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Consent in politics
"Social contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons’ moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Social Contract theory explains how political authority can arise in a governing system. According to social contract theory, consent is the basis of our government's control. It is because people have agreed to be ruled that governments are entitled to rule. Based on this theory of consent, name three examples of government actions from U.S. history that U.S. residents have given consent to? When describing these three historical or contemporary moments please tell why and how the people have given consent. Tell who was or was not impacted by the government action taken that we have given consent. NOTE: These moments in history should be directly related to the U.S. governments action or lack thereof. Requirements for BLOG POSTS
34 Comments
9/9/2014 04:36:18 pm
One example I believe that became a major political act was the "patriot act." september 9th 2001, New York city was devastated by a serious act of terror that changed are laws forever in this country. this became a major impact on our society today. Because of these major events, political elite groups have now been able to detect and major disasters because we now allow them to listen to are phone calls, read are mail and emails, so instead of protecting society, society is being interrogated. society is guilty until proven innocent. one other political authority are gun laws in certain states. February 26, 2012, a young man by the name of Travon Martin was gun down and murdered. I believe he was only 17 at the time. however, a neighborhood watch volunteer, in Sanford, Florida by the name of George Zimmerman who shot and killed Travon Martin had pleaded the "Stand your Ground" act which set him free. it is now 2014 and young african american men are being shot down by police authorities, and other vigilantes who carry a gun and use the "stand you ground" act as a defense mechanism for justice. Because of the riots and different shootings that are occurring, people are upset and starting to take actions in their own hands. I guarantee that with all these unauthorized force of shooting and terror against the people, the more the citizens in society resist, the more they start pushing their own agenda on citizens in society. slowly we will start to see a form of " Marshall-Law" military state. I wouldn't be surprised if we see tanks driving through our cities and freeways. when we see soldiers marching up and down our streets. when people have to be indoors at a certain time because its the law. where you will be forced to stay home certain days. where you will be told what you needed to believe in or you will suffer. where their is only one way, and one order.
Alex Diaz
9/11/2014 03:34:23 am
I completely agree with you, 9/11 definitely gave the government power to go invade our privacy without any regards to our basic rights in America. As Americans we accept it because 9/11 was so devastating and the biggest act of terrorism on American soil. Many social contracts in American society today I believe aren't just, but just a way to promote unhealthy racial profiling and a way to avoid or escape prosecution.
Deante Climon
9/11/2014 01:29:54 pm
Alex you said it brotha! we accept 9/11 was a devasting time and disaster. the crazy thing about it is it happen right at prime time. 9/11 happened when everyone was awake either going to work, or going to school. what they dont tell you is that the owner of the building had taken out a insurance claim two days before 9/11. once 9/11 occurred the owner cashed out.
Zakiyah Cannon
9/12/2014 03:36:52 pm
I completely agree with you . Knowing about these unjust motives, i wonder what are their long term plans for us. How long will the injustice continue. Will it end or will in continue and get worse? Its up to us to change and get involved. We need to take control on our lives and gain control. Its time we wake up!
Alex Diaz
9/17/2014 08:30:19 am
Man that is crazy. I did not know that the owner of the twin towers put in an insurance claim two days before. That really makes me think about how easy it is for big corporations and foundations to make drastic changes and make everyone "agree" on the steps or precautions that come with the consequences.
Alex Diaz
9/11/2014 03:19:42 am
One of the biggest Social Contracts in our society would be the value of a dollar or money. We all have agreed to have a piece of paper with a distinct printing on it to decide how much our services, goods, and productions are worth. Everyday we are faced with what types of good we like and how much value the item should have whether tangible or not. Another example of the social contract would be the declaration of independence. In the Declaration of Independence the founding fathers state the basic fundamentals for America. All Americans agreed that we would be considered equals and treat each other was we would want to be treated. In The Declaration of Independence the founding fathers created a new form of society or government in which people all agree to abide by certain rules and regulations causing men to be more civilized and not live in the state of nature. Lastly, The Bill of Rights states specific rules that citizens must follow in order to be a productive and "good" citizens. We have all agreed that any citizen who does not comply or follow the basic natural rights of men should be punished.
Sorasak Prasertsri
9/12/2014 11:14:28 am
Yeah your are right, money always involve to anything and everywhere you go. You have to have money to survive and living in society. They are already created, this is the rule of our society's and what we create to use this special paper to exchange or trade in economic system.
