Today I'm going to write about something that we all need to be cognizant of in these times and that is our obedience to authority figures, which consists of real authority figures and actors that we perceive to BE authority figures.
Beginning in 1961, social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a brilliant series of experiments titled the, 'Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures'. If you're unfamiliar with the experiment, it tested the length to which human beings would go, in carrying out immoral orders when instructed by an authority figure, in this case a man dressed in a white coat. Would the men & women continue to electrically shock the man in the room next door while he was screaming and in incredible pain just because the authority figure told them to?
An overwhelming majority (65%) of participants in the initial study continued to shock the man at the behest of the authority figure, sometimes against their own personal morality standards, and for the promise of money. Wow....
This brings me to the current discussion that needs to be had, and in my opinion, is unfortunately not being addressed. Many people across the world are talking about & writing about how society is crumbling, war is rampant, humans are becoming desensitized to the horrors of the world, apathy towards others struggles is growing etc etc but all we do is continue arguing with one another. What is the root cause of all of these problems? Is it because we've been reprogrammed so much that our high concepts of morality are frighteningly deficient? OR...Is it perhaps that we are not listening to ourselves and making rational decisions based on our own personal code of ethics & morality and that we are obeying authority too much?
It is clear that we are inundated everywhere we go with advertisements & education that are merely corporate sponsored indoctrination with stunningly clever rhetoric. This is nothing new...it's just becoming more prevalent as the top 1% of the world increasingly amass's more wealth from the bottom 99%. That's how the system works. It is what it is. We're all peasants & serfs. But does it have to be that way and does it have to remain that way?
When you go to the doctors office or the dentist or the school classroom or the town hall meeting...all these 'special' people in positions of authority ARE JUST PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME. Sure, they've accessed higher education at certain institutions and have job specific training AND/OR they have friends in high places. Either way, YOU don't need to spend 100K to have access to educational materials if you'd like to become knowledgable on various subjects. You can read the same academic books that those 'experts' are being trained from on a wonderful platform called THE INTERNET. For Free! You'll have to do some searching but you'll be able to find multitudes of open source information that can be better than any education you'll get in a learning institution. So, it is up to YOU, as small or large as you may be or you may feel yourself to be, to change the way things work in this world. There's no reason for you to feel small when confronted with an issue in your life because although you might need to rely on a professional for assistance, you have the ability to educate yourself & become aware of your various options in any given situation. Pretty cool, right?...
It's not just the unintelligent or uneducated members of society that blindly obey authority & degrade our values. Many intelligent folks with high IQ's do not think for themselves and are willingly spoon fed their BS medicine everyday. Remember, Milgram found that 65% of people will obey authority, EVEN WHEN SOMEONE'S LIFE IS ON THE LINE. Go back and read that again please.
I'd say that percentage is still holding steady, if not higher than the original 65% because many people get comfortable and are willfully ignorant. Why though? Why are people so afraid of thinking for themselves and facing the world as an individual? Why is it so difficult to come to your own conclusions and make your own choices rather than having your decisions made for you by your lawyer, doctor, priest, rabbi, imam, counselor, teacher, advertiser, sports figure or boss?
Is it so frightening to go your own way? What's the worst that will happen? You'll get killed? You will get fired? You'll make a mistake and have to start over again? You'll lose your status? People will think poorly of you? Why regurgitate the words of others when you have the ability to listen, comprehend, critically think and then form your own opinions and decide the appropriate action on your own? Why kill an 'enemy' soldier because your officer orders you to when you're a devout Christian and believe that killing is wrong? Why take the first doctors opinion and administer chemotherapy when you believe that it is wrong and understand that it is toxic to your body AND further understand that maybe you should get a 2nd opinion? Why eat the GMO corn when you know for a fact that the people telling you it's safe are on the payroll of various lobbyists and corporate leaders who have incentives to maximize profits at any cost...even the cost of a human life? Is it so frightening to take a risk and be an individual as opposed to being a sheep and doing everything that you're told to without any question of morality or dignity? Are you so crippled that you cannot escape the burdens of the society that you live in on your own?
Well guess what? There is no knight in shining armor that's going to come save you. YOU are the knight in shining armor....and you're gonna have to work towards saving yourself.
