Conformity And Obedience In The Jonestown Incident

In 1964 kitty genovese was stabbed and raped near her hapartment in kew gardens, queens while more than 30 people stood by and watched as the murderer left repeatedly and came back to “ finish the job”. No one called the police.This is the bystander effect when individuals do not offer help to a victim when numerous other people are present,because they feel like the other person will call or help and no one ever does. Social conformity is a type of influence that results in a change of behavior or belief in order to fit in with a group. This is not a new issue we have seen examples of this in The salem witchcraft trials, and the red scare this shows people will often conform to what society deems as acceptable to avoid persecution from their peers,despite the strain it puts on their moral and ethical values.

Thomas Fuller once said, “The mob has many heads, but no brains.” In this day in age, mob mentality is seen as having a negative influence on society. Specific behaviors can be triggered by the influence of our peers around us, some of which can cause people to take perilous actions that can have a significant impact on humanity.

Anthony Storr says that, “Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms “ Social norms imply that everyone is the same or does something the same way, to break that you need to go out of your comfort zone and be bold enough to break those norms. Although it is very common for there to be social norms in society, when someone breaks one it can be the very first step to making the world a better place.

With reference to the Stonewall riots of 1969, it is important to understand that the riot by the Lesbian and Gay Rights Movement came at a time when the civil rights movement was in its high peak. The riots for equality by the Gay and Lesbian groups and activists came at a time when Americans minority groups were fighting for identity in the typical American culture. Then again, it is significant to note that the trends that surround the Stonewall riots were the intense hatred towards the homosexual individuals that had hit the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. The Gay and Lesbian people had to seek solace in Homosexual perceived bars and night clubs as they feared for their life due to their ‘awkward’ sexual orientation at the time (Ruta, 2013). Similarly, another trend that characterized the Stonewall riot was the Cold War policies that had earmarked Homosexual individuals and organization as security threats. With the rising tension due to the cold war, the United States government had blacklisted Gay and Lesbian groups and individuals as an easy target for blackmail by the Communist groups. As a result, they faced constant harassment from police in the 1940s all through to the Stonewall riot in 1969. The uprising is as a result of the civil rights movement that allowed for many minorities and interest groups to come out and fight for their rights.

Civil disobedience, which is when a person or a group of people protest against laws, taxes, etc. in a peaceful manner, has been displayed many times in the past. One of these instances included a memorable American event: the Boston Tea Party. During the Revolutionary War (1770s), Britain had colonization of America, commonly referred to as the Thirteen Colonies. The British East India Company, who performed commerce with Asia, were having monetary issues, so they needed to find a way to get revenue. In May 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave the BEIC a portion of the American tea trade. However, this act did not put colonists at ease, because even the cheapest sellers could have lost business to the company (who now had better

Humans want to be like other humans. Likeness breeds security, and with this, people will go to great lengths to conform to their peers. This concept dictates a large part of everyone’s daily lives in the society built around them, as demonstrated very clearly by Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible; a story of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In this case, because people conformed to what people around them were saying and doing--accusing people of witchcraft and executing them--twenty two lives were lost. After considering how the events of The Crucible portray conformity and the place in society conformity occupies, it becomes quite clear that conformity, while it has it virtues, can result in many societal issues that can be easily

Obedience has always been a trait present in every aspect of society. Parents have practiced enforcing discipline in their homes where obedience is automatically learned from age one. Instructors have found it difficult to teach a lesson unless their students submit to their authority. Even after the adolescent years, law enforcement officers and governmental officials have expected citizens to uphold the law and abide by the standards set in society. Few will understand, however, that although these requirements for obedience provide positive results for development, there are also dangers to enforcing this important trait. Obedience to authority can be either profitable or perilous depending on who the the individual in command is. In the film, The Crucible, obedience leads to the deaths of many innocent individuals. It was because of the “afflicted” girls’ decision to obey Abigail that Salem was “talking witchcraft” and accusing so many individuals known for their devotion to God of speaking with the devil (The Crucible). It was also because of the town’s undivided obedience to their religion that those who ultimately decided who lived and died believed they were making the correct decisions. If obedience had been omitted from the chaos of the Salem Witch Trials, the mass hysteria of the issue could have been avoided. Although the theme of heteronomous obedience, or submission to authority, repeats throughout The Crucible, the characters’ internal conflicts with their

After the Boston Massacre the Sons of Liberty called it a battle for American liberty and just cause for removal of british troops from Boston. Then a patriot named Paul Revere had the infamous midnight run and was going to Concord to warn Patriot leaders.Paul was caught and was stranded near Lexington. When later the “Shot heard round’ the world” started the American Revolution, the Sons had formed the first armies known as militias. Then when the battles had erupted The leaders of the Sons like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Benjamin rush, and Oliver Wolcott then became the leaders of the war along with people like George Washington.

