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

American essayist and social critic H.L Mencken wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe. This means that people are innately born wanting to be safe and that freedom is not a concern as long as they are safe. However I disagree with H.l Mencken. Not all believe that they should give up their freedom just so they can be safe. For them, being safe goes against their morale and is not a life worth living for. Throughout history, many prominent figures illustrate this such as Martin Luther King Jr. (risked his life to fight for equality of all people) and American Revolution leaders (fought against Britain for their freedom even though failure means death by treason). Literature also portray this human nature like John Proctor not going against his morals and tearing up his confession of lies. …show more content…
They had limited say in the government, received poor education, and was given poor opportunities for economic success. However, they were relatively safe within their own communities as long as they remain silent and stayed out of trouble. But Martin Luther King Jr. didn't just want the black race to be safe, he wanted basic freedom that was written in the Constitution but denied by the white folks. To progress his ideas, he advocated nonviolent, direct actions such as boycotting buses, organizing marches, and making speeches to bring awareness of their inequalities. By putting himself out there advocating for freedom, he is also exposing himself to various dangers. Dangers such as retaliation from the whites, assaults from the Ku Klux Klan, and death threats coming right and left. Of course, none of this mattered to King because for him, fighting for freedom was more worthwhile than staying