Revisiting Milgram in the Coronavirus Era
THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT
In 1961, Yale University’s Stanley Milgram began a study on obedience to authority. The study basically worked like this:
1. There were essentially two “confederates” who were in on the experiment — a “learner” and an “experimenter” — and one unknowing participant called a “teacher.”
2. The teacher and learner were introduced and were given instructions by the experiment.
3. The teacher was to ask word association questions of a learner while the experimenter — the only authority figure — was in the room giving instruction and monitoring the experiment.
4. When the learner answered incorrectly, the teacher was to flip a switch sending an electric shock into the learner.
The voltage of the shocks increased by 15 volts with a 450-volt maximum.
What the teacher did not know is that the learner was not actually in the room being shocked. A recording of various reactions was played throughout the experiment. At around 75 volts, the “learner” made grunting sounds, began complaining of pain around 120, asked to be released at 150, screamed in agony at 285, and went completely silent after 330.
Very often the teacher would express concern to the experimenter who casually replied with variants of “please continue with the experiment.”
An astonishing 65% or so of teachers went all the way to a possibly lethal 450 volts, despite their personal convictions against inflicting pain on another human being.
This experiment has been performed numerous times with almost every type of variable change — gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, income, etc. of all parties involved — possible.
The results are consistent that regardless of the combination of these traits, about two-thirds will continue beyond lethality so long as the authority figure is there to take responsibility.
In other words, when an authority figure orders people to do something, most individuals willingly obey orders with very little resistance — no matter how dangerous. The key is the shift of responsibility from the person to authority.
You can watch an abbreviated version of the original experiment here:
MILGRAM IN EVERYDAY LIFE
We see this all the time in our daily lives. We are taught from a very young age to listen to authority, whether it be parents, teachers, pastors, or police.
We abide by many laws and social norms that might seem absurd when you really think about them — like traffic laws or table manners. We break them so long as an authority figure gives us “permission” to do so. If a parent instructs their child to steal, the child often does so. We also, unfortunately, see this quite often in sexual assault cases involving executives, politicians, or celebrities.
There are some cultures who routinely socialize peers and children to disrespect authority in the guise of “the man,” while simultaneously using their own authority as influence.
Is it no surprise that in a world where we are conditioned to obey authority that so many do? The conflict arises when authorities compete for influence. We are seeing this play out in real time during the Coronavirus pandemic.
THE MILGRAM PANDEMIC
Since the beginning of the global shutdown, authorities at different levels are in competition.
Major businesses and sports leagues closed their doors first in America. Shortly after, states began pushing “stay at home” orders. With very little resistance, our churches closed their doors.
I have to wonder how close to Milgram’s 65% compliance rate is reflected in these decisions.
Police handcuffed a Colorado man who was playing with his daughter at a public park. The Governor Whitmer of Michigan has banned “garden centers” and other “non-essential” consumer goods in stores. Each day has more and more of these previously unfathomable stories popping up into our news feeds.
Churches have especially become newsworthy over the past week or so.
Mississippi banned “drive-in” church services and handed out tickets to anyone who attended such a service.
Kentucky began taking down license plate numbers to issue punitive judgments against churchgoers.
A Louisiana pastor is defying state law by holding services, despite having already been arrested for doing so.
Many Christians would argue that they are obeying God’s laws over man’s.
When it comes to local ordinances, however, there is a supreme authority that supersedes state and local authorities — the United States Constitution.
MILGRAM REVISITED
So many of us watch the experiment and think, “I would never go that far.”
That is the great tragedy of the experiment results. 65% of people who likely thought the same thing were forced to come to grips that they can become monsters if they submit to the “wrong” authority figures.
I cannot help but think of the police officers tasked with ticketing church attendees who are sitting in their own cars or dads playing catch in the park. I first noted that they are in violation of the First Amendment, and speculated that they are choosing to obey these draconian policies rather than the Constitution.
This begs the question of how the police would act if more unconstitutional orders were given. Conservatives are often very pro-police. I have heard the argument that the police are “good guys” who will defy unlawful orders to seize legal weapons if a mayor attempted to confiscate firearms.
The same argument applies to the “we need the Second Amendment in case the government becomes tyrannical” case.
However, if the U.S. government decided to turn the military onto its citizens, the Milgram findings suggest that at least 2/3rds would follow orders and wage war on us.
The majority of police are just doing their jobs. They are very likely good men and women who want to serve and protect. They are choosing to obey their local bosses rather than the Constitution.
Pastors are doing the same. They have made the decision to follow local ordinances over God’s instructions to assemble and go into all the world. They believe that a “live stream” is following the Bible, but we know that nothing compares to meeting together in person.
Most Americans — police, pastors, and politicians — are just following the instructions of the experimenter. They can abdicate responsibility so long as there is an authority figure who will take the blame if something catastrophic happens.
Some of us are screaming from the shocks, but switches are still being flipped.
Obedience is a powerful force.
Who will you obey?
