Brainwashed To Respect Authority
As human beings, we have some characteristics that can be easily exploited. No wonder we’ve been so successfully brainwashed to respect authority.
As it turns out, our predictability, which is a wonderful thing when it comes to home life, workplace, love, and friendship, may not serve us well in other areas.
When a burglar plans a burglary, a good burglar, at least, plans it. All the planning starts with learning the homeowners’ habits. (To avoid complications and possible confrontation, the burglar will break in when he’s sure that the residents aren’t home.)
To live and navigate life smoothly, we have to make assumptions. Our assumptions are based on knowledge, experience, common sense, and yes, good faith.
Example from my own life? I recently made a new friend. The person is intellectually attractive, some of our interests overlap, our communications are fun, for a moment it seemed like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I just learned that in a particular case, we are not just on opposite sides of the fence, but polar opposites. It seems I gave my prospective friend too much benefit of the doubt. Bummer!
I assumed that the person with whom I have a lot in common must be like me in other areas of life. If neither one of us had assumed that in good faith, it would have been a non-starter. We both assumed that we had found an interesting interlocutor, which is true. But an interesting interlocutor is not the same as a friend whose values we share.
Total trust in authority, I suppose, is both, a good and dangerous thing. To function well and succeed in society, we all have to recognize, accept, and in many cases obey authority. We learn that as children and carry on as adults. In most cases, trust in authority serves us well and makes society work.
While in many of our interactions with those in positions of authority it is wise to be compliant, in some, use your common sense!
“Some system of authority is a requirement of all communal living, and it is only the man dwelling in isolation who is not forced to respond, through defiance or submission, to the commands of others.” Stanley Milgram
When an emergency responder tells you what to do, don’t question it. Listen and comply! When a firefighter tells you to evacuate: evacuate, now! That’s not a time for a philosophical discourse. When a police officer pulls you over: pull over. The merits of a traffic ticket are best argued in a traffic court. In these examples, compliance is necessary and wise.
But our faith in authority extends much further. We trust attorneys, retailers, doctors, service providers, and politicians. And this trust occasionally takes a beating. In some cases, having our trust violated takes us by surprise. In some cases, we feel betrayed.
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” Alberts Einstein
Sometimes, we get cheated at the cash register, which is bewildering because we assume that the cash register is a type of calculator which ought to be more accurate than our own rough estimate before checkout.
It happens that we get seduced by a skillful politician’s promises and vision which he or she invented solely for the purpose of getting elected. Ouch! Played for a fool, again.
Other times, we feel taken advantage of by a service provider, and we all know what that feels like! It can happen with an auto mechanic, plumber; heck, even with a highly recommended lawyer or doctor! Yet, we usually accept that in our deep-seated loyalty to “authority” even though the presumed authority may not be much of an authority after all or is deliberately exploiting us. We rarely complain.
We’ve been brainwashed, alright, and sometimes our commitment to compliance with authority can be dangerous.
Case in point, sexually abused children. Many don’t complain out of fear that adults will weigh their accusations against the trust they have in authority. (A common occurrence in a church or school setting.) The victimized children who do complain are rarely believed for the same reason.
“As soon as we abandon our own reason, and are content to rely upon authority, there is no end to our troubles.” Bertrand Russell
It gets worse: our trust in authority figures can be blind. More or less consciously, we put authority figures on a pedestal. We don’t automatically think that authority figures hire PR firms to craft their public image and that the public image we accept and like may — or may not — reflect the actual person. (Just think of some celebrities; they all appear to be saints, until they’re not.)
In most cases pertaining to the authority of government, it’s advisable to be compliant. In cases of all other authority figures and/or powerful people, our predictability, good faith, and trust make us vulnerable. When in doubt, remember: once the power or authority cap comes off, the authority reps are human just like us. They too have vices, temptations, and ulterior motives.
We trust information, opinions, and recommendations from authoritative sources. Authoritative sources represent one or another established power. It is the power that is intimidating to the average person, not necessarily knowledge, wisdom, or righteousness.
We often trust blindly and uncritically based on a source. STOP! Reclaim YOUR power! Be critical, not intimidated. Do your own thinking, make up your own mind. Make important decisions based on YOUR common sense.
Don’t forget that knowledge isn’t perfect or absolute and no one holds monopoly on common sense. Share on X
The person in a position of authority may have more specialized knowledge, education, money, and social status than you, true. But just like you, that person is human. Capable of making mistakes. Occasionally seduced by the prospect of making even more money.
No one is perfect. We all have some shortcomings. Education, wealth, and social standing are not the only measures of a person.
Character, honesty, modesty, or morality are not required from authority figures. In fact, these qualities are often impediments to making it REALLY BIG in life.
Now, when you find yourself on the receiving end of an authority figure and have some doubts or reservations: QUESTION AUTHORITY! Question his or her motives! No, not every authority. Not all the time. Not on every issue. But if something strikes you as strange, outrageous, terrifying or unbelievable… don’t be afraid to fight back or resist. Under some circumstances, your life could be at stake.
While the humblest sheep in the flock gets butchered first, the squeaky wheel gets the most grease…
