The Social Contract and Civil Unrest: The Tenuous Balance Between Freedom and Security

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has served as an impetus for change in how people and governments both exist and co-exist in the “New Normal.” Civil unrest marked by protests and, in some cases rioting, has been fueled by factors other than COVID-19. These factors are racial discrimination, economic downturn and stagnation, and political oppression. As this chapter will show, each of the four can be linked as a causal variable to the other. Particular attention has been paid to the impact of COVID-19 on the tenets of Social Contract Theory and how the balance of personal freedom and security on the part of the citizen requires change during the time of crisis. This discussion will be framed using recent events in the United States in a case study manner to primarily illustrate COVID-19 influenced protests, but also correlated protests pertaining to racial unrest. The chapter also addresses how other governmental systems have used the pandemic as a mechanism to further their own agendas. It concludes with a discussion of policing and calls for change in the law enforcement mission as they are the most visible and recognizable members of the bureaucratic state.