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 Why Johnny Can't Disobey 
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This article was interesting to me because of the severity of the parallels the author made between mindless obedience and students following classroom rules. Teachers do not have to brainwash their students to follow classroom rules because normally classroom rules are simple etiquette. If a teacher's classroom rule sheet proposed a rule as preposterous as some radical cultish rule, students would reject it. A normal healthy student would not kill another student because a rule said they must. Some degree of brainwashing takes place in cults that causes its members to act in ways that normal society finds extraordinary. I find the comparison to Nazism to be a bit extreme as well. German culture was warped by propaganda against Jews for a great time before World War II. Even then, a majority of the German population was unaware of the holocaust. Typical classroom disobedience is not something that should be conceived as a rebellion against an oppressive authority. It is normally the actions of a student whom is bored with the material, has a learning disability and is frustrated, or simply has some sort of need for attention. I do agree with the author on the count that over-obedience is a problem. There does seem to be some correlation between students of this type and those people who are subjected to cults. Maybe students exhibiting this behavior should be identified to the school psychiatrist to analyze why they are so overly obedient and to determine if there is a "problem" in there intellect. If a problem is recognized, the school should take steps to educate those students in free-thinking.I am not sure what to think about the shocking experiments. It seems that people have a desire to please authority figures. Overly obidient people are probably in the most danger of this. Again, steps should be taken early in these peoples' lives to try to encourage free-thinking. 

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Hoy Colson
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Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:20 am
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I found this writing rather interesting from the experimental conclusions to related history. It all seems to make sense to me, how we fall into a zombie trance of obedience because it is expected by our peers or mentor. Most things are to be done a certain way depriving us of our individuality and free thinking. Few people experiment with ideas or go to extreme lengths to figure out something because we are used to obeying commands and being told what to do. The experiment by Milgram proves this by showing how most individuals will inflict pain on others to be obedient and follow the rules. I feel that we have become a society that removes free-will thinking and have replaced it with instructional obedience.

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Chaise L. Swisher


Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:00 am
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I both liked and dislike parts of the article. I see how horrible blind obedience can be, but I also believe there needs to be some social graces and proper modes of conduct. I have questioned how the Germans could have let a man like Hitler gain and maintain so much power. Racial national Pride can only cover part of the equation. Fear, of any sort, can account for some more; but how can so many people follow such an insane doctrine. On a small scale I can even grasp, but almost a whole people?

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Robert W. Triplett


Tue Jan 22, 2008 10:57 am
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I can somewhat see how a large group of people like the Germans would be willing to believe in someone as charasmatic as Hitler and his ideas. For people who were having to use wheel barrows of money to just buy bread. So for a group of people who were that desperate after WW I and the regulations they faced, I can see how people would be willing to follow a leader that was making things happen for their country.

What bothers me worse is people who are perfectly sane, and not in such a desperate situation, not acting when something outrageous is going on around them. The scenario today in class really bothered me. I uderstand the need to be professional and all that stuff, but as a teacher, and foremost a person, I would have a very difficult time not telling the principal to go screw themself. If we are to just beat around the bush about hard topics and are not willing to take a fall for something we truly believe in, then we are no better than the bigots around us. I could actually see having more respect for the people who were at least willing to make their beliefs known, no matter how close-minded those beliefs are. At least these people are willing to make a stand for what they truly believe. It is just really sad to think that someone would be willing to just skirt around an issue because they did not want any negative flack.


Tue Jan 22, 2008 7:53 pm
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It is an interesting topic when we are talking about cults and brainwashing. I think when people get involved with cults they are not necessarily brainwashed, but more they need something to believe in and that are easily manipulated, in other words they are vulnerable so therefore they are acting the way they think they should. So to them its not disobedience. The most interesting statement that I found from the reading says, "We must ask if our society is part of the problem, part of the solution, or wholly irrelevant to the incidents of over-obedience exhibited at Jonestown and Mai Lai." (p 37) It is hard to decide and explain the situation, but it is something good to ponder upon.

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Jo Beth Pruitt


Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:14 pm
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I think when it comes to cults it almost reminds me of a military branch and how they break down the mental state of soldiers to be able to do whatever means are necessary in order to survive; whether that even be the ability to kill in a chaotic moment. I think a cult could sort of be related in that all "members" will follow without question and have total faith by breaking down previous beliefs and rebuilding a new process. There is also the instinctive type nature in all of us to conform and be accepted. I really agree with Jo Beth's opinion about weak people being able to find a sense of belonging.

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Erica Shelton


Sun Apr 27, 2008 1:43 pm
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