Modern Day Stanley Milgram Experiment

September 5, 2010 by
Filed under: Keene, Police, Uncategorized, Video 

The Stanley Milgram experiment gave a scary glimpse into just how far people are willing to go when directed by a so called “authority figure”. Watch what happened when I applied the same principles on Sunday at the Keene Music Festival:

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Comments

46 Comments on Modern Day Stanley Milgram Experiment

  1. bil on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 8:23 pm

    WOW-people responded with common courtesy!! Maybe they weren’t ‘trained’, but merely felt there was a reason they were being asked to move over-such as something to do with the entertainment. Maybe they just thought you were goofing, and went along. It was a nice day, first for a long time,and folks were just enjoying themselves. Your ‘experiment’ doesn’t prove jack shit. Would anyone seriously confuse you with a figure of ‘authority’ ? So common courtesy seems to be more like it. Proves nothing more than people want to get along. Next time rent a uniform,I would suggest ‘ice cream man’. As for the two cops,they were minding their own business,enjoying the show,making sure the bands could get in and out OK. Also being very helpful, giving directions,helped a little girl that got seperated from her mom. Maybe they beat her up when I wasn’t looking,I don’t know.
    Was it just co-incidence you chose that particular crossing for your ‘experiment’,
    or was it because the cops were right there? Is there nothing so low that you wouldn’t stoop to,just to get on folks nerves,annoy innocent bystanders,and generally gum up the works? And all so you can get on ‘TV’. Not real TV,either.
    And exactly how does this advance the cause of liberty? I believe in a lot of what is advocated on this site,and by the posters here and elsewhere, but just plain annoying just gets people annoyed. I was there all day,and talked to many folks that feel the same way. —bil

  2. trippwhyre on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 8:38 pm

    Nice job, Ian, Sam & Heika! Maybe next time you could wear something more official-looking and have a sign with more than just an arrow. Perhaps your sign could read “Voluntary safety check” and you could have some sort of table set up.

  3. david on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 10:01 pm

    i liked what bil said
    the arrows didn’t bother me
    though one would say “why are you doing that”
    for me
    it was a day for fun; not for politics
    and bil has a good point:
    ;”WHY do it right by the cops”
    they seemed ok with me :for that day anyway especially the female one .
    one other thing : do you guys think people like being toyed with ?
    or maybe mocked?
    peace
    :-) …….do you guys think it could be considered condescending?

  4. agentscribe on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 10:07 pm

    Guess I just don’t see the point of this exercise.

  5. Paul on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 10:16 pm

    Yeah, I don’t get it.

    I think events should be chosen with a bit more care. For example, why not set up a booth to sell lemonade, or ice cream, or something, without a permit?

    That would make a far clearer point, and not get in anyone’s way.

  6. Sam Dodson on Sun, 5th Sep 2010 11:17 pm

    You should do that, Paul.

  7. Paul on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 12:31 am

    Fair point Sam, I’m couch quarterbacking. I’m just offering my suggestions. If you and others think they’re valuable, go with them, if not, feel free to ignore them. I certainly could be wrong, it’s happened before.

    I do hope to open such a stand at some point.

  8. KDus on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 2:36 am

    I love the whole thing, including the chance to see the scenery and sky of the place in which I want to live.
    It doesn’t matter why people followed the arrow, because they followed the arrow…..They made a decision because there was an arrow.
    Peacefully exposing cops for what they are is a good enough point for the activity.
    Far less annoying than a screaming baby.

  9. Chaz Munro on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 2:48 am

    Ok, the detractors to this really good post don’t get it. The cop (Peloquin?) doesn’t seem to get it either. It was funny and informative, as humor was lost on Mr. Cop who said “this road isn’t closed” and Sam showed him the sign just a few feet away that indeed had written on it “ROAD CLOSED”.

    You guys come from a place that automatically assumes some deference and respect for police. You have a worship of power seriously confused with some sad idea of what is supposedly moral. How utterly sad for you to think that way.

    They have yet to show that they have earned it as might, most certainly does not somehow make right.

  10. Paul on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 3:13 am

    Oh, I certainly don’t have any special love for police. I don’t even really have a problem with this event. It seemed harmless enough, and the road sign portion was indeed humorous :) .

    I just think it doesn’t make a point that’s understandable to most folks. I don’t mean to detract, just suggest alternatives.

