Order vs. Freedom

When analyzing the balance of order and freedom in our present day society it is crucial to look at each classes’ amount of freedom separately. If I was to answer this question based solely on my position in society as a lower-upper class white female I would be inclined to answer in disagreement to Arthur Miller and claim that I have many freedoms along with order in my life. However, when looking at people of lower classes, the amount of freedoms that they have and options they hold are resoundingly lower than mine. This evidence of a low amount of freedoms in the world without the added benefit of being in the upper class makes Arthur Miller’s argument ring true. Our society values order over freedom and this allows people of the upper class to scapegoat the lower classes and subsequently lessen their amount of freedom.

The existence of a police force in today’s society is indicative of an order based society and is the root of it. This order that exists gives one group of people power over another. Specifically when looking at recent events taking place in our nation, such as the cause of the riots in Ferguson or the New York chokehold death incident, it is clear to see that the group in charge is that of white males with the group without power being black males. In our society of racism and racial profiling the order that exists can be very harmful to the freedoms of a group of people or any groups of people not being white males. This problem is again evident when looking at the large numbers of black males that currently live in our prisons versus the number of white males. The opportunities, whether it be caused by jail time or just the color of one’s skin, are slimmed by a persons class and thus their freedoms are in jeopardy due to the order that exists.