Zakiyah Cannon
9/12/2014 03:42:36 pm
I agree with you. We live in a society filled with the haves and the have nots and those who have money are powerfull and looked at differently then the have not who are not bad people but one of the unfortunate ones in life. imagine every body was rich and happy... thats kind of hard to think about, in these days everybody cant be a winner.
Juan Flores-Rodriguez
9/12/2014 05:00:03 pm
Alex, thank you for your comment. You're right, money is probably one of the biggest, most universal social contracts there is. With out the trust in the monetary system, I believe society would be in chaos. The Declaration of Independence is also another fundamental contract that this country was build on. As I mentioned before, a social contract I believe is a societal mutual understanding based on current need, that gives government the green light to govern a certain way. I'm not a historian, but I feel that when this country was founded, the Declaration of Independence was the ultimate social contract physical agreement written out. Thank you for your point.
Kim Shaw
9/11/2014 07:10:07 am
One thing that came to mind when I was thinking about government actions is the requirement for all male U.S. citizens to register for with Selective Services at the age of 18. This is near and dear to my heart because my one and only 14 year old son asked me about it. The government basically said that they don’t care how you feel and or believe you must sign up. I know everyone doesn’t sign up and I know there are a few exceptions as to who can and will be called to war. Why is the requirement that I register anyway? What if I am anti-war? What is my religion is against war, battling and killing people? What about those that want to go and fight in the war, but for whatever the reason they are disqualified? Who is to say who should and shouldn’t register? However we have done what has been handed down from the government and sent and encouraged our male to register with Selective Services. We often talk our young men into registering, telling them it’s the right thing to do and trying to convince them and ourselves they won’t be called to war. Another thing that comes to mind is the sentencing laws/rules for prisoners. The government has invented the three strikes law and has handed down hideous sentences for prisoners such as hundreds of years and/or more than one life sentence. What does the majority of use do? We complain for a little while and then we just sit back watch our young people get locked up. The government has made us to believe we are helpless and we must accept this cruel punishment. They have made us believe that the punishment fits the crime. Lastly the government has turned just about everything into electronic deposits. Unfortunately they have sold just about all of us. Most monies are paid on an ATM card of some sort or deposited into your account. Social security, most retirement, unemployment, disability, food stamps, cash aid, payroll checks, child support etc. all com via direct deposit or an ATM card. Who is to say I want it that way? Why do I have to give you my account information? Suppose I want a paper check? We have been convinced is convenient, easy, faster, safe etc. We accept it because we are lazy, want everything fast and easy. We don’t think about what this does, the lack of privacy, exercise etc. We just simply say well “they” said it’s okay so it must be okay. Who is “they?”
Deante Climon
9/11/2014 01:24:29 pm
I believe you are absolutely correct about the money. money should be used as a tool for good and we should try to use sustainable recourses to cut the cost of production of burning unnecessary fuel which will eventually have a negative effect to our environment. we should stop spending large amounts of money on unnecessary wars. as for myself, I believe I am a good citizen and I do love my country. However I feel they would send me to war before their own children, because they see my life has less value and I do not have any education. "rich mans war poor mans fight."
Dulce Fajardo
9/12/2014 12:00:23 pm
I agree with you. The government does not care if your beliefs interfere if it's to benefit it. I personally wouldn't want a loved one to be drafted into war just because they HAD TO sign up for it. In one way or another when it comes to monetary issues, we continuously let things keep happening because we can just "grab and go." As the years pass by things are becoming more of an easy access making us less capable of being able to think for ourselves.
Thao Le
9/12/2014 02:33:52 pm
I believe that we need to send our citizens that had committed crimes to a correctional facility, not a prison. By putting them in a prison, our government had taken away their chances to restart their lives, since companies will be skeptical about hiring someone with a criminal record. We want people to change and be a better person for society, not to punish them and let them rot in a cell.
Juan Flores-Rodriguez
9/12/2014 04:50:00 pm
Kim, I admire your comments. I think these are very well put together thoughts. I agree with your points you have brought up but I want to expand on you're third point because I don't agree with the views.
sharon clark
9/22/2014 09:02:51 am
I agree in a sense also what about waiting to turn 18 to serve on jury duty against your will per say?You are now eligible to be called to
Thao Le
9/11/2014 11:45:44 am
Three examples of government actions from U.S history that the U.S residents have given consents to are:
Kim Shaw
9/12/2014 02:53:53 am
Obama Care is great for those that need it. It is definitely a step in the right direction. It will cut back some on all the unpaid hospital debt and the uninsurable are now insurable. What I don’t agree with is the fine for not enrolling. Why and how can the government say I have to have medical insurance?
