Are Americans Really Free?

I was listening to an online debate earlier when I heard two American individuals talking about how free they were as American citizens. They persistently conversed about how America had no limits and how it was truly the land of opportunity. After looking at what has transpired throughout history and how things are now, I instantly realized that Americans really aren’t that free, if really free at all. Factors such as race, sexual orientation, location, and government type all infringe on American freedoms and ultimately determine how free Americans really are.

Compared to other countries in the world, Americans definitely have many more freedoms and opportunities; however, although the United States is based upon freedom, there are laws that limit the freedoms its people can have. Looking at America holistically, I noticed that Americans really weren’t as free as the two gentlemen believed. America has bureaucracies that enact rules and regulations based on a philosophical system of beliefs of larger organizations such as the government. These rules or regulations limit American sovereignty because they govern our lives. They tell us how we should live, what we should do, and how we should do things, and through law enforcement, coerce Americans to live governed lives that bureaucracies believe are most suitable. To make sure Americans are living the life bureaucracies believe are most suitable, laws have been implemented to keep them in check.

Are Americans really free when they are constantly being watched and having their actions monitored through videotaping in stores; when Americans are constantly being told what can and cannot be done based on societal norms from the past that have been manipulated into laws; when laws exist that limit when Americans can put alcohol into their bodies or drive cars; or when Americans have a country that sets stringent standards for what can or cannot be done based on what bureaucracies deem acceptable? I don’t think so because I define freedom as having the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. In America there are restraints on what can be said in schools, what can be said on television, and what can be done to solve problems. Although these restrictions allow for a well-governed America, they infringe upon the freedoms of its people; thus, making Americans as free as the laws that limit them – not very free at all.