Thoreau and Zinn

"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailers, constables etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs."
                                         Thoreau, On Civil Disobedience
I think this passage also relates the the idea Thoreau brought up in Walden about being awake and asleep. Here he thinks the mass of men are machines and tools, being manipulated unconsciously, just like being asleep. They are paying attention to anything because there's no need to. He hadn't pay tax and spent a night at jail, but he thought he was actively paying attention and thinking. The quote I found from Zinn reiterates the importance of voicing and thinking that are both beneficial for democracy. De Tocqueville will probably say the same thing.