Introduction
Tyranny of majority is a phrase used by Alexis de Tocqueville in the book Democracy in America. Tocqueville used this phrase to imply a situation where the majority uses their influence to victimize or oppress the minority. Tyranny of majority presents a scenario where if the majority influences all matters in the society then the rights of the individuals and the minority will be vulnerable. Tocqueville argues that, tyranny of majority is comparable to a modified form of dictatorship where the majority oppresses the minority. It is a dangerous system of democracy and should be discouraged to avoid manipulation and colonization of the minority by the majority. To counter the effect of tyranny of majority, Tocqueville suggests guarding of the arms of the government to prevent encroachment by the majority (Tocqueville, 232).
However, Tocqueville argues that public opinion squeezes out all the freedom of thought America. This statement is false because, public opinion offers a platform for people to present their thoughts about the how the governing regime should execute its mandate. Public opinion neutralizes the influence of tyranny of majority because everybody participates in the development of democracy. However, Tocqueville arguments concerning public opinion are valid in some jurisdictions where the majority has some influence over the minority.
Currently, the United States is made up of diverse races, religions and cultural groupings, this implies that compressing the thoughts of the people is practically impossible. Besides that, people are enlightened about their rights of engaging in public discussions. In fact, the government uses some platforms such as media to seek the opinions of the public before enforcing a certain legislature. Therefore, it is practically impossible for public opinion to minimize the freedom of thought from Americans.
Works Cited
Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Nashville, TN: Knowledge Products, 1987. Print.