    And, as far as the things police do, telling Sam to get out of the middle of the crosswalk is far from the worst. Not saying I approve of it — but there are bigger fish to fry.

    Target a bad law, I say, that could realistically be changed or nullified, and think about how to go after it in a way most people will understand and support.

  11. agentscribe on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:44 am

    I certainly wasn’t trying to detract. I’m not sure who your target audience was. Was this just for the amusement of fellow libertarian-minded followers of Free Keene? Was this an outreach to the police officers or to the general public?

    Do I think you guys did anything “wrong” or remotely criminal? Nope. Were the people who complied with your arrow blind followers of the state? Not necessarily.

  12. yeahwhatsthat on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:46 am

    jerking off the other free keene kids with this one.

  13. david on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 7:54 am

    well i am not being a cheerleader (for the moment)
    May i refer to something else i didnt think was quite good
    the lemonade stand/yard sale thing
    the yard sale :absolutely go for it
    but the lemonade stand:there was a lemonade stand spoke of on ftl immediately previous to the lemonade stand in keene THAT one was also busted by the police
    so heres the thing
    pretty much everyone KNEW that the yard sale would be busted by the cops ;it would just be a matter of how soon or how far into the yard sale
    so yard sale being busted means kids with lemonade stand WITH yard sale parents or whatever ALSO GETS busted ;because the kids are with the yard sale .
    so the kids the yard sale etc parents all get busted
    so that means the parents set it up knowing the kids/lemonade stand/yard sale gets BUSTEd/told to leave
    and the parents KNEW or 90% knew that they would be told to go
    so the parents set it up for the kids to get told to leave and .then you guys could tell the world that “oh the cops busted a kids lemonade stand”
    so for me ,thats not cool at all

  14. bil on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:21 am

    Yeah Paul,you should do that! Even though it is known you are across the country! So your ideas don’t count.Only those actually in Keene are real valid freedom fighters. Although,come to think of it,you drove out the entrance when we had coffee,so that should count for something. I did my own civil disobediance on saturday,when I left late,the street behind the square was blocked,so I drove over the sidewalk and cut through the parking garage! OH,Horrors! —bil

  15. Kalle on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:23 am

    The whole arrow-thing didn’t show anything, but the cops were displayed as what they mostly are. Guys with guns who use their power to force arbitrary rules onto others, and still do so when contradictions in their “arguments” are laid flat out in front of them.

    Why did people follow the arrow? I guess they assumed that there is a good reason for it but they don’t want to investigate any further because it’s not a big deal to walk by on the other side. If there would have been way more hassle for them they might have questioned the legitimacy of the arrow.

  16. tacticalchAos on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:00 am

    So the cop says, “I don’t need to justify anything.” THAT made the whole exercise worth it, to point out that government “authority” doesn’t have to justify anything they do. We, as blind little sheep, their bitches, should obey without question. When we do question their authority, they (like this cop) threaten violence (arrest). This cop and all his comrades want us to be obedient government slaves.

  17. tacticalchAos on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 10:39 am

    From the cop’s appearance, can I assume there is no annual physical agility test at the Keene PD? That cop needs to stay out of Brewbaker’s, too!

  18. Bradley Jardis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 4:42 pm

    From the cop’s appearance, can I assume there is no annual physical agility test at the Keene PD? That cop needs to stay out of Brewbaker’s, too!

    Police officers hired after 2001 need to meet physical fitness testing requirements by complying with a test is every three years. There are some very obese and physically incapable LEO’s that are grandfathered into their positions.

  19. Dennis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:28 pm

    Taking kid stabs at an officers size?
    This is NOT helping your cause…. all you are doing is name calling (TAUNTING) like KIDS.
    It makes you lot look like clowns set FREE from a circus.

  20. Bradley Jardis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:34 pm

    Taking kid stabs at an officers size?

    A law enforcement officer who is in horrible physical shape should expect to be criticized for it. LEO’s do serve many important roles in society (when they actually protect people, not harm) and they should be expected to be in peak physical shape.

    Would you hire a protection agency full of agents about to have a heart attack?

  21. Dennis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:43 pm

    Brad, you missed this quote: “This is NOT helping your cause…. all you are doing is name calling (TAUNTING) like KIDS” , as titty woman says.
    I stopped name calling when I was 7. Apparently you haven’t.
    Iv’e given two examples on need for POLICE, and you know what. I SHUT EVERYONE UP!
    IAN and Sam insist it should be a pay as you need service (POLICE). They have no regard as to the elderly who can not afford it.

