No disrespect is intended in the following:


My earliest negatively connotated memory is the repetitive use of the words "Because I said so." I think it shortchanges the child's thought process.

I dated a girl with a young daughter for three years and I never once felt disinclined to answer a question. Sure you have to speak in their language, but children are eager to learn if you talk to them as equals (at least is my limited experience.)

 

No I studied Biology and Business but I do think Psycology is fasinating and I did take a PSY 101 about a decade ago so I feel very qualified to speak on the subject.

 

Now this is more on par with my original ideas. I do agree that it comes natural to follow authority for most people, not being one of them I was just curious what made it so comforting to some? Had they just not considered the possibilities otherwise? are they like sib and just don't feel conflicted by it? are they, as I mentioned in the OP, seeking to alleviate personal responsibility? Am I just a schizoid?

 

I think everything you mentioned may be a factor in peoples' willingness to follow authority. Finding one particular reason might be impossible as I imagine there are as many different reasons as there are people in the world.

However, one thing I'm sure of is that, by and large, it's not a conscious decision to follow the whims of authority. If it is, as I asserted, simply part of human nature, then no amount of justifying it will do any good as it's simply a part of us. Alleviating responsibility, unwillingness to make difficult decisions for ourselves, and allowing others to solve the larger problems of the world may simply be hard-wired into our psyches to allow for those with (to quote Nietzche [misspelled, of course]) a "Will to Power."

 

I agree...my parents always said that to me and I promised myself that I wouldn't say the same to my kids. I might not have totally succeeded but I sure tried! And if you will notice, I didn't say that I ever GOT the T-shirt!!!

 

If anyone can help me find who said this I would appreciate it. I think he was a famous anthropologist and he was asked how much human nature had changed in the past 20,000 years. His answer was; "About as much as Eagle's beaks." which of course have not changed at all.

And Nietzsche's quote is relevant in the two psychological experiments I put up and it is the basis for the power addicts I see all around me everyday. Also I think we are becoming more of a facist police state everyday in this country, sacrificing our civil liberties and protections to authority that uses fear tactics to control and unthinking public.

Let me see if Bob Dylan can restate if here:

For them that must obey authority
That they do not respect in any degree
Who despise their jobs, their destinies
Speak jealously of them that are free
Cultivate their flowers to be
Nothing more than something
They invest in.

Its alright Ma I'm only Bleeding

 

Those are quite beautiful lyrics. Here are some I enjoy that for me still carry a certain amount of poetry but are a bit more on the more vile side.

slave screams he thinks he knows what he wants
slave screams thinks he has something to say
slave screams he hears but doesn't want to listen
slave screams he's being beat into submission

don't open your eyes you won't like what you see
the devils of truth steal the souls of the free
don't open your eyes take it from me
I have found
you can find
happiness in slavery

slave screams he spends his life learning conformity
slave screams he claims he has his own identity
slave screams he's going to cause the system to fall
slave screams but he's glad to be chained to that wall

don't open your eyes you won't like what you see
the blind have been blessed with security
don't open your eyes take it from me
I have found
you can find
happiness in slavery

I don't know what I am I don't know where I've been
human junk just words and so much skin
stick my hands through the cage of this endless routine
just some flesh caught in this big broken machine

 

I am proud to say that in all the ears that I was bringing up my daughter, I never once resorted to saying "Because I say so."

Now, she's more likely to say it to me ...

 

I've put this up in other places. But while my wife and I were raising our kids I talked to them just like I do adults or anyone else. They comprehended just fine and also developed an impressive vocabulary for their ages.

Now, when I told one of my kids to do something if that kid could stand there and present me with a calm reasonable and rational argument as to why they shouldn't have to do it, if their presentation and reasoning was good enough I'd do whatever it was myself.

We ended up with children that are not only doing great in life, they can think for themselves. And never once when they were growing up did they follow anyone else into trouble.

 

Along the lines of Zimmbardos Prison study, look into Asch's study on conformity. What he did was he had a group of 7 people pick which line was the same as the one shown. 6 of the 7 were all in on the study and, on purpose, picked the wrong line. The 7th person, even though he knew he it was wrong, would go along with the group.

So pretty much, he look, they are listing to that big scary guy, I better too!!!

Also I think it has a lot to do with our culture, how we are bread from birth to lisiten and obey others higher then us. From our parents when we are young, right up to our teachers, bosses, and the police

 

Thanks for the tip on Asch's I'll look him up. By the way I was crazy enough to email Zimmbardo when I was in college and he answered five questions for me and made my term paper in five minutes. A really cool guy no kidding.

 

My signature is the limit of authority that I will accept.

 

That sounds like a take on Nietzsche.