Standing up to authority is something that most people don't want to do. It’s uncomfortable, weird and it just might backfire. People always like to believe that they would stand up against things that are bad, but unfortunately in reality that doesn't always seem to be the case. With that being said, I feel that it is important to bring up a case study that occurred during the 1960’s conducted by Dr. Stanley Milgram called the Miligram obedience study.
The original study took place at Yale university; The participants got involved in this experiment after seeing an advertisement in a newspaper asking for volunteers in a study about memory. In this study, there were two groups the “teachers” and the “learners”. The groups were rigged so that the unknowing participant who doesn't know what the study is actually for will always get teacher, while the other participant who is actually an actor will get learner. In this experiment, the learner will be asked a series of questions and for each wrong answer the teacher will shock them. The learner is strapped to a shock plate and mentions to the teacher that he has a heart condition. The teacher is then brought into an adjoining room to be the study. The learner starts out answering questions correctly, but then starts giving wrong answers, which forces the teacher to shock them. Each wrong answer causes the shock meter to rise, making it more dangerous. Only if the teacher asked to leave 5 times would he be allowed to go; Otherwise they will be told to continue with the research. Eventually after enough shocks they would no longer receive any response from the learner, leading the teacher to believe they possibly killed them.
The frightening thing about this study is that about 65 percent of participants were obedient to the authority figure despite the fact they believed they were causing pain to another person. Standing up to authority is a daunting task. Our whole lives we've been taught to listen and obey those who have more power or a higher standing then us. Even though we are conditioned to be like this, it is important to understand that it is important to question what we are told and stand up when we know we are being mistreated or lied to.
With the fact that we are going to have a new president, it is vital that we stand up against the injustices they might bring. Honestly it’s hard to envision a scenario where either candidate doesn't do something that warrants some resistance. Far too often do we let the environment and people in unfortunate circumstances be victimized by the selfish behavior of those in power. Everyone has a voice and I recommend that you lend it to something you are passionate about, regardless of how those in power will feel about it.
