“And the word “courage” should be reserved to characterize the man or woman who leaves the infantile sanctuary of the mass mind.” - Sam Keen, Fire in the Belly
In the shadows of our thoughts, people harbor private dissent on prevailing ideologies, politics, and government mandates. Yet, when thrust into the public arena, a common tendency prevails - conformity to established norms and the voicing of politically acceptable opinions. The rationale for this incongruity often arises from the conviction that influencing societal change is beyond personal grasp, urging us to seamlessly merge with the prevailing consensus.
Our outward adherence to principles we privately question casts us as unwitting contributors to a form of societal oppression. The disparity between our private convictions and public conformity accentuates a profound truth: each individual wields far more influence over the ebb and flow of societal dynamics than is commonly acknowledged.
In the 1950s, the social psychologist Solomon Asch conducted an experiment which demonstrated the degree to which individuals will reject what they think is true in order to conform to the majority. In the experiment, Asch showed a test subject two cards. On the first card was a single line, and on the second card were three lines, A, B, and C, with only line C being the same length as the line on the first card. Asch instructed the test subject to state which line on the second card was the same length as the line on the first card. However, before the test subject gave an answer, they witnessed 7 confederates – or individuals who were in on the experiment – state that line B was the same length as the line on the first card. Rather than state the obvious truth, the test subjects gave the same wrong answer as the group 37% of the time, and of the 123 test subjects who took part in this experiment, two-thirds went along with the group at least once.
Asch's experiment affirms a principle echoed by philosophers throughout history: the prevailing tendency among most individuals to prioritize aligning with the beliefs and actions of others, even if objectively false or absurd, over adapting to reality and uncovering the truth.
In reflecting on Asch’s experiment, the psychologist Todd Rose explains:
“…we care about being in the numerical majority even when we don’t necessarily care about the group and even when the group opinion is merely an illusion. Acting on instinct, in social situations our brains don’t actually bother to make the distinction between appearance and reality…Even in the absence of intentional pressure or incentives, we like to go along with what we think is the consensus because, quite simply, we’re biologically wired to do so.” - Todd Rose, Collective Illusions
Our tendency to conform to perceived consensus renders us susceptible to propaganda and manipulation. Governments, corporations, and global institutions employ a key strategy in influencing public opinion and molding mass behavior: the creation of illusions of widespread agreement. They leverage the influence of mainstream media and social platforms to craft an appearance that the majority backs specific agendas, ideologies, and mandates. This subtle form of psychological warfare employs tools such as biased narratives, partial reporting, emotionally charged rhetoric, questionable "fact-checks," outright falsehoods, dubious opinion polls, and the deployment of social bots.
Todd Rose heads an organization which investigates the misconceptions that people hold regarding what is the consensus on social and political issues, and as he explains:
“Name anything that truly matters to you, and I’ll wager that you are flat-out wrong about what the majority of people really think about at least half of them. And that’s being generous.” - Todd Rose, Collective Illusions
In the intricate dance of societal dynamics, illusions of consensus often coerce us into suppressing our authentic opinions, leading to compliance with agendas and ideologies that may be socially detrimental. Todd Rose, in reference to a study from July 2020, highlights a disconcerting revelation: nearly two-thirds of Americans feel uneasy expressing their political views openly. Adding to the complexity, when observers witness our public conformity, they tend to assume alignment with the conforming stance, intensifying their own inclination to conform. This sets the stage for the emergence and dissemination of collective illusions, weaving their way through the fabric of society.
Or as Todd Rose explains:
“Collective illusions are social lies. They occur in situations where a majority of individuals in a group privately reject a particular opinion, but they go along with it because they (incorrectly) assume that most other people accept it. The result is a pernicious, self-fulfilling prophecy. By making blind and ultimately false assumptions about the opinions of those around us and worrying that we are in the minority, we become more likely to perpetuate the very views we and others do not hold. Worse, because the very same people who disagree with the status quo are the ones enforcing it, it becomes all but impossible to dismantle the illusion.” - Todd Rose, Collective Illusions
The weaving of collective illusions stands as a pivotal player in the ascent and cementation of tyranny. To illustrate how this dynamic plays out, and how it can be stopped, we can turn to the allegory of the greengrocer from Vaclav Havel’s book, The Power of the Powerless.
In Communist Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel's allegory of the greengrocer portrays a man who, despite recognizing the government's propaganda, regularly hung a sign endorsing the regime to conform with societal expectations.
This collective illusion, symbolized by ubiquitous government-endorsed signs, created the impression of majority support, contributing to mass compliance. Timothy Snyder highlights that this act isn't due to direct orders but stems from observing others.
Havel emphasizes the mutual reinforcement of slogans in a totalitarian system, where individuals become both victims and supporters. When the greengrocer, weary of supporting the authoritarian government, stopped displaying the sign and expressed dissent openly, his actions triggered a ripple effect, inspiring others to follow suit.
Todd Rose underscores the transformative power of seemingly small acts of noncompliance in challenging the collective illusions that sustain tyranny.
Source: Compliance & Tyranny
As Émile Zola writes in “J’Accuse …!”: “If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”