A famous conformity experiment developed by Solomon Asch in the 1950s, provides stunning evidence of our willingness to follow the crowd — despite the evidence of our own eyes. Social proof, a powerful force in molding behavior, has become a political tool, amplified by social media, mainstream media and academia. But there’s a simple remedy also revealed in the Asch conformity experiments that requires action by only one person — you.
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Video below hosted at Rumble.
26 replies on “Be the Free Guy: Social-Proof Conformity Crumbles with Simple Action by One Person”
I am a coward. I have been wrestling with this for a long time now. I work at a hospital. I need to keep my job so I wear a mask and I am vaccinated. I justify these actions mentally because I am almost 60 and have 5 years and 3 months left to work. I need this income. I will never make more than I am earning right now. It took me 30 years to gross 6 figures and I need this job. I wish I lived in Florida but I live in Washington State. I drive to the free state of Idaho, but even their hospital workers are all still wearing masks. I feel I will be wearing a mask for the rest of my career. I find myself cheering people who are not wearing masks in stores. In some cases, I join them. But if I am seen by someone in the mask mafia from where I work I am shamed. I guess this is not the bridge I will die on. But if they keep pushing, I hope I will step up.
The whole mask thing has become politicised. If you had met me 20 years ago, when my brother was in ICU, I’d have complained to you that the hospital standards for cleanliness and protection in that department fell far short of the requirements of the food factory I worked in at the time. I’d have mentioned how in Japan they wear masks in public when they have a cold or flu etc, because germ theory is a thing.
We wore masks in the factory because it was a sensible precaution. The nurses are wearing them now, and considering my brother caught MRSA in the ICU back then, perhaps they should have been wearing them more back then too. It’s a sensible precaution when people are in a place because they’re already ill or have health problems.
Outside on the street perhaps not needed so much. I certainly don’t wear one in my car, or walking about town. But in an enclosed space like a shop, where you don’t know who has what.. well it’s about protecting others as well.
I have immune system issues. I have friends who have far worse immuno-problems. If they catch the flu they’re going to be in for a rough time. If they catch COVID then they’re probably not going to make it. I nearly lost one friend already. It doesn’t kill me to put a mask on for 5 minutes in a store to potentially protect someone else’s health.
Society works precisely because it is a balance of compromise versus self-interest. If the cost isn’t that high, then we agree to curtail our own freedoms in favour of the greater good.
Have masks become a political statement, or an object for control? Perhaps so. But I also think there is a time and a place where a sensible precaution is reasonable too.
Masks have no evidence-based science behind them when it comes to their purported use, stopping a virus.
But the harmful effects of masking all the time are plentiful.
Travel nursing pays big bucks.
Considering the big picture of what’s happening in the world today, do you honestly think you’re going to make it to retirement?
Anyone know if there is any Asch video of the 63% who did not conform? I wonder if there are similarities within that group of almost 2/3. Are they the type of people who think for themselves and analyze their own data? Are they “engineering” types who think other people’s opinions are suspect at best? I also notice that during the session there was no verbal communications, just the eye contact of the two guys who were correct basically silently noting that the others are idiots.
Interesting psychological experiments. I’d like to think that I would still say that 2+2=4 and that there are 4 lights in that controlled type of setting. But I am a bit of a persnickety jerk who cares not what others think.
Persnickety jerks of the world, UNITE!
Agreement is optional.
I am that guy and I’ve paid the price. My children have estranged themselves from my wife and myself, and we are no longer permitted to communicate with our grandchildren. As a storyteller, I refuse to go woke, to use woke constructs of gender and identity. Thus, I pay the price in readership. But it’s a price I will continue to pay and I will not be silent or silenced
OK, I’m showing this to my class. Today.
Great episode. Would like to see more of these psychological analyses on modern culture.
Thank you, Mr. Whittle for timely reinforcement. I have no problems forgoing air travel or purchasing items I want but can only buy from vendors I don’t want to enrich, but I fear confrontation over my refusal to perpetuate the lie of masking. How in the world did we devolve to the point that the vast majority of my neighbors unquestioningly rely on health advice from this guy?
123456
“This guy” is: August Landmesser
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Landmesser
Great video as always!
Does anyone know anything about the guy in the Nazi picture?