Sorasak Prasertsri
9/12/2014 10:51:11 am
In my opinion, it's about political game that there party already set it up and we already pick one guy to control the whole country to change something to make it better for all of us. Sometimes is right choice, sometime is worst choice. You have to be ready for the choice that you pick to run the government.
Dulce Fajardo
9/11/2014 03:26:07 pm
There are so many issues that make the US messed up all over the place, leaving the minorities for last.
sharon clark
9/22/2014 09:10:33 am
in agreeance i think they should have left well enough alone because medical was doing folks just find and also the county insurance. you would think government and healthcare would break there back to help us stay well but as we can see we were totally incorrect. it all about the Benjamin ,and money make the world go round.yeah..true enough but what about the rest? Now Obama Care's goal is to give more Americans access to affordable, quality health insurance, and to reduce the growth in health care spending in the U.S.there has been many glitches in the system tho ware you still have to come out of pocket to pay the difference somehow?now whats wrong with this picture..?
Judy Sierra
9/11/2014 03:39:28 pm
Deportation, the Iraq war and invasion of privacy are some examples of the United States citizens granting consent to their government, thus supporting the social contract theory. For example deportation, people tend to advocate for certain minorities rights to stay in the US, but nothing seems to change and people don't seem to see it as a big issue to fully change the laws. People of the US demand for immigrants to be deported back home and the government acts on the issue because citizens fear to lose their jobs. People passed laws in places like Arizona as a form of consent to eradicate people from crossing any boarders to this country. The entire US is affected by this because the boarders are heavily guarded and it has required a lot of fundings. After the 9/11 terrorist attack to the US, it created a heightened state of crisis. The US went to war with Iraq, ultimately the people of the US went into this fear and solicited them selfs in multiple ways by joining the military. In other words US citizens were signing up to go to war. This gave the government more reasons to keep sending troops to the Middle East. Many families we're affect by this, because those who had children or spouses, we're automatically sent to war. The last example would be the invasion of privacy, there are cameras everywhere now a days, and there's no privacy. The government detects everything, even what you post on the internet.
Kim Shaw
9/12/2014 03:01:12 am
Invasion of privacy!! I completely agree with you. How can the government know EVERYTHING we do but pretends to know nothing? There are cameras, taping devices, people reading everything, seeing everything and claiming to know nothing, unless it benefits the government. There is no privacy anywhere, not even in our own homes.
Thao Le
9/12/2014 02:24:59 pm
I agree with you on our invasion of privacy issues from our own government. After 9/11 the government had use terrorist as a stepping stone to spy on its citizens, they even created a no-fly list to ban people from flying, without unreasonable cause! Not so much the land of freedom anymore.
Aaron Onia
9/14/2014 07:44:17 am
Yes, invasion of privacy is a growing concern for everyone now that the issue is being brought into the light. Social contract, technological advances along with unregulated government entities working for our ‘security’ seems like a recipe for trouble. Technology is making privacy nonexistent nowadays. Nudes are leaking, whole albums are being download onto the cloud and into everyone in America’s iPhone. These are funny examples but what’s next, there is no telling…
Sarah Salazar
9/11/2014 04:21:06 pm
Residents of the United States have given consent to (1) the United States invading South American countries in order to strip them of their resources (2) at some point slavery (3) and a disparity in the public school system. I say this because as residents our ancestors and us have allowed the government to do as they please. Maybe it is because we are ignorant of some of the things the government is doing, or we don't think it really affects us, but by not taking action we are giving the rich the power to make decisions that affect us all. Just as slavery was legal during past times, but then people stood up for their rights and demanded rights, and for their opinions to be heard. Today, we should do the same, so that we will not be slaves to our ignorance. As the professor said in class on Saturday, we may not be slaves like they were before, but we are zombies. We do what the government and the rich want. We don't think about making changes because we are too busy buying things that will "make our lives happy."
Dulce Fajardo
9/12/2014 12:07:39 pm
Yes, many people let the government do as it pleases. I agree that we let it go by not doing anything about it. But then again as the years pass by I have met many that think their opinion won't make a difference. I wonder what it would take for all to fight for what they believe... Then again, there are many issues out there where many of us are protesting for/against and it indeed does make a huge difference.
