The Misuse and Abuse of Government Authority Dear Laissez Faire Today Reader,
Always question authority.
You've probably heard that phrase throughout your life. But it seems like it's more relevant now than any other time in history.
That's what happens when the government gets as big as it's become.
But if you need a better reason why authority -- at any level -- should be questioned, then you should know about Stanley Milgram and his interesting experiment.
Conducted in 1961, the experiment sought to find out if people would follow orders that go against their conscience if they came from an authority figure.
It consisted of three people: one conducting the experiment, the subject of the experiment who volunteered to participate, and another "volunteer" who was actually in on it the entire time. They set it up so that the subject would play the role of a teacher and the other plant would be the student.
The participants were put in two different rooms, and the "teacher" would then administer a simple test. For every wrong answer the student gave, the "teacher" would administer an electric shock. The shocks would also increase after each incorrect answer.
The student would provide incorrect answers on purpose, forcing the subject to administer more and more painful electric shocks. Additionally, the student would cry out in pain and bang on the wall separating him from the "teacher." They were only acting -- the shocks weren't real -- but the "teacher" would never have known that.
Every subject of the experiment expressed some distress and questioned whether they should stop. But the person running the experiment assured him or her that it was all right and they should continue.
In the end, 65% of the "teachers" reached the maximum voltage and inflicted what they thought was the greatest amount of pain. People who normally would never consider doing such an awful thing were persuaded to do it.
Why? Because someone in a position of authority told them that it was alright.
Flash forward to today and you'll find similar stories throughout the country.
David Eckert from Deming, N.M., was pulled over for driving through a stop sign. When he was asked to exit his vehicle, the officer claimed he was clenching his buttocks, which made him suspect that he was hiding something up there.
Looks like these cops were willing to go the extra mile to hunt down those illicit drugs...
So the police officers contacted the local judge and got them to issue them a search warrant for an anal cavity search. The first hospital they went to refused to do it. The doctor on duty claimed it was unethical.
But these cops weren't going to let ethics get in the way of a good old-fashioned drug hunt. So they took Mr. Eckert to another hospital, and that's where things got really bad.
In the hours that followed, he was subjected to the following: one abdominal X-ray, two anal cavity searches, three enemas, another X-ray, and then a colonoscopy to make sure they didn't miss anything.
The cops found no drugs.
Eckert protested throughout the entire ordeal. The medical professionals at the second hospital didn't have the same ethical concerns as the first doctor. But when police officers say they have a court order permitting them to invade a man's body, it's not surprising when the docs go along with it.
Just another reason to always question authority.
But this problem with following the government's orders doesn't apply only to law enforcement officials. And if you've been following the NSA scandal from this past summer, you know what we're talking about. Internet businesses claim they've been forced to go along with the government's orders. And they can't comment on them, because of their classified nature.
In today's article, Forbes contributor Mary Theroux wonders if there are other forces at play. If the government is telling you that keeping track of Americans' online activity is good for everyone, it's tough to say no. They're the authority when it comes to keeping the country safe, right?
Poster Comment:
I ALWAYS question authority. ;)