Obama, Conformity, and the Asch Effect
October 31, 2008 by Orlando
Filed under News and Opinion
Are people conforming to following Barack Obama even though they know it is wrong? Research would suggest that could be the case. The Asch Conformity Experiment is a case in point.
Solomon Asch experimented with the power of conformity in 1953. Those taking part in the study were told that they were part of a vision test with a handful of others. The participants were then shown pictures. Then they were asked very simple and obvious questions. Here is the catch. Everybody else in the room other than the subject was in on it, and they were were told to give wrong answers. So would people go against the crowd, even when the crowd was clearly wrong?
Here is a sample question. People were asked to select the line that was exactly like the the one on the left. Thirty-two percent of subjects answered incorrectly if three others in the classroom gave the same wrong answer. This is the Asch Effect.
We all know Barack Obama is inexperienced and nothing but a political neophyte. He is wrong for America in so many ways – taxes, socialism, leftist, civil liberties, demogaguery, and more. Yet, once he amassed his media and internet crowd, the Asch effect seems to be taking place. People are afraid to go against the crowd even though it is an obviously wrong choice. Worse yet, even though his executive experience is less than Sarah Palin, she is considered “bad” and he is considered “good”, because that is the “popular” viewpoint.
Is it the Asch Effect? You decide.
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Colonel Robert Neville 
Brian C 
Mr. Right 
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