Negative Effects Of Disobedience

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Many people automatically label disobedience as a negative trait or claim that it supports civil disturbance and shows lack of character, but there are others who would rank disobedience as one of the most important traits of mankind. Oscar Wilde, an Irish author from the 19th century, wrote that disobedience, “...is man’s original virtue,” and that disobedience is what drives progress in society. I agree that without disobedient rebels we would not have advanced as far as we have in social standards, but disrespecting and disregarding the rules all of the time is a pathway to catastrophe. Disobedience can be seen at work multiple times throughout history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and all the way into the 20th and 21st century. Only a few decades ago, masses of people marched the streets of America to protest injustice toward the African-American population. It was the rebellious nature of individuals like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. that drove out the civil injustice of segregation. Their acts of disobedience led to the a massive leap towards social justice. THey are true examples of disobedience as a great virtue. Similarly, today, players of one of our most popular sports are protesting for social justice. NFL players can be seen kneeling during the national anthem before the game to protest violence toward the black population. By abandoning the situational norm to stand for the anthem, regardless of whether their actions are respectful or not, they are calling a sizable amount of attention to the issue and using their status as a platform for change. Even on smaller scales, boycotts of products or events in communities can lead to change. If a high school has put in place a new rule that the students view as unfair or a hindrance to their daily life, believe me, the students will make every possible effort to ignore the rule to convince the administration change it. Although in the grand scheme is is insignificant, my school introduced new codes this year that made leaving at lunch nearly impossible when for the past two years, it has been For example, when your parent tells you to put your seatbelt on, regardless of whether you think it’s a commendable idea, it is most definitely in your best interest to wear the seatbelt. And I agree once again, obeying your parents is probably a good decision. I only favor disobedience when the rules in place do not serve the interest of those who the rules apply to, or if the rules are completely excessive and unnecessary; but in these cases, I say

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