ONE VS MOB

Here's my IF submission for this week. Theme: Opposites.

The group exists to protect the individual. You see, he could fall asleep and be late for an appointment. He cannot be trusted with "personal responsibility," therefore great power needs to be centralized to protect him from himself.

'There ought to be a LAW!' cries the mob. The politician agrees. If they let him lie under the tree, he might get the notion that he owns his body. He might do things with his body that the mob finds distasteful. If he daydreams, he might get the notion he owns his mind. He might think thoughts the mob finds distasteful. If he saves his money by napping instead of spending, he might get the notion he owns his money. He might spend it on things the mob finds distasteful (or on products they themselves are not selling). Behaving in a way the mob finds distasteful is very dangerous to the individual. Hence, he needs to be protected from himself. That's what the bombs are for.

Inspired by F.A. Hayek's The Road To Serfdom

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