  22. Bradley Jardis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:46 pm

    IAN and Sam insist it should be a pay as you need service (POLICE). They have no regard as to the elderly who can not afford it.

    I would argue that since you insist it should be a forcibly funded service that you have no regard for the people you are violently forcing to fund it.

  23. Dennis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:51 pm

    I’ve never had a cop beat the crap out of me forcing me to pay taxes.
    New Hampshire IS in the United States, you know.
    Come to think of it, I’ve never met anyone that had crap beaten out of them for not paying taxes.
    You have the wrong country, Mate.

  24. Dennis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:56 pm

    Dennis on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 5:43 pm

    Brad, you missed this quote: “This is NOT helping your cause…. all you are doing is name calling (TAUNTING) like KIDS” , as titty woman says.

  25. tacticalchAos on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:09 pm

    I made an observation; if I wanted to resort to name calling, I would have referred to the cop as a “fat ass,” but I didn’t.

    As for hurting “their” cause, I am not part of Free Keene movement nor am I in NH. Your anger, Dennis, seems to cause you to jump to conclusions. If I may, though, are you a government employee?

    Of course, you make me think I need to move to NH to help these guys. Or, I could just contribute money to them from here and help that way.

  26. Heika Courser on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:40 pm

    Dennis, my name is Heika, not titty woman. I thought you stopped name calling when you were 7?

  27. david on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 6:43 pm

    dennis
    your sign says “welcome ”
    you are a very unwelcoming person

    :-)
    HEY EVERYBODY JUST BECAUSE DENNIS HAS A SIGN OF NH
    HE DEFIANTLY DOESN’T REPRESENT NH .
    COME ONE AND ALL are welcome

  28. Rensorg on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 8:29 pm

    Wow, great protest? Outreach? Demonstration? Gandhi-esque in concept. Such peaceful resistance. Deep meaning and lasting impact. Again Sam, you have proven your street creds as someone on the cutting edge of change. As if you had anything left to prove. Has anybody seen my old friends? Martin, Abraham, John and Sam. It just sounds right, doesn’t it?. But you know that already. Keep up the good fight and don’t the man get you down. Blessed be. Peace, my brother.

  29. bil on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 9:20 pm

    Deep meaning.Lasting impact.Great taste.Less filling. —bil

    PS-that cop may be a little overweight,but he was very helpful to the people there,and if I ever really needed a cop,I sure wouldn’t want some 98 pounder. Hopefuly I won’t ever need a cop,though! :)

  30. david on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 9:26 pm

    I dont think the free state folks bothered anyone
    I think the most best productive thing freestatewise was Ian handing out those little cards………. those were good
    not that I’m the bottom line in liberty activism (obliviously)
    the cards that said what Freestate folks are…… those were like a “we are good folks” statement
    but bickering with the cops and holding those signs…….
    What was the statement to the public there?
    What did that say about the free staters to the public?
    I’m just asking …..maybe its seems like i am implying something ………….but i was just thinking someone would say
    I know i already said stuff about it but I’m open to being wrong
    peace

  31. david on Mon, 6th Sep 2010 9:30 pm

    just a fyi about the officer
    he was a DA :o ne of those cop DA’s for a bit .maybe still is sometimes:not certain

  32. Keener on Wed, 8th Sep 2010 12:48 pm

    yeah that’s what I want when someone’s mugged me and runs down the street. A 400 lb man in a costume holding his pants up wobbling down the street after him.

    A LITTLE overweight? C’mon now. Look at the guy. I’m a big guy too, but I’m not stealing taxdollars working as a parasite and simultaneously looking like I’ve got gravy on an IV drip.

  33. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 11:40 am

    So Sam, who was it in your video who did what the “authority figure” said to do? Looks to me like you were told to get out of the crosswalk, and after a little whining and complaining, you did just that. Seems like you don’t respect the authority, but you still cower to them. The people “following” the arrow were walking rather mindlessly. But you gave into the authority figure with little more than a whimper. Be careful what you film, it might show you for who you are.

