Jefferson vs. Plato in "Obscene"

As Jefferson says, “A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the highest virtues of a good citizen”. Based on this claim, I think Jefferson would characterize BJ as a good citizen and Danny and his mom as bad citizens. However, I do not agree with this idea. Danny confessed to his actions and held himself responsible to be punished for what he did. Although he did make a bad decision by breaking the law and hurting another person, he felt guilty and tried to do everything he could to make up for his actions. I do not think Danny is a bad citizen because he broke the law one time. Despite his mother’s wishes, he confessed guilty and went to jail without a fight. I think this shows that on a larger scale he is not the bad citizen; he simply made a bad decision from multiple influences around him. In contrast, Jefferson would characterize BJ as a good citizen because he did not break the law. Although he was exercising his free speech and did not break any laws, BJ was still hurting others around him. He made derogatory remarks about Jessie and influenced others who listened to his radio show to treat her in the same way that he does. As Danny’s mother believes, BJ may actually be hurting more people than Danny through his radio show just because of the remarks he makes, even without breaking any laws. Because of this, I do not think it is fair to characterize Danny as a bad citizen and BJ as a good citizen in this situation.

In contract to Jefferson’s views, Plato says, “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the law”. Based on these ideas, I think Plato would consider Danny the good citizen and BJ the bad citizen. When only thinking about Danny’s actions after he broke the law, Danny displayed characteristics of a good citizen by apologizing and being responsible for his actions. He had the choice between following his mother’s wishes and pleading not guilty or to tell the truth. He took the initiative in himself to be responsible and do the right thing without a law telling him how to do it. In contrast, BJ stretched the limit of the law. He was able to say whatever he wanted on his radio show and not be punished for anything he said because he was exercising his free speech and could cover up anything he said simply by saying he was “joking”. Many bad people do break the law without worrying about if it is against the law or not, but there are also good people who make bad decision and bad people who get away with their actions.