*This is the approximate script to our podcast. We did go off script as we wanted the conversation to flow organically*
Intro
Sophia: Hi, I’m Sophia
Lauren: And I’m Lauren and welcome to dismantling dystopia the show where we deconstruct elements of dystopia that are seen in a modern-day context.
Sophia: Today’s episode we’ll be focusing on conformity and the eradication of individuality in a dystopian context, and how it exists in our society today. This often leads to blind trust and the inability to question your own beliefs.
Segment #1
(Lauren) So to start off today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about an extreme example of how conformity can take hold of society. The year is 1967, and a young social studies teacher teaching in Palo Alto, California, decides that the best way to teach his students about the Holocaust, was to set up his very own dictatorship in the classroom.
This class-turned-cult went by the name The Third Wave (feels like a nod to the Third Reich), they were given a set of strict rules that they had to follow in and outside of class (saluting to fellow members, standing to ask questions in class, weren’t allowed to talk in groups bigger than two, and even had a logo made.
The teacher who was running this experiment (Mr. Jones) told his students that failure to comply with the experiment would result in an F.
(Talk about how this was incentive to participate and peer pressure)
If you didn’t follow these rules outside of school and were caught by another member, you could be tried and punished. If you did get caught, you would be banished to the library (those who were banished became outcasts, again peer pressure to conform).
According to students at the time, “Trust between students, even those who’d been friends, was quick to erode”.
We see how quickly this need to conform became malicious and dangerous all because of gossip.
This whole experiment came to an end after four days when Mr. Jones decided that it had gone too far (obviously, took him long enough). Obviously, parents and other faculty members were outraged, and students felt horrified that they had been so eager to follow along.
This really just shows how easy it is to plant the seeds of dystopia into our current society.
And to think, this was just after WW2, so you’d think everyone would be on high alert and realize what was happening sooner.
You can see how the need to conform with those around you can so easily just take hold over a society and become so intense and dangerous so quickly. This happened in four days.
I feel like this also shows just how susceptible youth is to these kinds of tactics, with the desire to fit in with everyone and belong somewhere, the threat of becoming an outcast feels like the end of the world.
(Could be compared to Mao’s communist china with the red guard, student led group to control those who went against the red book)
Lauren: The thing is these examples may seem extreme, and you might think well that isn’t me, but this experiment that took place shows us how susceptible we really are.
Segment #2
Sophia: Everyone in our generation has an Instagram or some form of social media that keeps them plugged in to current events, trends and what’s going on in the world. It is crazy how important social media has become for our generation. It can be a very useful tool to stay connected but I think the problem comes in when the mob mentality takes hold online. It can be very easy to lose yourself.
Lauren: Yeah, for sure. At least on some level I think we can all say we’ve been influenced by social media in one way or another. One good example of this is how quickly clothing and style trends come in and out. It is insane how quickly trends in general can be swept up and then dropped again. Especially on apps like TikTok which allows videos to be shared so widely and quickly.
Sophia: and these things are all harmless on their own but they are just small examples of how as humans we have a terrifyingly normal urge to conform. It’s almost like we would do anything to belong even if it means losing ourselves. This can lead to a loss of individuality because we are scared to be shunned or stand out.
Lauren: Yeah, and that is a common theme in dystopians. It is so easy to get trapped in the urge to conform and the deeper you get the less you question because if you do you have so much to lose.
Sophia: Oooh yeah that’s good. I think something a lot of people forget is it is so easy to get stuck in a hole online. We like things and then the algorithm feeds us more of what we liked and if we aren’t careful, we are never exposed to other ideas and opinions. Even when we are it is often a caricature or stereotype of the other side. It is just so dangerous it can really cause us to swear our allegiance to a political party, idea, or opinion because that is what seems in. Often we are so devoted to our own group or idea that we aren’t even open to having civil conversations with the other side.
Lauren: That’s the thing. A lot of people become committed to a group or an opinion, for often, in their minds at least, a good reason. But the problem comes when you are unable to look beyond your own bias and question the things going on in your own group. I think a lot of extreme nationalism comes from a place of undying allegiance and a huge desire to be a part of a mob, unite for a common cause and just belong and conform. And then those nationalists feel threatened and can’t even question when their country is doing something less then moral
Sophia: Yeah, these are extreme examples but I think it is important to note how quickly something as simple as an algorithm online can lead to conformity and our own self afflicted consequences of questioning. The real question is how can we prevent ourselves from becoming susceptible to this powerful urge to conform and being afraid to cause decent within our groups.
Segment #3
Lauren: so what can we do? If it’s in our nature what steps can we take to prevent ourselves from falling into the trap of conformity
Sophia: yeah it’s a good question and there is no fool proof answer. But there are things we can do. First of all we should expose ourselves to opposing views, perspectives and cultures. We should approach these conversations with an open mind and be willing to learn and even change our own opinion. Even if hearing the other side of the argument only makes your views stronger you need to be willing to change and treat the other side with dignity and respect. Those who disagree aren’t the enemy we can learn from each other.
Lauren: Yeah we are all bound to have some bias in one form or another as humans it is impossible to completely eliminate our biases but we can get outside of our small circle where our own ideas are constantly being reinforced and open our mind to other ideas and opinions.
Sophia: That’s the problem. We are so eager to be a part of a group and conform that we are scared to question those who are within our group but we have to have the courage to ask questions and be a little bit different. We have to get out of the algorithm and remove ourselves from the constant loop of trends and stop to think about who we are as an individual.
Lauren: For sure. We have to remind ourselves who we are outside the influence of social media, politicians, and our friends. It’s important to practice self-reflection. We have to have a strong sense of self so that we aren’t always caught up in the next big thing and our only personality trait is being like everybody else. That’s where the big problems of conformity start to creep in. When the desire to fit in leads to undying allegiance to a group. Not only that we but we should try to create a safe environment for other people to be different and have differing opinions from our oww.
Sophia: Yeah that means not condemning those with differing beliefs and cultural traditions. Even when we strongly disagree we can’t cancel other people. We have to give people time to grow and become their own people apart from what society expects from them.
Outro
Sophia: So today we discussed conformity and the consequences of blindly aligning yourself with a group for the sake of fitting in.
Lauren: The best way for us as a society to dismantle this system of conformity and media biases is to Know how to step away from the ideas and identity that is being projected onto ourselves by the media, and form our own personalities away from this.
Sophia: I know this sounds really hard, but something as simple as limiting our social media exposure, and instead exposing ourselves to outside opinions can be an easily accessible tool to accomplish this.
Lauren: Another thing is remembering to question all the information that is given to you. Know your biases, know the biases that exist in your community, and try to see information for what it is, instead of through these biased lenses.
Sophia: Thank you all for listening, we’ll see you next time on…
Bibliography:
“This 1967 Classroom Experiment Proved How Easy It Was for Americans to Become Nazis.” Google, Google, www.google.ca/amp/s/timeline.com/amp/p/ab63cedaf7dd.