Subscribe to the print edition and enjoy The Republic in
your bathroom!
Plus, your subscription goes a very long way in helping to support The Republic and its writers and produces. It's like paying for the music you like.
Click here for details
|
Environment
Obedience and the environment
We need to combat blind respect for authority first before any actions on climate will be effective
By Devon Bates
|
A young female employee at McDonald's is strip searched and left naked for hours by an assistant manager. Why? They'd been hoodwinked by a prank caller pretending to be a police officer "looking for a thief." The incident lasts several hours with other employees not questioning "procedure" before phoning the actual police. Both employee and assistant manager receive millions in compensation after suing the fast food chain. It has all the makings of an urban myth, but the tale of Louise Ogborn is an actual news item.
There's speculation the two employees collaborated with the "prank" caller to sue McDonald's, but the man convicted of the calls had apparently made similar calls to other chains. It has also been theorized the entire story is a wag-the-dog type setup, an incident created to send the message that if you allow authority (actual or perceived) to commit abuse to you, or you passively allow abuse to be committed to another, not only will you not be held responsible, you will be rewarded.
However, if there is no scam and it's not propaganda, it raises the unsettling question of how far humans will go to "just follow orders".
In the early 1960s, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of experiments to address this question. Volunteers were lead to believe they were administering a series of electric shocks to another "volunteer" (really an actor, and no real shocks were involved). All this was directed by a man in a lab coat (another actor). Even when the other "volunteer" warned the participant of a heart condition before the "shocks" began, and even when this actor began screaming in "pain," most participants would continue raising the level of shocks on the advice of the authority figure who assured them they should continue. The experiment ends with two thirds of the volunteers administering a "fatal" shock, the third dose of maximum voltage.
Years later, Milgram wrote that "ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority."
Destructive action isn't limited to causing suffering to an immediate other. CEOs who turn a blind eye to the unethical practices of their companies are agents in a terrible destructive process, but then so are many of us in this "first world." Although awareness is rising, the "authority" of mainstream media or politicians tell people that while the big guys out there take care of that complicated scary stuff, the little people can change lightbulbs and buy hybrid cars.
There's been discussion about the potential for everyone to pull together, as in the allied countries during the Second World War. I believe the reason we're not seeing a similar response to climate change is not only due to the lack of a clearly identifiable enemy, but because propaganda from authority mostly amounts to trying to buy our way out of things: "Use your individual purchasing power to make a difference! Buy a mercury-infested compact fluorescent lightbulb! Buy food crop-depleting corn-based plastics and bio-diesel! We'll develop wonderful, new technologies! We'll take care of things, all the way to the bank." There seems to be little talk of simply reducing or going without.
While small steps are a start, and important, without individuals and societies coming to think and act like we really are all in this together, the efforts of a focused few will have limited effect. It's all about how we view the world, because perception really does change everything.
Milgram also pioneered the theory of the agentic state, which suggests that an individual may choose to act in two different ways: either in an autonomous state wherein behaviours are perceived to be self-directed, or in an agentic state in which persons see themselves merely as the agents of others. Wrote Milgram, "The essence of obedience consists in the fact that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another person's wishes, and he therefore no longer sees himself as responsible for his actions. Once this critical shift of viewpoint has occurred in the person, all of the essential features of obedience follow."
As cognizant and conscious adult humans, we are all responsible for our individual actions. It is our individual responsibility to think, be aware of, and avoid manipulation. For the sake of the coming generations, for the sake of the other species, and for the sake of the planet, share your talents, your skills, your artistry, and your knowledge. Everyone must get together to figure out just what the heck it is we're to do.
Devon Bates can be reached at mail@devon8.com
|
Read more by this author
The Republic
print version is generously supported by the following regular advertisers:
Storm Brewing
604-255-9119
Dan's Homebrewing
692 E Hastings
Co-operative Auto Network
604-685-1393
Turk's Coffee
1276 Commercial Drive
Dutch Girl Chocolates
1002 Commercial Drive
Magpie Books and Magazines
1319 Commercial Drive
Artrageous Pictures & Framing
1256 Commercial Drive
Bouzyos Greek Taverna
1815 Commercial Drive
Magnet Hardware
1575 Commercial Drive
Uprising Breads
1697 Venables
Highlife World Music
1317 Commercial Drive
Mark's Pet Stop
1875 Commercial Drive
Abruzzo Cafe
1321 Commercial Drive
Our Community Bikes
3283 Main Street
Does Your Mother Know
Magazines Etc
2139 West 4th Ave
Kali
1000 Commercial Drive
Uncle Don
Freelance Curmudgen
on CFUR Radio, Prince George
Receptive Earth
Hemp & other Earthly delights
4168 Main Street
Geist
Magazine of Canadian ideas & culture
Momentum
Bike magazine
West Coast Seeds
Where to find the print version of The Republic:
Vancouver
Aboriginal Friendship
1607 E Hastings
Bean Around the World
10th & Trimble
Benny’s Bagels
Broadway & Larch
Big News Coffee Bar
2447 Granville
Black Dog Video
Cambie & 19th
Book Warehouse
550 Granville
632 W Broadway
2388 W 4th
Cambie Hostel
300 Cambie St
Capers Community Markets
2285 W 4th
1675 Robson
Carnegie Comm. Centre
Hastings & Main
City Square Mall
Cambie & 12th
Cuppa Joe 189-175
E Broadway
Dadabase
Broadway & Main
Danny’s Coffee
Denman & Pendrell
Denman Community Ctr
Denman & Nelson
Denman Mall
Denman & Nelson
Drive Organics
Commerical & Napier
Does Your Mother Know?
