According to Thoreau, every human should follow his or her contemplations and pursuits without exploitation, “sitting upon another man’s shoulders.” As a matter of fact, this statement did not lose its actuality in the present day in relation to the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Its activists currently demonstrate against racist violence, police brutality, and general discrimination of the non-white population of the United States. In fact, this discrimination supported by the education system is substantially beneficial for the maintenance of white supremacy. For instance, race and ethnicity frequently determine the student’s placement within tracking systems (Oakes 2015). In racially mixed schools, high tracks are predominantly white, while low tracks are predominantly black (Oakes 2015). At the same time, the distribution of knowledge in classrooms is not equal (Oakes 2015). The students of high tracks learn advanced mathematics, history, literature, art and obtain the skills of critical thinking. In turn, in low-track classes, students are provided with basic skills for a job in the future. This differentiation is intentional as Black people are prepared for unvalued social roles in society.
In general, the concept of a good citizen is interpreted by different people in multiple ways according to their education, character, and value system. From a personal perspective, a good citizen respects his or her state and follows its laws, participates in political and social life, and uses his knowledge and skills to help others and improve the general state of the society. In turn, the government should guarantee its citizens equal social rights, protection, and opportunities for professional and personal growth. However, if the government creates and supports unjust laws that discriminate against citizens on the basis of criteria that they cannot change, such as gender, age, ethnicity, or race, they should confront these laws. The level of protection of unjust laws by authorities determines social response, and it may be aggressive or violent. Although brutality does not correspond with a good nature, it is used when other ways to protect people’s rights do not exist or considered.
In general, “the majority of one” may be described as an individual or a group of people whose opinions and positions have particular force. It goes without saying that one person or a group may initiate substantial changes in the governmental structure. Regarding the “Black Lives Matter” movement, it is possible to conclude that George Floyd indirectly became “the majority of one” as his death triggered the African American community’s confrontation against unjust laws. According to recent surveys, for the next two weeks, “American voters’ support for the Black Lives Matter movement increased almost as much as it had in the preceding two years” (Cohn and Quealy 2020, para.1). In other words, one accident and the reaction of a particular group of people on it is currently changing the opinion of another group.
Henry David Thoreau was a prominent American philosopher, abolitionist, poet, author, and naturalist. He discussed the unacceptability of slavery in a highly persuasive manner. One peculiar figure of Thoreau’s text is rhetorical questions, and the author used them intentionally in order to persuade readers to agree to his ideas. First of all, Thoreau gave information concerning unjust laws, slavery, the necessity of confrontation and subsequently ask questions related to these issues to give readers an opportunity to consider the matter.
Reference List
Cohn, Nate, and Quealy, Kevin. 2020. “How Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter.” The New York Times, Web.
Oakes, Jeannie. 2015. “The Distribution of Knowledge.” In The Structure of Schooling: Readings in the Sociology of Education. 3rd ed., edited by Richard Arum, Irenee R. Beattie and Karly Ford, 253-260. London: SAGE Publications.