Conform... OR DIE!

If you support "moderated spaces" and censorship on social media platforms then you are following in the goosesteps of Nazi atrocities and I can't help but conclude that you must be some sort of dull-witted, unimaginative, cud-chewing, brain-dead, useful idiot who lacks any awareness or understanding of the prison you are so willfully building for our children and our children's children.

What's Your Excuse?

Censorship "keeps you safe", does it? Censorship is for the "greater good", is it? Making it a crime to ask questions protects you from what? Questions? Why are you scared of questions? What do you suppose will happen if people are allowed to freely ask questions once again? Is it because questions, once asked, demand to be answered? Perhaps it is answers that you are afraid of, and not in fact, as it seems to be, questions.

Hitler utilized an authoritarian approach when he was in a leadership position. He dictated the orders that the group as a whole was to follow, and the group had no other options but to obey his commands. Individualism was frowned upon, and Hitler’s followers were not encouraged to offer their own opinions. Groupthink was a major part that was used during Hitler’s reign to psychologically manipulate everyone. It is much easier to control a large amount of people when they are all feeding into groupthink.

Danielle Bosley, "Hitler and Conformity" in PsychologyDictionary.org, June 28, 2017.

Do You Need Groupthinkers Anonymous?

There's a meeting every day of the week, and you're invited to join us and sit around the table where we all tell our stories. There's always a hot pot of coffee, plenty of friendly understanding folks, and sometimes Maybel treats us all to some of her best-in-the-county, homemade, sweet pecan pie. Hi, my name is (state your name) and I'm a groupthinker.

According to the Psychological Dictionary, groupthink is defined as:

An agreeing seeking tendency interfering with group decision making. Includes apparent conformity, being invulnerable, moral correctness and biased group perceptions. Causes include cohesion and isolation, poor leadership, and stress.

N. Sam M.S., "GROUPTHINK," in PsychologyDictionary.org.

And, here's an example of groupthink from YourDictionary.com:

A group of people who very firmly believe in one particular limited political ideal and who only watch news that supports their ideal and who only associate with people who agree with them. The group may come to hate and distrust people who disagree with them and may come to overestimate their power and influence.

We've all been there, friend, but the first step you have to take is recognizing that you have a problem. Let me draw you a picture. Take a look at this list of 8 Signs of Groupthink from the article titled What is Groupthink by Simply Psychology, and see if any of these symptoms sound familiar to you:

• Invulnerability: When groups begin to believe their decisions and actions are untouchable or that the group is invincible, they ignore warnings or signs of danger that run contrary to their consensus.

• Rationale: Groups that engage in groupthink rationalize their decisions even in the face of obvious warning signs or negative feedback that they receive. This is typically thought to be the case because if the group took into further consideration these pushbacks, the group members’ egos well as the time needed to make the decision may be harmed.

• Morality: Groups may also believe that their group is inherently morally correct, and they may therefore ignore potential moral or ethical consequences of their decision.

• Stereotypes: People or groups that oppose the group engaging in groupthink may be rendered enemies as well. This results in mislabeling the enemy group as “stupid” or “weak” when they may not be.

• Pressure: Groups may directly pressure members of the group who contradict the policy advocated by the group. This forces them to not be able to push back against any arguments being made. This can leave groups prone to making irrational decisions.

• Self-censorship: Members of groups can sometimes censor themselves too. These individuals may hold off on raising an opinion contrary to the group consensus or convince themselves their opposing viewpoint is unimportant for fear of judgment from the group.

• Unanimity: Sometimes, the false assumption can be made that if everyone in the group is silent, then everyone must agree with what is being put forth.

• Mindguards: This term refers to when members of the group appoint themselves as protectors of the leader or other important group members. Mindguards dismiss information that contradicts popular opinion or about past decisions to maintain group self-esteem.

If you support "moderated spaces" and censorship on social media platforms then you are unequivocally a groupthinker - and the group you are in is one that would have made Hitler proud.

So, What's the Problem With Groupthink Anyway?

Well, just like Maybel's sweet pecan pie, once you eat it you no longer have it. Do you see how that works? You can't have censorship and freedom too, it just doesn't work like that. So, while you might feel some comfort knowing that you're right about everything because you unquestioningly conform to the dictates of pontificating puppet politicians proselytizing from their podium pulpits in the talking head media echo chamber, do you understand the cost of your short-sighted, self-centered, and illusory comfort? And, have you considered who will be forced to pay the debt for your cowardice and lack of character - long after your bones have turned to dust?

My question (while it's not illegal to ask yet) is why? What have you sold our children's First Amendment guarantee of free speech for? To keep you safe? To protect you from the questions of people who don't share your groupthink mind-control cult programming? Is it impossible for you to imagine that you or your children may ever wish to express a unique thought? Are you cool with running your thoughts and opinions through a government filter for the rest of your life and your children's life to come?

If so, so be it. But the part where you feel like you're justified in sending in the German Shepherds to destroy anybody who does not share your, quite frankly, wack-a-doodle cult belief system because that's what you need so that you can feel safe, is where we start to run into a problem. You're not allowed to do that to me any more than you would allow some murderer to kill you. I mean, you wouldn't allow that, would you? Even if that's what they needed in order to feel safe?

Think about it. If there's any integrity in you, then you probably have some apologies to make. Not doing something that you know is the right thing to do just because you're scared of the consequences is all that is required for nefarious agendas to succeed - because they're banking on your cowardice and lack of character.

Although she was beheaded with a guillotine by order of the State for her thoughts and opinions, the courage and character of one young girl who refused to be silenced by the Nazi power structure of World War II Germany continue to offer inspiration for each of us who are censored, suspended, and shadow-banned for dangerous thought crimes in our similarly troubling times. If there remains any question about the rational conclusion of what will be found at the bottom of this slippery slope, then look no further than the story of Sophie Scholl and The White Rose for your answer.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

Watch this true story based on the courage of Sophie, her brother Hans, and their friend Cristoph who had the faith and fortitude to stand AGAINST the Nazi regime at the height of its power during WWII.