Paper #1is to be an argumentative paper, based on readings for class, in which you defend a point of view regarding free speech that you either believe in or simply find intriguing. Pick a classic...

Okpoko 2
Joy Okpoko
Professor Name
Course
December 10, 2020
Marcuse’ Repressive Tolerance
The chosen text “Repressive Tolerance” authored by He
ert Marcuse talks about the tolerance prevalent in democratic societies and how this tolerance actually feeds inequality. He believes that what is considered as tolerance in the industrial world is actually tolerating everything that is causing oppression. So, in today’s society, tolerance is only a decorated word that is used to justify the intolerance widely prevalent in society and which is actually used to serve the interest of those in power. Freedom of speech and expression is the fundamental right of human beings. However, the extent of this right is limited when it comes to the greater good of society. Tolerance needs to be practiced but when tolerance becomes a tool for oppression, intolerance in better. Marcuse’ text clearly expresses this in that he advocates tolerance as an end in itself, however, he is against the hypocritical tolerance of the West. In order to create a really liberated, free and tolerant society, he believes that tolerance must not be practiced towards manipulators and those with oppressive ideas and society needs to rely and select those from among themselves that are highly intelligent and properly educated to make decisions and create true equality as against the false equality that is preached by democratic countries.
Marcuse discusses how tolerance is something that is developed in order to eliminate violence and help protect the weak. However, such kind of tolerance is hardly prevalent anywhere in the world. Marcuse spoke about his own time, but the same is applicable even today. Societies today too are under the grip of capitalism or dictatorship. There is no really tolerant country in the world.
The tolerance prevalent today is one that is imposed by the government on the public in order to preserve their own interests. This tolerance only increases the tyranny and interest of the ruling party and its immediate subsidiaries. He states that it is the people who tolerate the government, and then the government who tolerate the opposition and so on.
Marcuse also declares that all the tolerance that is being practiced in different ways in the cu
ent society is not a product but the means of controlling the population. While the government is wo
ying about children becoming delinquents, it is systematically promoting the delinquency in countries and nations where its interests are served. This does
ing to mind the attack of Iraq after the attacks of 11th September 2001. The attack on Iraq was in no way related to the 9/11 attacks but it was justified under false pretexts and conducted anyway (Miller).
What the author is trying to say is that even though western democracies are largely progressive, since the society at its root is regressive, its efforts of progressiveness only act as a dete
ent to its progress. A good example of this would be the political rights bestowed on the people, of voting and choosing. However, the choice given to the voters in America is just one of two. What if both are undesirable, then people don’t really have a choice.
The author provides two conditions so that real tolerance can be achieved and that is to make tolerance universal. Making tolerance universal means that...