I am not an authority and I am not an 'expert' but I sure can tell you that you yourself, have the deductive abilities to make every decision on your own, free from outside influence and for the best outcome. You have this thing called a brain and an intuition. I'm not saying that you, the person reading this, is not aware...but as a whole, humanity needs to empower themselves rather than empowering their leaders and authority figures. Of course, sometimes people in positions of authority have good, sound advice and recommendations that can work towards a positive outcome for you.
I don't advocate living in the woods as a hermit, not going to the doctor, not paying taxes & eating raw meat from animals that you hunt with your bare hands. That certainly would make for a great reality show...but I'll assume that that's not really a way to live a comfortable and productive life in this day and age. I'm merely pointing out that psychological truths have been coopted and commodified, many decades ago, by powerful leaders and corporations and that those truths are utilized to the detriment of society & our positive growth potential as individuals, all for maximum profit and control. Again we go back to the Milgram experiment, the participants were willing to electrocute a man to death... all for a little bit of money. And listening to an authority, who's been paid off by some special interest group (as many of them have) does not mean you are following the correct advice/thought pattern....it just means that you got duped by a very clever con artist.
65%. It is a crazy statistic. But the fact that it is alarming and disturbing does not mean that the same percentage does not apply today with similar situations to the experiment happening on a daily basis. A CEO takes an enormous bonus, while knowing that 150,000 of their employees remain without health care and can barely put food on their table. A doctor gets a pharmaceutical kickback when prescribing ADD medication to a child, while knowing that the drug will negatively impact their life in the future and possibly in the present. A mercenary kills a man, while knowing that the man is innocent and is a productive member of society but...the mercenary needs to put food on the table for his family and cannot afford to lose his job. A fluoride lobbyist now understands through research that he's peddling a dangerous neurotoxin upon the entire country but he needs to put his kids through college, so he does it anyway. Think those situations are far fetched? Think again....and do your research.
Castles are pretty. Just like that one. With the water coming down...man it's awesome. But we've gotta stop putting authorities in castles and start putting ourselves in castles. It's like an intimate relationship. If you put your partner on a pedestal... you idolize them and they can do no wrong. They become God-like. Eventually the relationship will fall apart because of unrealistic expectations. Either you will become frustrated and burst out in anger OR they will take advantage of you and then get bored of being treated like a divinity. One of you will walk away...OR you'll both remain in the relationship in a vicious cycle of pain/pleasure and walking on eggshells. Sound similar to our relationship with authority in the world we live in now?
When an actor in a white lab coat can talk in an advertisement about the latest drug with side effects such as cancer, uncontrollable bowel movements, bleeding from the toes, babies growing outside of the womb, sleep walking, bleeding of the gums & stroke and people just look at it and go, 'Great! Sign me up! I'm gonna ask the doc about this one'.....rather than realizing it's an advertisement which is meant to MAKE MONEY whilst screaming, 'THIS IS TOTAL CRAP. THEY'RE TRYING TO POISING & KILL US'. There's something seriously, seriously wrong. I work in film/television production and can confidently say that I'm an 'expert' on this. Advertisements. ALL OF THEM. Everything you see and hear on TV & radio is meant to MAKE MONEY. Even if they say, it's a 'Public Service Announcement' or 'Non-Profit' advertisement....IT'S MEANT TO MAKE MONEY.
In summation, we are by our nature, accepting of authority and are obedient, as shown in the Stanley Milgram experiments. Rather than fight our natural inclinations to succumb to the commands of those in positions of perceived power, we should allow our instinctually obedient urges to pass, whilst allowing ourselves the time to formulate better ideas for ourselves that would enable us to implement actions with beneficial outcomes. Otherwise, we're just animals in a cage that cannot learn from our mistakes. And if that is how it is and how it's going to be in the future.....then sign me up with the 1% and I'll stop trying to make a positive impact in this world.
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-Joe
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love the headline - thanks for the message recommendation on this :)
Excellent article josephmcconnell! Very inspiring as well!
I've read about the Milgram experiment and was amazed at how many participants were willing to continue pressing that button while believing they were harming another person.
I took a course years ago in college that focused on generational differences, and one of the areas that demonstrated the values of society at different time periods was television, movies and even music. It's not that television or movies reflected society as much as people developed ideals, morals and values based on the content of the top tv shows, and other entertainment during those periods. Looking at those influences is a good barometer.
You nailed it with how we view authority figures and "experts." I can say that from experience. I now personally take the stance that we should investigate everything for ourselves and not just blindly follow or accept something simply because an "expert," says that we should.