Where can I get a poster of the last picture. I need that for my office!
There must be a poster like this, with the guy circled and the caption “Be this guy”. If not, Bill should create it and sell it on this website. I would buy one.
Here’s a link to the picture and a story about the brave man.
A lone man refusing to do the Nazi salute, 1936 – Rare Historical Photos
Thanks so much! Once I had the name, it was easy to find a poster. Here is one site if anyone is interested. I’m sure there are others. https://www.redbubble.com/shop/august+landmesser+posters
Reminds me of Seinfeld’s Cosmo Kramer character when he refused to wear the AIDS ribbon for the AIDS charity walk. He was harassed by the mob and eventually threatened with violence, but he did not relent.
According to Asch’s study, the Democrats have a default electoral base of at least 37% of the population.
I am not normal. (Motto # 2). On the Candid Camera example, I’d either ignore the people facing backwards or ask what is going on. On the Asches thing, again I’d ignore the wrong responses or again, ask what is going on. In arguments, I like to define terms going in. Normally I can use the other persons term. If not, I define what I mean and ask then what word I can use. Drives some nuts. (Took online test that said i am probably mildly autistic.) I ask questions that most people would not, trying to find out where they are coming from. Then I use facts and logic, normally being quite calm. Most lefties can’t deal with that and walk away and/or resort to ad hominem attacks. I have a thick skin, and tend to think “They are just being jerks.” Or think (and sometimes say) “Your mind is made up, and you don’t want to be confused with the facts.” I have always been a bit (bit?) “Out there.”
Taking The Radical Left’s own words and jiu-jitsu’ing them back at them drives Lefties completely apes***. I know that’s earned me a few Unfriending/Blockages on Facebook – mission accomplished!
One time in graduate school, the instructor had set up a demonstration. He’d put an x-ray probe in the beam of an x-ray unit, and taken radiographs both with and without a grid on the film cassette. This was supposed to demonstrate how the grid made the image sharper by absorbing scattered radiation.
Everyone in the group claimed the image with the grid looked clearer. I was getting up close and looking at any edges I could find that were not obscured by the grid lines, and my lying eyes told me they were about equally sharp, and all the grid was doing was getting in the way.
But when I pointed that out, I also mentioned that the object being radiographed was a good distance away from the film cassette, and the air gap was probably getting rid of most, if not all, of the effect of any scattered radiation. The rest of the group had no objection to that notion, and the instructor called it a “beautiful observation”.
There are many who are defying the crowd on Social Media. And they are promptly being squelched. Alt media like this is the direction we need to go, but what protects us from when the bigs decide to shut down our web hosting, servers, etc?
The communists say “withdraw your labor”. I’d say they got something right (stopped clock right 2x a day phenomenom). But I’d also add, “withdraw your money, too” – this comes from Milton Friedman, who said the most powerful vote is the vote with your wallet. To the extent possible, I have quit shopping at stores that support the Left and support censorship of the Right. I search out alternatives to Amazon, for example. If I can’t find one, then I will spend $ at Amazon. But at least we should all try to find alternatives to spending our dough when it supports bad guys. My clicks on youtube support the bad guys by making Left-run youtube an effective advertising (and profiling) agency. I’m trying to cut down my youtube addiction.
Rob Braxman is a security expert. He set up his own server: Brax.me. Bill set up his own website. If Bill gets squashed by the bad guys, I’m sure he will be able to find a Right Wing server. Rumble has been posting anti-Left videos, and seems to be an alternative to youtube (albeit w/o the free money youtube pays to popular posters). I’m hoping if all the good guys make some effort to lessen their support of the bad guys, it will have an impact. And will encourage good guys to set up Right-supporting internet facilities.
Another good semi-alternative to Amazon is to find the vendor you want on there ad reach out to purchase directly & deprive Amazon of their cut. Not completely ethical, but neither is Amazon
I would think that is perfectly ethical. You’re not costing Amazon much, as lots of people will look and look before buying anything, so you looking, and then not buying isn’t any worse.
Going into a brick and mortar store, taking up the time of a sales associate or trying on clothing and then making them rehang/restock it does cost and that is a little unethical if you then go buy online, but the cost of a few computer cycles isn’t really a cost in shopping.