Hard Love: The Better Choice

Joe Brown

Mr. Austin

English 1020

29 October 2010

Hard Love: The Better Choice

What happened the day the substitute teacher brought cookies and a movie into class? Did the substitute teacher, striving to be liked by the students, get respect and obedience from the students, or did "all hell" break loose? In my experience, kids were screaming and jumping around everywhere, and soon you could hear the footsteps of the principal coming down the hallway. He burst in yelling to the top of his lungs; unfortunately, that was how the classroom had to be controlled when generous substitutes came to class. Even in the 1500's this very problem existed. In "From the Prince", wrote in 1513, Machiavelli states, "I say that it would be good to be considered generous; nevertheless, generosity used in such a manner as to give you a reputation for it will harm you" (849).

In order for a leader to have control and gain respect, they should never be too generous. If you don't gain respect, chaos will happen. Handing out "candy" to everyone, makes people lazy, disrespectful bums. A great example of this aspect occurs today in our everyday lives. The government currently hands out money left and right to people in "poverty". Is this the correct thing to do? Citizens become so use to receiving favors and money that they expect to be treated in such manner. I believe that the government helping the poor is a great thing, but they are a little too generous. It really bothers me that so many people today live off of tax dollars. One guy in particular, who lives down the road a tenth of a mile, came in my dad's hardware store at the beginning of the month, this is the time everyone gets there "check". He was stoned and drunk out of his mind. He obviously bought a bunch of supplies to grow marijuana with that money. And where do you think he got the money to buy that beer and pot he just used? Of course! He used our tax money. Many people take advantage of government funding, and they are becoming more and more helpless. In "From the Prince", Machiavelli states, "From this arises an argument: whether it is better to be loved than to be feared, or the contrary. I reply that one should be liked to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking." (851).

The problem of being over generous exists right at our feet. There is a huge difference between the attitudes of a paying college student and a college student receiving the Hope scholarship. This all boils back down to too much generosity from the government. Students paying for college tend to take school a lot more serious. They