Week 15 response

From Antony Davies
@moneybagley asks: Has the United States used coercion for the greater good before? Was it worth it?

This question has been asked so many times in the past couple of years, for one reason, the covid-19 masks. Many argue that the U.S. coerced the American people to wear masks as a mandatory rule. Many will argue either that it is crucial to the health of others and others argue that it infringes on their rights. I do think both arguments are valid, I am a firm believer in the power of freedom of choice and the constitution's will. However, I can also see how masks as a necessary protection. Regardless of what I think, the U.S., in a way, coerced us into wearing masks and social distancing. But was it for the greater good? Well, let's look at the facts, covid-19 cases have gone down, but was it because of masks or other factors. What about Vaccines, they are increasingly becoming more needed to do activities and are incentivized as an alternative to constant covid tests. But what if people don't want to put it into their bodies based on their beliefs. I believe this is coercion, but based on the situation it's probably for the greater good. But at what cost, people are angry, and can't always see the other side. The problem with coercion comes from a lack of unification. But the decision our government makes is one that represents the majority of the people, at least that's how it's supposed to work. Regardless, it was meant to do good, at least on their surface level. However, like all things, decisions and actions are very subjective so whether or not these "coersion attempts" were successful or had a positive impact is subjective. The idea of coercion stems from the different views on what is right or wrong and the inevitable in-fighting.