Tyranny of the majority has nothing to do with an actual tyrant . It ' s about the notion that bad things , even unconstitional things , can happen to marginal groups because the majority hates them . Imagine a majority of Americans wake up one day and decide that gays should be stoned . And I don ' t mean , Wouldn ' t it be great if someone stoned those uppity gays , but they all decide to start going out on the streets and doing it themselves . Only problem is , it ' s illegal , they ' d like to personally remain lawabiding , and it ' s inefficient to stone all the gays yourself . Much better to have the government and the police do it . So everyone holds a vote to legalize and mandate gay stoning , despite what an affront that is to the ideas our nation was built on , basic human decency , and all of that stuff . But since it ' s a simple vote and the majority wants it , boom , it ' s done , gays are being stoned , tyranny of the majority achieved . It ' s the ultimate I ' ve got mine , fuck everyone else . Meanwhile , tyranny of the minority , as it ' s currently playing out in the US now , goes a little like , I don ' t have squat , fuck everyone and everything , including myself .