PUBLISHPEN
Think you can say no? Think Again.
We all want to think we can say no, and that when when faced with ethical decisions we will do the right thing. Is that true? Do you have the ability to stop a bad situation? A harsh reality is when positioned in situations where we are followers of authority, we follow. We often justify our actions by justifying that the “authority” figure is to blame, and he/she will be held accountable. We must look deeper.
In the 1960’s Stanley Milgram executed a series of experiments that instructed participants to administer a series of shocks to “other” participants. The participants were told they were “teachers” and the shocks administered would help the other participants learn a particular lesson. Each participant was overseen by an Authority figure who administered the experiment. The shocks however would lead to levels that would cause death had they been actually administered.
All participants thought they had administered shocks to the 300 volt level, and 65% of participants administered shocks at levels that would have killed the other participants.
All criticism of the experiment aside, there is something to be taken from Milgram experiment. Let’s think about each time to are asked to do something that an authority figure has asked you to do. Do you blindly comply? Studies suggest that yes you do. That may seem disturbing to some or all of the readers as each of us want to believe we can resist the temptation to follow others when they are wrong or if it harms others. I recently went to the local Building department of the county in which I live. After being told I had to comply and have each and every page in my document personally signed by myself before I could continue, I asked “Why?”. The simple and quite fast reply was “because”. She then proceeded to come close to my face and say “Why won’t you comply?”. I was taken back not only by the unusual wording from the George Orwell book “1984”, but also that it appeared no one had ever questioned her authority!
After I took my question up the ladder of “Authority”, eventually it was decided it didn’t really matter, but I was left with the nagging question of why no one else had ever asked?
Consider what we do in all aspects of life. Are we being controlled by government, spouse, friends and others? We clearly have a choice but how many times we are influenced unknowingly by others in authority positions. I’ll leave this final question with you. Would you keep pressing the button?