I've met only a few who actually research a subject that directly affects them. Even with my own writings, I always encourage others to look into matters for themselves rather than follow anyone blindly. I'm no expert, but I couldn't agree more with your take on this.
I hope my response isn't too long. This was a very thought provoking article, and you added a lot of very interesting points. Thanks for sharing this, I enjoyed reading it.
Not too long at all Betty. Thanks for the articulate comments. When I was little, well before I did any research, and though I thought the pastor at my parents church was genuinely a good person, I always thought.....'Why are people listening to him and doing everything he tells them to do? This is really silly'. We all inherently know when something is amiss, it's just being able to accept that and couple it with solid research and education, I think. From your comments, I believe you know this too. Glad my post provoked so much from you.
Fantastic article & absolutely true. People need to hear this to realize their own power, moving into this incredible power that each of us has the ability to cultivate, instead of giving it away. These are polarizing times but at what point are we all going to say, "enough is enough" to the world's bs? As always, follow the money trail. Please, everyone reading this who is questioning why horrors are still happening in the world, follow the money trail & keep following it upward, to receive your answers. Insatiable greed for control is the reason that the world looks the way it does today. Just imagine how wonderful the world could be today, just aided by the technology that we know exists, & if the world's elite actually had to play by the same rules that everyone else does. Example: a person actually being brought to justice for being responsible for someone's death. No more war, just like that. Please, imagine what else could be different. It's time to stop idolizing. Respect & love yourself, your family, friends, neighbors & fellow humanity. Please say no to greed. Imagine if everyone did the same. What is money really worth if it is hoarded & not used to contribute to our positive growth as a species?
We could go on and on about this. It just needs to start with people simply saying 'No'. 'No, I'm sorry boss. You're wrong. I will not fire those co-workers.' 'No, I'm sorry Colonel. I will not drop that bomb. I do not believe in killing people'. 'No. I refuse this treatment because I believe it is ineffective'. The rewards of being true to yourself and making a stand are greater than the risks in almost every case. Thanks for adding to the discussion @lindsayimwold
meep
Thank you Joseph for inviting me to come and read your article. By what I've just read here, I can see we have a TONNE in common! Thank you for being on Steemit and spreading these vital truths. <3 <3 We definitely need you!
After reading your post I had to send it over. Thanks for checking it out and giving me the encouragement. It's much appreciated.
Wow, Well said my friend! I am glad to see more people like your self that think alike. I remember hearing about that experiment in my psychology and ethics class back in college. I think our first step in improving as society is educating and informing the rest of the world of the issues that we are facing. Knowledge is truly power. In order for us to continue evolving and advancing as human species we must first improve our moral and ethical thinking and stop all this greed and corruption because that is stopping us as a society and as a civilization from further improving.
Well said yourself, and agreed.
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The problem with people is that they are like ships - they don't think with their own head but follow each other. In this case, 35% of them think on their own. But that's defeating statistics. 65% are simply mindless when it comes to authorities because listening to authorities is the social norm and it is required to live by that norm.
This is the main reason why the world looks like it does. Sad but true.
Yeah...it's extremely sad and defeating how the herd mentality always seems to win out.
Let me tell you an example of people from Croatia. We got corrupted government last 25 years. We got many political options but people tend to choose only one over, over and over again.
When there comes a real political opposition, all that is needed is bad media picture about them and problem is fixed.
Did I go little off topic with this? Sorry.
No, it's not off topic. I appreciate it. People give into fear tactics way too easily. I'd love it if people would 'write themselves in' for President each voting cycle in the USA instead of voting for crap politicians over and over again.
No doubt that The World will be a better place then.
I think that there is a reason behind our ship-like behavior. Probably an evolutionary reason. This mindset helped us to survive long, long ago. Today is maybe useless but that "reptile" and evolutionary older part of the brain is still telling us to "stay with a herd". Probably because back then it was essential for our survivor. Without shepherd mentality, maybe there will neither be us as a race.
I agree with that assessment. These days though....we have access to so much historical information that we as individuals can be virtual supermen if we educate ourselves and apply that information properly. It'll take a considerable amount of time to break out of 'herd' thinking I'm sure.
I just believe that it will happen soon. The Internet is definitely a thing that will speed up that process.
So true.
That was a great post. Thanks for sharing it. I read part 5 and will go back and start from the beginning. It sounds like a great experiment.