A term commonly used today is to be “politically correct,” speaking in a way that appeals to all minorities without offending anyone, as a politician would. This is depicted dramatically in the book Fahrenheit 451; the company believed that each book offended some minority, pitting people against each other with the strong statements and opinions found within it. They concluded that by burning the books they would be free to think what they wanted and live in peace. They tried to make everyone the same, forgetting that being unique makes them human. The government was just the tool used to enforce the fire, society had already done it in their minds. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When people stopped reading it was their choice, “it didn't come from the government. To begin with, there was no dictate, no declaration, no censorship, no!” Censorship began when people feared freethinkers, people who would die for what they believed. Feared, the books were destroyed, furthering the process of making everyone "equal"; society began to have personalities, not individuals. In America today we see the beginnings of a nation that wants to live in peace, without asking hard questions and remaining too proud to admit it has done anything wrong. People are told to “tolerate” others and their beliefs, but this causes them to lose their beliefs; both parties end up taking offense or compromising their own morals to keep the other happy. A country will deteriorate into this state of mind and become oblivious to its danger. Government is often controlled by society as it is just a group of people who are notably not governed. The similarities between this fictional world and reality are striking, but troubling. An individual cannot see all sides of an argument, this demonstrates the value of constructive criticism and often ethical judgement. A civilization that imposes “peace” on itself by blocking free thought has forgotten that true freedom is the right to reflect on a vision of the world and act accordingly. For true peace you need to ask the hard questions and offend groups.