Types of tyranny

Been doing some reading about tyranny, mostly from John Stuart Mill. He describes three forms - tyranny of the minority, tyranny of the majority and tyranny of custom/tradition.

The first is easy to understand. Tyranny of the minority is represented by monarchies, kings/princes or an oligarchy.

The second takes a bit of thinking. A democracy if unfettered can lead to tyranny. A majority of voters, say, can serve up mob rule. Thank goodness our Founding Fathers foresaw the possibility and gave us the Bill of Rights and the Electoral College.

The third takes the form of psychological pressures on individuals or groups. For instance, we Christians are inundated by pronouncements of there being many genders, even though chromosomes indicate only two, as does our Bible.

The first tyranny is easily identified. The second comes more stealthily because one has to be on the lookout. The third is insidious as it comes at us from many angles and in many forms, from many sources. Be wary, my friends as our freedom hangs in the balance.

Richard Murdock

North Aurora