In Aristotle’s Greece, the society was pretty afraid of Pharmakos, or what we would call a “tall poppy.” These were members of society treated as scapegoats, often because they had too much good fortune or luck. Democarcy was the political system of the time, and anyone in the minority was treated with suspicion. Hence the tragic hero: full of hubris, the sense that their personal moral choices were more relevent and valid than those of their society or their gods.
But in today’s society, we have almost an excess of hubris. Everyone is expected to have their own opinion, and they have the right to that freedom of speech. What could be understood as slandering another is acceptable today: telling someone, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” treads all over their right to freedom of speech.
Is hubris encouraged in today’s society? Is being selfish exactly what we expected we should be? Is this a change, or is this a good thing?
We may have more contestants to win the meritocracy crown, but does it just give rise to the stupidification of the masses based on the misiformation of one?
Are we freeing ourselves to uncover “The Truth,” or are we just second-guessing everything?
Ellen Jurik 