The Boston Massacre was the end result of many factors that had been building up in the colonies since the French and Indian War. England was deeply in debt and expected the colonies to share their burden. The colonies being forced to pay the taxes that had been avoided for a long time. The British tax collectors never had forced everyone to pay taxes simply because England didn’t need the money. England was making money off of the colonies trade goods so they did not absolutely need to collect the tax money from the colonists. Also, for about 140 years Britain passed laws of Salutary Neglect allowing colonists to run their own government. By letting the colonists have their own forms of government and then taking away their freedoms to

The year is 1772. The British has sent a ship, the HMS Gaspee, to enforce trade laws in Rhode Island. The citizens of the state have always avoided trade regulations by smuggling shipped goods in and out of their own ports. The idea behind the upcoming arrival of the British ship annoyed the colonists and they formed a plan to get rid of it. The citizens near the ports lured the HMS Gaspee ashore, they shot the commanding officer, captured the crew, and set fire to the ship.

Sometimes it takes a terrible act to trigger the desire to achieve change, such as the killing of Tariq. His murder created such an uproar that it brought together a community of people not just from the same neighborhood, but from all around. For example, one of Tariq’s friends, Tyrell states, "Jack Franklin killed more than Tariq that day. He killed me, too."( author page). All kinds of people were effected by this injustice and wanted a change. It was no longer acceptable to stand aside and let the white race be on top. It became a bigger issue than just a black child murdered, but there came a turning point that made everyone realize that all of the wrongdoings of the white people were no longer going to be accepted or pushed to the side. This community knew what was wrong and they came together to make a difference and stand up for what they believed to be right. The only way to make the change was to demand it. It was no longer one person standing up by themselves or battling with strangers. It was a whole group who agreed on one issue, justice. It was no longer stranger next to stranger, it was brother by brother and sister by

In the late 1840’s there was unrest in the major metropolitan cities in the United States. The principal reason was immigration on the East coast in cities from Boston to New Orleans. There was an unprecedented influx of mainly Irish and later Italians immigrants. Most of these migrants were Catholic and were a despised minority of most of the Protestants in those areas. Like many other cities, Philadelphia had its fair share of incidents involving the immigrants and the American born Nativist (native-born Protestant citizens). The spark that ignited the 1844 Philadelphia riots was the issue of Bible readings in the public schools. Children who attended public school were required to read from the King James Bible.

Despite these differences each of the primary sources maintain a common theme which reveals the rioters as materialistic and greedy. I do believe that at first the mob’s plan was to raid for food. However, the situation got out of hand once the crowd realized that they could break into clothing and jewelry stores as well. This is where their greed for finery outshine the need for food. I do believe that not along of the participants in the bread riot were there for personal gain. However, the majority of the mob used the real issue of starvation as a cover up for their real intentions. The 1863 Bread Riot in Richmond was indeed a misnamed event.

Another example of conformity in the movie is when the people would attend the reaping to be chosen to participate in the

The changes society had undertaken during the time was a vast advantage to Jim Jones and allowed him to gain followers for the Peoples' Temple. Because of the war in Vietnam and racial tension people felt a strong calling to take action, especially the youth of America. Whether in protest, service, or community support they wanted to be involved in a fight that would create an impact. Jim Jones wanted youth in his church since they were more open-minded and he catered to their desires to be a part of something greater. Jones was for the black man and integration. His family was integrated and so was the Peoples' Temple. He believed firmly in activism and made some contributions to politicians in their campaigning by having members of his congregation at rallies, protests, and even going door to door. It was a politicians dream ensemble due to of the diversity of age and ethnicity. They were enthusiastic to be there, always on time, and there where so many members willing to be whatever was needed . Jones benefited from his congregations activism by becoming the appointed chairman of housing while in San Francisco. Parts of the social