Sorasak Prasertsri
9/11/2014 05:26:24 pm
In our society, there is a fundamental law that applied among people in the society and between people and government. This fundamental law is call “Social Contract”, by this law every individual will have to surrender their rights or liberty in order to give their benefit and peace with in their society. However under this law, there are some argument that the government might wrongfully using against peoples. For instance, at the sports event, did the police have the right to stop and search your personal belonging without warrant? It could be the rightful thing to do in the case of catching criminal in the acts, in order to serve the peace to the community. On the other hand, it could be using an authority power to invade people privates. From the past I believed that the government miss used this theory law to the Native American Indian without their consent. For example, limiting hunting land and relocated camp for them to stay and create the new culture life style for them.
Aaron Onia
9/14/2014 07:18:44 am
I like the questions you pose and the examples you use to explain social contract in your post. The example of being searched at a sporting event is a great way to illustrate social contract. As individuals, we are giving up a certain amount of privacy to get into the event, however it is ultimately ensuring the security of the entire stadium. We can only hope that the security is not using their authority with malicious intents. I think it’s great that you mention how Native Americans were wronged by the use of social contract because the greater good only benefited the colonist ideals and not those of the natives of that had an indefinite right to the land. Thank you.
Zakiyah Cannon
9/12/2014 03:54:33 pm
I feel that the social contract of today is pretty harsh. Its made up by a very small amount of people out of the billions if people on this earth. If i were in control of creating the social contract, every one will have a equal chance at life. No one skin color can determined how important you are or how much more valuable your are then the next person. everyone is equal . What you believe in and your morals should determined if your a good person or not. Instead of so many laws to lock people up, i would get rid of prisons and have real detention centers. I would find out how they got there and make sure it doesn't happen again. Help them out with life if its not going so good . acctually care for people and not just take them away from their children. I would have more rewards for the good people who want better for them selves and others . Aslong as they are pursuing healthy and fulfilling lives. the prisons should befior real murderers, rapists, and some thiefs. I want to know more about the law makers and how they got their jobs. was it inherited? Was it because the amount of money they have ?0
Juan Flores-Rodriguez
9/13/2014 04:51:55 pm
A social contract is a mutual understanding among people in a society and in turn people in that society accept this agreement as the norm. Three examples that come to mind that are social contracts in this society are the gender roles, federal holidays, and a free market.
Aaron Onia
9/14/2014 07:00:39 am
The Social Contract theory seems to be an underlying factor when the US government responds to a looming national crisis. When the country as a whole is facing financial turbulence, citizens rely on the actions of our government to insure the stabilization of our greater well-being. Under the implied notion that we have agreed to be governed, we look to our political authority and government systems to identify and bring about resolution. 9/22/2014 08:49:26 am
i chose to writ about the marijuana reform . who benefits from the marijuana reform?(Drug Policy ) . my feelings having drug policies is the safest way to have concerning usages. The changes in federal and internal marijuana laws does need to benefit the proper citizens that have a right to use it illegally. to be honest my opinion is all adult citizens of legal ages and young adults with medical illness/ disorder with gain some great benefits with revised marijuana laws. Prescription medicine have been known to have to many side affects in the body.
Sharon clark
9/22/2014 08:54:32 am
In addition to this blog there is always room for growth for example just to name a few; Marijuana arrests are the engine driving the U.S. war on drugs. Nearly half of all drug arrests each year are for marijuana-related offenses, the overwhelming majority of which are for personal possession. These arrests fall disproportionately on blacks and Latinos, even though white people use marijuana at similar rates. Many of those who are arrested are saddled with a criminal conviction that can make it difficult or impossible to vote, obtain educational loans, get a job, secure housing, or even adopt a child. Additionally, the huge number of marijuana arrests each year usurps scarce law enforcement, criminal justice, and treatment resources at enormous cost to U.S. taxpayers. 9/24/2014 05:19:53 am
We all must know some contemporary examples given in this summary tells why and how people are given consent to by the government. Modern states repress the physical freedom that is our birthright, and do nothing to secure the civil freedom for the sake of which we enter into civil society per-say due to the social contract theory. The social contract theory also involves legitimate political authority, and also may come only from a social contract agreed upon by all citizens for their mutual preservation. The general and abstract laws of the state that was created early in that state's life by an impartial, non-citizen lawgiver. All laws must ensure liberty and equality: beyond that, they may vary depending on local circumstances. While the sovereign exercises legislative power by means of the laws, states also need a government to exercise executive power, carrying out day-to-day business. There are many different forms of government, but they can roughly be divided into democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy, depending on their size. Monarchy is the strongest form of government, and is best suited to large populations and hot climates. I feel we the people in America has become effected in some form or way, because it shows through our everyday lives with consistent change. Leave a Reply. |
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