glenn Beck Program. 02 Apr. 2009 <http://glennbeck.com>.

N.A.R.A. "The Constitution of the United States: Amendments 11-27." National Archives and
Records Administration. 02 Apr. 2009
<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html#18>.

Orwell, George. 1984 (Signet Classics). New York: New American Library, 1961.

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