The Effects of Policy on Lay People, Essay Example

Whether by the government, an employer or any other form of policymaker, the idea that lay people need protection and guidance has been around since the beginning of time. While some policies serve the best interests of lay people, many do not. The Berlin Wall served as a symbol of unjust policy for many years. The East German government’s view of protecting its people from the evils of capitalism by erecting the wall raised many points; however, the actuality of the situation was problematic due to the government’s control, the lay people’s lack of freedom and their inability to make their own decisions.

Some of the greatest examples of unjust policy occurred in the former East German government. To protect the people from what the East German government claimed to be the evil of capitalism, East Germany built the Berlin Wall, essentially closing the East German people from the rest of the world. Referred by the East Germans as the “antifascist protective rampart”, the Berlin Wall ran from east to west through the middle of Berlin. According to Brian Ladd, the East Germans built the wall to protect their people from the “atavistic forces of the West”(Brunk, 343). Instead, the Berlin Wall deprived the people of most of their freedoms, and for decades served as a symbol of injustice and control.

According to the East German government, their use of the Berlin Wall “shielded the triumphant proletariat from the remnants of pre-1945 German fascism”. In reality, it kept them controlled by the government. Subsequently, they enforced policies aimed at controlling their thoughts and actions. The fact that so many East Germans fled from the tyranny of the policies enforced by the government proves these policies were wrong.

The East German government also forced policy on their people in an attempt to control them. The government despised the ideals of capitalism and used the Berlin Wall to ensure the people could not choose for themselves. They feared what they could not control and made every attempt possible to ensure their people could not choose for themselves.

The East German government is just one example of policymakers using policy as a means to control lay people. People daily experience policies; some are just, others are unjust. As Lynda Workman notes “The spirit of policy is intended for benefit. Yet the experience of it is fraught with ambiguity, confusion and fear” (Brunk, 756).

Policies issues don’t end with depriving lay people of freedom. They have a tendency to become outdated as well. When this happens, lay people are left to determine their own course of action. Workman notes, “[liberation] speaks to me of freedom and room to soar above the boundedness of what is written. Policy lies flat on the page and it is outdated” (Brunk, 753).

Still, some policies truly benefit people. Without rules, society would quickly break down. Workman notes “Policy must not simply be a guide to action, with the possibilities of varied interpretations. There must be limits that rest in a higher authority” (Brunk, 754). There must be a place for policies, if they truly benefit the lay people affected by them.

Policies also help to guide us. If a policy “establishes orderliness in the confusion of endless possibilities” (Brunk, 752), then one could assume the end result is positive.

While policies are meant to guide and protect people, the opposite often occurs. When this occurs, lay people need to make their own decisions on whether or not the policy is truly benefiting them. They must also be ready to face the repercussions from policymakers upon making their decision.

It should also be mentioned that not all policies are originally well-intended. The eternal attraction of power makes many policy-makers more eager to remain in charge than to ensure quality life for their people. This leads to the introduction of oppressive policies aimed at controlling freedom of speech within a country, opportunities to get information about life in other countries, and, naturally, freedom of migration. This leads us to the idea of information war – a significant part of the Cold War during which the Berlin Wall was erected. In the example we are investigating, it is interesting to pay attention to the formula “temptations of the capitalism”. It does not suggest any objectivity in considering capitalistic system (the word “temptation” has negative connotation) and programs people to have grave associations with it.

Moreover, such oppressive social regimes are often combined with ineffective economic policies – unreasonable centralization of state economy, limiting the opportunities for small business, thus preventing people from getting wealthier and reducing their financial motivation. However, realizing these policies is only possible provided the government offers lay people a powerful national ideology. Otherwise, the system would not work. This is a roughly painted picture of communist regimes, for example.

Unfortunately, oppressive regime does not mean that the majority of lay people are dissatisfied with it. Perhaps, it accounts for the fact that the Berlin Wall survived for decades. However, East Germans do not seem brightest example of such passive people with all the desperate attempts to flee from GDR. In the states that were truly communist, like the Soviet Union, many people were sincerely loyal to the regime. Still, there also were people who strived for democracy ready to make sacrifices for it. Strange as it may seem, many like the idea of being ruled and are reluctant to make the choices of their own. As an old saying goes, every people deserves its government. Although deemed by many the ideal and most humane type of society organization, democracy is just not for everyone. I do not want to sound as if I regarded democracy as some faculty people can be born with or without. It goes without saying that it is a matter of education first of all. Once people learn about the world and see opportunities in it, they start realizing their interests and turn into responsible citizens. Consequently, they are bound to become willing to influence policies, and that is what democracy is about.

Addressing the needs of different people, giving them opportunities to realize themselves, caring after them and loving them more than the power are all the components of being good policy-makers.

Works Cited

Brunk, Terence, et. al. Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000.