2139 W 4th
Duthie Books
2239 W 4th
East End Food Co-Op
1034 Commercial
Elysian Room
1778 W 5th
Food Stop
Commerical & Venables
Gemeral Store
312 Cambie St
Gold Coin Laundry
B-way & Waterloo
Granville Island
Public Market
Grind
4124 Main
Higher Ground
Broadway & Vine
Il Mercato
1641 Commercial
Joe's Café
1150 Commercial
Laughing Bean
Hastings & Penticton
Lugz
2525 Main Street
Magpie Magazines
1319 Commercial
Our Town Cafe
245 E Broadway
Pacific Central Station
Bus Depot
People's Co-op Books
1391 Commercial
Polonia Sausage
Nanaimo &Hastings
Rebound Health
Hastings & Kamloops
Receptive Earth
Main & King Edward
Rhizome Cafe
317 East Broadway
Simon Fraser
Downtown Foodfair
Soma
2528 Main Street
Sweet Tooth Cafe
Nanaimo & Hastings
Turk's Coffee
1276 Commercial
UBC
Student Union Building
Union Food Market
810 Union
Uprising Breads Bakery
1697 Venables
Vancouver Community College
250 W Pender
Vancouver Public Library
350 W Georgia
1661 Napier
2425 MacDonald
370 E Broadway
West Vancouver
Capers
2496 Marine Dr
West Vancouver Library
1950 Marine
Duncan
Community Farm Store
330 Duncan St
Victoria
Bean Around the World
533 Fisgard
Munro’s Books
1108 Government
University of Victoria
Graduate L0unge
Victoria Public Library
735 Broughton
Powell River
River City Coffee
4801 Joyce
Local Loco’s Music & Arts Cafe
Flying Yellow Breadbowl
4698 Ewing
Powell River Library
4411 Michigan
Kaslo
Blue Belle Bistro
302 Fourth
SunnySide Naturals
404 Front
Nanaimo
Nanaimo Public Library
Harbourfront Br
Port Place Shopping Ctr
650 S Terminal
The Green Store
Port Place
Mermaid’s Mug
357 Wesley St
Nelson
Mountain Pass Imports
402 Baker
Toronto
Moonbean Cafe
30 St. Andrew St
Future Bakery
483 Bloor St West
Oakville Peace &Ecology Centre
148 Kerr
|
The Republic of East Vancouver masthead
The Republic of East Vancouver supports no party, advocates
for no cause, represents no group, serves no master, and considers
problems with no preconceived notions. We hope to afflict the comfortable,
both materially and intellectually, and comfort the afflicted—of
both kinds as well, and we are trying to do both things at the same
time.
Publisher, Editor
Kevin Potvin
Managing Editor
Kara Foreman
Copy Editor
Janis Harper
Website
Chris Lavigne
Advertising
Chris Richmond Kevin
Potvin
Support
Dan Crawford, John Daigle,
Jack Etkin, Janis Harper, Carl Johnson, Hilary Jones, Chris King,
James Mecham, Albrecht Meyers, Peter Miller, James Pope
Contributors in this and recent issues
Bruce Alexander, Dan Adleman, Toby Alford, Kevin Annett, Santo Barbieri, Bob Broughton, Mike Bryan, Stephen Buckley, Matthew Burrows, Maria Calleja, Ron Carton, Chad Christie, Joshua Corber, Dan Crawford, Gail Davidson, Eric Doherty, Joe Donaldson, Lorena Jara Patty Ducharme, Shadia Drury, Taivo Evard, Reed Eurchuk, Farnaz Fassihi, Thomas Feakins, Anthony Fenton, Reza Fiyouyzat, Andrew Gordon Fleming, Ryan Fugger, Sasha Gagic, Matt Goody, Guy Hawkins, Spencer Herbert, John Irwin, Nick Istvaniffy, Junius, William Kay, Mike Keep, Kate Kennedy, Donald Kropp, Chris LaVigne, James Lindfield, Brian Lindgreen, Karen Litzke, Keith MacKenzie, Michael McLaughlin, Sonya McRae, Rafe Mair, Sonia Marino, Jennifer Matsui, Michael Millard, Isaebel Minty, Michael Nenonen, Wendy Nylund, Derrick O’Keefe, Stephen Osborne, Sean Orr, Evan Augustine Pederson III, Stephen Peplow, Kim Peterson, Kevin Potvin, Mary Rawson, Andrea Reimer, Erin Riley, Phil Rockstroh, Becky Scott, Jason Scott, Chris Shaw, Jeff Steudel, Alex Tegart, Scott Turner, Elbio Grosso Trentini, Patrick Vert, Chris Walker, Sean Wilkinson, Brad Zembic
For comments or suggestions, please contact the
Republic Webmaster
|
