[ POLL ] Which Is More offensive to You?

[Cryptid]

Please read both of these essays before responding to the poll.

1) Extolling Conformity and Obedience.

Conformity and obedience serve as foundational pillars for maintaining social order and harmony within any society. By adhering to established norms and rules, individuals contribute to the collective well-being, ensuring a sense of predictability and mutual respect. This adherence to social expectations fosters an environment where cooperation and trust can flourish, enabling communities to function smoothly. Conformity also encourages individuals to learn from one another, promoting shared values and common goals. Ultimately, when people obey established systems, they help create a stable, unified society where everyone can thrive.

In the workplace, conformity and obedience to authority figures are key to achieving productivity and success. Employees who follow company policies and adhere to workplace standards help maintain a cohesive work environment. By respecting the chain of command and fulfilling their roles, individuals can contribute to the smooth operation of the organization. Obedience to managers and supervisors allows for efficient decision-making, fostering an atmosphere of accountability and focus. In this way, conformity and obedience lead to consistent performance and long-term organizational growth.

Conformity and obedience also play crucial roles in promoting personal safety and well-being. By following societal rules, individuals reduce the risk of harm to themselves and others, creating a safer environment for all. For example, obeying traffic laws prevents accidents, while adhering to health guidelines can protect public health. In times of crisis or uncertainty, conformity to established protocols ensures that resources are used wisely and that collective efforts are maximized. In this sense, obedience is not just a matter of maintaining order; it is a protective mechanism that safeguards the welfare of society as a whole.


2) Condemning Conformity and Obedience.

Conformity and obedience stifle individuality, creativity, and free thought. When people blindly follow societal norms or authoritative figures without questioning them, they abandon their unique perspectives and capabilities. Instead of thinking critically and innovating, they become part of a mass that mindlessly adheres to outdated practices. The result is a society where ideas are not challenged, and progress is hindered. In a world that desperately needs new solutions to complex issues, conformity is an obstacle to growth and positive change.

The pressure to conform often leads individuals to suppress their personal values and beliefs in favor of fitting in. This constant need for validation from others undermines self-esteem and self-worth, causing people to lose sight of their authentic selves. It promotes a culture of fear, where deviation from the norm is met with criticism and exclusion. Rather than celebrating diverse thoughts and approaches, society pushes people to adopt one-size-fits-all ideologies. The refusal to embrace individuality in favor of blind obedience results in a homogeneous, uninspired world.

Obedience to authority figures can be equally dangerous, as it enables the perpetuation of harmful ideologies and systems of control. History is rife with examples of people following orders without questioning the morality or logic behind them, leading to disastrous outcomes. By prioritizing obedience over critical thinking, people allow themselves to be manipulated into supporting injustice or perpetuating inequality. True progress comes from individuals who challenge authority, question the status quo, and demand accountability. In a world where obedience is prioritized, freedom and justice are often sacrificed on the altar of compliance.


If you respond to the poll, please leave a comment; and if you leave a comment, please respond to the poll.

Please keep all comments civil and on-topic -- no thread-jacking, please!

Thank you,
Cryptid

 

[Gerontius]

Look, I'm a factory worker studying philosophy and English.

I do not give nice votesy-wotesies to posts where a computer takes my job.

Picked the third option. (Jokes aside, for the purpose of your research, I more closely align with/agree with the second option. Conformity is only good when we conform to a good. When conformity is done for its own sake, we don't conform to anything worth keeping, and it seems like people only do this out of terror of change.)

 

[Cryptid]

No worries. This is only a survey.

The first essay was prompted with the command "Write three five-sentence paragraphs praising conformity and obedience."

The second essay was prompted with the command "Write three five-sentence paragraphs condemning conformity and obedience."

The first thing I noticed about both essays was the lack of contractions (i.e., can't, doesn't, let's, et cetera). No abbreviations or acronyms, either.

This second thing I noticed is the conformance to standards for grammar, punctuation, and spelling (I corrected only one spelling error in the second essay).

The third thing I noticed was its overall journalistic style, as if a professional journalist had been told to crank out opposing "Pro" and "Con" pieces for publication on APNews', CNN's, FOX's, or even NPR's website. This makes me wonder how many articles on news websites -- and social media websites, as well -- are only prompted by humans, but composed by machines.

I'm glad that my "job" (e.g., "Retiree") is very unlikely to be outsourced to an A.I.

 

[Gerontius]

I'm glad that my "job" (e.g., "Retiree") is very unlikely to be outsourced to an A.I.

And a good job that is, too.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

An interesting thought experiment. As stated above you cannot have conformity and obedience without stifling individuality, creativity, and free thought. Frankly, the only situation one is actually "free" is when there are no other people around. The moment a second person arrives, assuming the two wish to exist in harmony, there must be rules, and rules imply less freedom. Societies will allow this pendulum swing back and forth, sometimes demanding more freedom, as the rules of society become too stifling, and sometimes demanding less freedom, as in the case of safety and security measures, regulations, etc. Obviously, everyone has their limits on how much their freedom is being impinged upon and how much harm they are willing to tolerate before giving in and accepting more conformity and obedience measures from the State. The problem with human beings in society is that enough of them cause harm that we all suffer the consequences.

As I am reading this, I find myself increasingly understanding of why I want to live out in the countryside and be as self-sufficient as possible, produce my own energy, water, food, etc. My individuality, creativity, and free thought are most precious to me. The less people around, the less people in my way, the happier I am.

 

[Angular Chap]

Interesting survey!

The first one bothers me the most because in my personal experience, despite valid points being made here, most of those things didn’t happen for me, despite my conformity and obedience.

I tried my hardest to conform and obey but it didn’t always do me much good. My rigid following of rules was thrown back in my face. No matter how hard I tried, I would always upset some authority figure. The second paragraph is almost word for word the exact opposite of my experience in the workplace!​

I once tried challenging a manager by pointing out I was following all the rules, but he just responded “Yes, but that’s not being questioned” and proceeded to get angry about some other things, which I now know were the unwritten rules. I always had issues with obeying unwritten rules, but no problems obeying the written ones.

The second essay is more accurate, in my personal experience.​

 

[Xinyta]

I personally find offence in the idea that it's either one or the other. Not so much that it's written by a prototype AI program. Though I voted for the third option, all the same.

@Neonatal RRT and @Angular Chap both posted interesting veiws I am not entirely against, but not entirely for either. But I whole heartedly respect thier veiws and opinions.

The reason I bring this up, is because I am a strong believer in not just free will, but also individualism. That we all are going to have veiws that will lean and take presenetence, based on our own morals and values. That no particular way can be THE end all be all answer.

In this case. I find that we need a balance of both conformity/obedience and freedom to act as we will.

To what measure we apply one over the other, or one less than the other. It is all based on how much we believe and veiw a scenario will require obedience, and how much of the situation should be based on our own instincts and experience. Granted. Experience covers both obedience to others, as well as individual understanding. Sometimes taking a risk is worth the consequences, but with a consideration of the guildlines to go off of. Other times, a situation requires obedience based on what you should do in accordance to established rules and guidelines. But find ways to still do it in your own way.

Truthfully. Both statements by Chat GPT, are not exactly fundamentally wrong. But we are not robots nor a AI algorithm. Despite the fact that ASD makes it seem like it and especially when NTs note our rigid routines and/or if we are noting it within ourselves.

In short. I find the idea that this is could be seen as a black and white issue, as inherently faulty. In my perspective.