Saturday, October 31, 2009
We need authority!
Authority can be obtained by a person, but also expressed through tangible things. Even though a person is the one which holds the power of authority there are also certain objects or figures that have the power of authority. These can include police cars, uniforms, badges, or a judge’s robe. These tangible objects are what signify people of authority. They are what distinguish them from the rest of the community. For example, when a person speeds down the highway and they notice a police car lurking behind the bushes, they automatically hit their brakes. Sometimes police departments place cars in the median of the highway with a manikin in the passenger’s seat in order to make drivers slow down. The police officer has an extreme amount of power, but the police car also helps represent that power. Or like in the movies, if a police officer needs to borrow a citizen’s car, he just flashes his badge and then he’s got himself a car to chase the bad guy in. Therefore, these tangible objects help with the authority that a person may have. Also, authority in general should definitely be present in society. Without authoritative persons there would be no order whatsoever. I do not think everyone would listen to one another because they would not have to. Disputes could not be handled properly without an authoritative mediator. If there were not people of authority there would be no prisons and no jails and no punishment. Our society needs punishment in order to deter crime. In order to have punishments we need authority. Everything concerning law and keeping order is entwined together and depends upon one another.
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I agree with what you say how we need punishments and authority. There would definitely be chaos amongst the streets if there were none. I think authority also correlates with experience and morality in some ways as well. People usually have a natural respect towards people with more experience, whether it be at a job or in life, and this in turn gives that person some authority in a way. It correlates to morality because I think that the level of punishment fits the crime to how bad we think that crime is on a whole averaged out from the public.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are plenty of disputes resolved without authority. Example: if I'm in a fight with my brother and I smack him in the nose but he hits me in the stomach, we both stop fighting because neither of us wants to get hurt more, regardless of our respective desires to win the fight. The underlying implication that a "need for authority" validates is that people will always act in their own self-interest.
ReplyDeleteI think you raise a very valid point with the tangible aspects of authority in our society. People do recognize the symbols you listed as those of authority, however I'm not so sure that these figures work off of peoples "natural respect" for them. I believe that people respect (or sometimes fear) these figures because of the implications and sanctions taht they bring with them. When I see a police car, I slow down so that I dont get a ticket, not becuase I have respect for that officer or his flashy car.
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