In “Apology: Defense of Socrates,” Socrates talks about his particular way of helping society and why others seem to do him wrong. He says that he is not the kind of man who could become a politician, because if he had given up his integrity and become a politician, he would be of no use to anyone. Rather, he says he is like a gadfly around a horse, where the horse is the society. The gadfly will annoy the horse and excite him; in the case of society, Socrates provokes them to action or reflection by using constructive criticism or questioning people. He is the gadfly and is not considered a good person because he bores the general public. A politician would not dare to be a gadfly but would only conform to societal norms. SocratesYou see here very clearly that things have not even changed 2000 years later. In politics you can't really be yourself, otherwise you'll never gain power. We have these liars and useless people, who Socrates said he would never do, in politics because they are the only ones who can succeed. Socrates is right when he says: "Whoever truly fights for what is right, if he is going to survive, even for a short time, must act in a private rather than a public capacity." (Plato 31) They have to hide even when they are trying to be progressive and spread good things so as not to be torn apart by the media or not considered good by the general public for their stance on something . There are many examples of politicians' careers being affected or ended because of a point of view they share or attempt to convey in our country. If they were to speak out too much on topics like abortion or gay rights, they would find themselves in their opponents' shoes. and would never have reached the seat they occupy. You see this on the platforms of many recent presidents where they either don't acknowledge the topic at all or use cryptic statements to hide their true feelings on it. Regarding gay rights specifically, Obama, during his 2012 campaign, said he would not stop Congress if it passed marriage laws for gay people. Like many politicians, he took a weak stance on an issue to avoid public backlash. He must act privately and speak directly to other politicians to get things done, without ever declaring his intention to the media or the public. All politicians must act in this way; they should never declare their intentions or position on a controversial topic, lest it result in strong negative reactions. Acting in a private capacity is essential because, in many cases, politicians really want to pass certain laws or see changes in what they consider wrong, but simply don't want the hatred or their careers to be interrupted for something they consider necessary for a party