Marjon's last gasp
There's always one.
Before the vote on the compulsory chewing of tobako leaves can be taken, there's an objection from someone who had the disease and survived. Chewing tobako leaves might kill him, but he knows that he has a natural immunity to the disease which the flies have been spreading.
In spite of this hysterical outburst which ignores the fact that not everyone has a natural immunity to the disease, the Health Secretary's proposal is passed.
When all the risks are weighed up, this seems to be the best option open to the Marjonians since no one knows who's naturally immune to the disease, nor who's allergic to the tobako leaves.
The question is whether this is fair and democratic or unfair and despotic?
The Community Council would say that it was for the good of the people and, therefore, a good thing. But that argument can be extended to all sorts of unplesantness. As far as I recall, Marjon is not a democracy, although the voting system in the Council went from requiring unanimity to requiring a majority. In this society, the decision seems to be fair but despotic. The possibility is open for people who are immune to the disease to object to chewing the tobako leaves and, therefore, being exempted from the scheme.
Besides, democratic countries also act despotically. The national ID card scheme is still flying around at home. It's allegedly for the good and safety of the public, but the idea is despotic in the extreme and impossible to sell. HMG has kind of hamstrung itself on this because of alleged historical freedoms which have been used to deceive the public into believing they have half as many as they do. An ID card scheme seems inimical to the image which HMG has promoted over the past five hundred years or so, hence very few people are going to believe that the whole thing benefits anyone apart from the coffers of the Treasury.
In the end, the Marjonians seem to have done the right thing in spite of certain risks. Some people would've survived because they were naturally immune to the disease, but most would've died without the tobako leaves. Some did die because of the leaves, but far fewer than might've without them. Since the Marjonians have no other options (mass suicide? Everyone dies so no one feels left out), they seem to have made the best decision under the circumstances.
Before the vote on the compulsory chewing of tobako leaves can be taken, there's an objection from someone who had the disease and survived. Chewing tobako leaves might kill him, but he knows that he has a natural immunity to the disease which the flies have been spreading.
In spite of this hysterical outburst which ignores the fact that not everyone has a natural immunity to the disease, the Health Secretary's proposal is passed.
When all the risks are weighed up, this seems to be the best option open to the Marjonians since no one knows who's naturally immune to the disease, nor who's allergic to the tobako leaves.
The question is whether this is fair and democratic or unfair and despotic?
The Community Council would say that it was for the good of the people and, therefore, a good thing. But that argument can be extended to all sorts of unplesantness. As far as I recall, Marjon is not a democracy, although the voting system in the Council went from requiring unanimity to requiring a majority. In this society, the decision seems to be fair but despotic. The possibility is open for people who are immune to the disease to object to chewing the tobako leaves and, therefore, being exempted from the scheme.
Besides, democratic countries also act despotically. The national ID card scheme is still flying around at home. It's allegedly for the good and safety of the public, but the idea is despotic in the extreme and impossible to sell. HMG has kind of hamstrung itself on this because of alleged historical freedoms which have been used to deceive the public into believing they have half as many as they do. An ID card scheme seems inimical to the image which HMG has promoted over the past five hundred years or so, hence very few people are going to believe that the whole thing benefits anyone apart from the coffers of the Treasury.
In the end, the Marjonians seem to have done the right thing in spite of certain risks. Some people would've survived because they were naturally immune to the disease, but most would've died without the tobako leaves. Some did die because of the leaves, but far fewer than might've without them. Since the Marjonians have no other options (mass suicide? Everyone dies so no one feels left out), they seem to have made the best decision under the circumstances.
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