Many years ago I was watching a television show dealing with how seriously peer pressure impacts children. In this case teenage children. They demonstrated a study using a classroom as the lab for this experiment in human nature. Two sentences appeared on the blackboard, sentence “A” and sentence “B”. The class was asked, “Which sentence was the longest?” I don’t actually remember which sentence was the longest, but for this commentary let’s say that sentence “B” was actually the longest. This test was structured in such a way that only a small number of the kids in each group was "unaware" as to what was going on and could vote which- ever way they saw fit. All the rest were in on it and their job was to vote for sentence “A” as being the longest when in reality it was the shortest.
Now the question! How many of the control students voted along with
the crowd for sentence “A” as being the longest, ignoring the obvious truth
that sentence “B” was in reality longer? It appears that 93% of the test students
chose to go along with the crowd rather that have the courage and integrity to
stand up for the evidence of their own eyes. Going along to get along!
Although a recent study actually put the number at 95%, studies have a way of
proving what the creator of the study wants proven. Therefore there is no way
of knowing if 93% is a truly reliable number. Does it matter? Would it matter
if the numbers were 90% or 80% or even less? Probably not, because science should
be proving things that we can easily see going on around us and our own experiences
in life show that the pressure on youngsters to go along is tremendous and most
youngsters succumb to that pressure in greater or lesser degrees.
What is the point of all of this? The desire of young people to fit in is well
known, but this isn’t really the issue. The real issue is this. How serious is
this problem as we age? Quite frankly, I don’t think it changes all that much
except on little issues. Adults have the courage to stand up for issues that
don’t amount to much. I used to work with someone who was always the first to
stand up and be counted. Always the first to criticize over any tiny issue that
really didn’t matter much and would have had little impact on anything,
especially his job. How did he respond when a serious issue arose between the
company and the employees? Such as a change in how we were to be compensated?
This was one of those issues where standing up and being counted could possibly
cost you your job. The silence was deafening.
Adults, like children, also have convenient memories. Some years later at a
social gathering this came up in discussion and his recollection was, “if you
remember, I was the only one to speak out on this issue”. Since he was generally regarded as being
outspoken no one questioned it, at least until someone actually pointed out what
was actually said and happened at that meeting, and all of a sudden memories became clear again
because it was pointed out that after the boss temporarily walked out of the
room his comment to the only one speaking up was “why don’t you shut up, I just
hope this is all that they take away”.
It would appear that whenever issues become complex or challenging you get the
same result with adults as you get with children. Why? Just because issues that
appear to be a small matter to adults doesn't mean that these issues aren’t
“big” to children. They don’t have the same concerns as adults. Being accepted
by their peers is extremely important to children, especially teenage children.
To their perspective, it has the same level of importance as major issues do to
adults.
It is a matter of perception and once we
realize this it is easy to realize why so many adults make so many decisions to
go along with programs and issues that are clearly detrimental to their own
interests. We use the term “peer pressure”, but in reality it isn’t a peer
pressure problem. It is a herding problem. The innate desire to go along to get
along. The need to be part of the herd. I find it to more like the Stockholm Syndrome.
The size of the issue is a matter of
perspective and fear of rejection, fear of being ridiculed, fear of job loss
and fear of isolation cause people to go along to get along. Coupling these
fears with a lack of knowledge and proper understanding of important issues
absolutely assures the 93% rule. Is 93% the actual percentage for adult
decision-making? Once again, I have no idea, but the rule certainly applies as
a principle because the actual percentage is immaterial when that percentage is
still very large.
Global Warming is one of those issues, and here are six questions that everyone needs to ask.
- Is it possible that no one sees the obviousness of promoting this insanity?
- Is it possible that no one sees that the fruitage of the environmental movement has been the unnecessary death of millions along with wretched living conditions and sickness for millions more?
- Is it possible that no one sees the devastation that has ensued in the third world as a result of promulgating environmentalist programs?
- Is it possible that no one sees that most of what the environmental movement has promoted has been based on fear mongering and lies? At the very least lies of omission?
- Is it possible that no one sees that the Administrative State is not a neutral, willingly making decisions that have been disastrous to mankind without any scientific basis whatsoever? One could even say fraudulent science!
- Does no one see that these policies are detrimental to humanity?
Either we are making uninformed decisions or we are guilty of the 93% rule.
Going along to get along! The appeasement mentality of Neville Chamberlain was
in reality the 93% rule.
For entirely too long we've been required to stand up for things which are unproven or unprovable. To support things that are not true, while refuting or rejecting those things which are true, those things that work, those things that allow for the continuation of advanced societies. We've been forced to believe in the fairy tales of people like the Mother of Junk Science, Rachel Carson and her acolytes, and call it science.” The only thing left is to hallow that which is unholy!
That's what it means to be a leftist.
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