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Critique of the perils of obedience
Critique of the perils of obedience
Critique of the perils of obedience
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By definition, obedience is “dutiful or submissive compliance” according to dictionary.com. Not only that though, but the first example of the word obedience on this site appeared in a sentence pertaining to military service. There is so much more to obedience though. I believe obedience does not relate solely to the aspect of submitting but to the grey areas that surround as well. Submit, defy, the authority itself, and the consequences that follow obedience are not always read between the lines of the exact definition. Maybe it should display the following definition: obedience is the act of giving in to an authoritative command that may not always reap joyful or beneficial consequences. Military commands sometimes consist of dropping bombs on cities containing civilians, assassinating enemy soldiers, and fighting over seas away from their families. I believe it is important to know that obeying and trusting authority does not always mean success or a desired outcome. Obedience is a key factor in the movie A Few Good Men, which displays many characters under military command. Rob Reiner presents Lt. Colonel Markinson as powerless based on situational influences.
A Few Good Men is an intense film showing the military system through an investigation into private first class Santiago’s death. Lt. Kaffee, a lawyer and son of an honored military lawyer, is requested to defend two Marines being accused of the murder of PFC Santiago even though they were simply following their orders to perform a “Code Red”. In the movie, Santiago was a misfit Marine that needed to learn a lesson according to Col. Jessep. Jessep, the Colonel in command at the Cuban base and was the one who ordered the Code Red, goes through great lengths to cover u...
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...knowledge and courage to do what is right for others and for our own conscience. In the world today, there are so many instances where people have the opportunity to avoid responsibility for their actions, and it must be changed or as Fromm has predicted, our society will end by obedience to powers of which we are unsure and therefore “commit suicide”.
Works Cited
A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. Colombia Pictures, 1992. Film.
Fromm, Erich. “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York, New York. Pearson, 2009. 212-224. Print.
Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience.” Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York, New York. Pearson, 2009.258-263. Print.
The power of blind obedience taints individuals’ ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in terms of obedience, or disobedience, to an unjust superior. In the article “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianne Szegedy-Maszak discusses the unwarranted murder of innocent individuals due to vague orders that did not survive with certainty. Szegedy-Maszak utilizes the tactics of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, respectively, to attempt to justify the soldiers’ heinous actions (Szegedy-Maszak 76-77). In addition, “Just Do What the Pilot Tells You” by Theodore Dalrymple distinguishes between blind disobedience and blind obedience to authority and stating that neither is superior;
Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience”. Writing & Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 212-224. Print.
Parker, Ian. “Obedience.” Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. New Jersey: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 230-240. Print.
Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston: Longman, 2011. 692-704.
Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.
Most of us obey every day without a thought. People follow company dress code, state and federal laws and the assumed rules of courtesy. Those who do disobey are usually frowned upon or possibly even reprimanded. But has it even occurred to you that in some cases, disobedience may be the better course to choose? In her speech "Group Minds," Doris Lessing discusses these dangers of obedience, which are demonstrated in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery."
Another reason people obey is that they have a sense of obligation to their duty. This is just the whole idea of completing the job that’s given to you. Some people have a fear of being perceived as brash, or rude. In general, people want to present themselves in the best way possible.
In the movie “A Few Good Men” we learn the struggles that private Santiago is facing. We hear in the beginning of the movie the letter Santiago wrote to request a transfer from his current base. Santiago was never granted his transfer and later was found dead. Lance Corporal Dawson and private Downey are accused of murdering Santiago, Dawson and Downey want to plead not guilty to murder because they state that they were ordered by Lieutenant Kendrick to give Santiago a code red. A code red is putting a recruit in physical or emotional harm due to their actions or if they don’t follow the Marine code. As the judge I find the defendants not guilty of the murder of private Santiago, I find the defendants guilty of conduct unbecoming on officer.
Fromm, Erich. "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem." Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Custom, 2009. 258-63. Print.
The United States Military has always had a high standard of only accepting those who are willing to follow strict orders, always obey authority figures, and have complete conformity. In the movie “A Few Good Men,” directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1992, the impacts that obedience and disobedience have are prevalent. In the movie, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey accidentally kill a member of their unit, William Santiago, during a code red, a way to punish misbehaved marines. Santiago was not fulfilling his duties as a Marine and therefore received the code red. He was killed during the process by his lungs bleeding when a rag was shoved down his throat. It was thought by the opposition in court that the
More specifically, the movie A Few Good Men depicts the results of blindly obeying orders. Stanley Milgram, a Yale psychologist, also explores obedience to authority in his essay “ The Perils of Obedience”. On the other hand, Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst and philosopher, focused on disobedience to authority in his essay “ Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Milgram wrote about how people were shockingly obedient to authority when they thought they were harming someone else while Fromm dissected both: why people are so prone to obey and how disobedience from authoritative figures can bring beneficial changes for society. Obeying commands, even when they go against our morals, is human nature; Disobeying commands, however, is challenging to do no matter what the situation is.
Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience.” From Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Tenth edition. Edited by Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman Publishers, pp.358-371, 2008.
Obedience is a widely debated topic today with many different standpoints from various brilliant psychologists. Studying obedience is still important today to attempt to understand why atrocities like the Holocaust or the My Lai Massacre happened so society can learn from them and not repeat history. There are many factors that contribute to obedience including situation and authority. The film A Few Good Men, through a military court case, shows how anyone can fall under the influence of authority and become completely obedient to conform to the roles that they have been assigned. A Few Good Men demonstrates how authority figures can control others and influence them into persuading them to perform a task considered immoral or unethical.
Authority cannot exist without obedience. Society is built on this small, but important concept. Without authority and its required obedience, there would only be anarchy and chaos. But how much is too much, or too little? There is a fine line between following blindly and irrational refusal to obey those in a meaningful position of authority. Obedience to authority is a real and powerful force that should be understood and respected in order to handle each situation in the best possible manner.
Disobedience is a valuable human trait that promotes social progress. Because of insubordination and defiance, disobedience has been an advance to our society. You can learn from the mistakes of disobedience, it could inform policy, and could also be a verbal way to voice your opinion on things. However, others may view a different perspective and believe that disobedience isn’t necessary to get things done.