  34. david on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 1:32 pm

    rensorg,
    sam is doing many things to TRY to promote liberty
    what are YOU doing!?
    besides TRASHING THOSE THAT ARE DOERS!
    i GUESS YOUR CONTRIBUTION IS TO TRASH OTHERS
    that are actualy DOING something
    heres a idea rensorg
    do something productive
    instead of making wimpy easy cowardly snipes from behind your computor

  35. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 1:48 pm

    Good thing my computor has spell check. So, David, was it Sam or the people following the arrow who gave in to the authority figure? I saw most people just wandering mindlessly on a nice afternoon. Sam however, certainly gave in to the authority, even though he professed to have the right to be where he was. Interesting results from his ‘experiment’.

  36. david on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 2:34 pm

    rensorg
    reread what i posted and
    and stop being a wussbag whiner

  37. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 2:52 pm

    So David, can you show me how Sam’s little experiment promoted liberty? This is how Sam TRIES to promote liberty? Perhaps he should DO something that actually DOES promote liberty. The only person I saw giving into authority that he didn’t respect was Sam. Liberty was in no way promoted by his little “look at me” experiment. But nice alliteration in your reply (you can look that up if you need to). Your argument has no value, but at least you get style points.

  38. Sam Dodson on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 3:28 pm

    David – No need to address rensorg’s shallow attempt at biasing readers to his narrow point of view.

    I guess “rensorg” didn’t notice me pointing out the cop is claiming the street, with a police car parked in front of a big sign that says road closed, is in fact not closed.

    Why would someone say something so ridiculous? So they could maintain their early assertion that the road was closed, and I was in fact in a “croswalk”. If it was closed, then the “crosswall” would just be public space like any other area.

    The police encounter was simply another shallow attempt by KPD to cover for their targeting of activists and free speech. .

    I guess “rensorg” missed me pointing out the cop telling me I can’t do what I’m doing, standing on the sidewalk like several others around me, simply because I’m exercising free speech.

    I guess “rensorg” missed the cop telling me, that’s right, I can’t do whatever I want, I can do whatever he wants me to do. (notice, not what their law says)

    Notice “rensorg” hasn’t answered any of your questions. because there’s no interest in intelligent discussion and exchange of ideas.

    IMO, it’s not worth the effort to have a discussion with someone so blinded by their bias and fear, they resort to snipes and personal attacks.

  39. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 3:53 pm

    Sam “Dodson”, you are right. Calling someone a “wussbag whiner” is a snipe and a personal attack. I saw the whole video. Silly me, I thought a Milgram Experiment was to show people’s obedience to authority. Wasn’t that what you were doing Sam “Dodson”? I saw you argue with the officer, and then do exactly what he said. Seems like compliance to authority to me. If you don’t respect the officer or the arbitrary laws, don’t obey them. Otherwise you show yourself to be exactly what you are trying to point out others to be. Mirrors can be tough things to look at, Sam “Dodson”.
    So, Sam “Dodson”, how did your little experiment promote liberty?

  40. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 5:12 pm

    Gee, Sam “Dodson”, I notice you haven’t answered my questions.

    “The Stanley Milgram experiment gave a scary glimpse into just how far people are willing to go when directed by a so called “authority figure”. Watch what happened when I applied the same principles on Sunday at the Keene Music Festival:”

    How far were you willing to go to resist the “authority figure”? Apparently not too far.

    Watch what happens when the same principles are applied to YOU.

    Ooohh, that’s a scary glimpse at Sam “Dodson”.

  41. david on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 5:38 pm

    Hey EVERYONE
    “RENSORG”
    IS POSTING AS IAN FREEMAN AND SAM DODSON
    YOU CAN TELL THAT BECUASE THE REAL IAN AND SAM HAVE THERE NAMES AS A LINK
    RESORG YOU WHINEY WUSSBAG
    GO AWAY
    ALSO YOU CAN TELL THAT BECAUSE THE REAL SAM AND IAN HAVE DIGNITY AND INTELLIGENCE
    (JUST IN CASE “RENSORG” FIGURES OUT HOW TO DO A LINK :WHICH I DOUBT WILL HAPPEN GIVEN HIS INTELLIGENCE)

  42. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 5:52 pm

    Hey EVERYONE
    “IAN BERNARD AND SAM MILLER”
    ARE POSTING AS IAN FREEMAN AND SAM DODSON
    YOU CAN TELL THAT BECUASE THE REAL IAN AND SAM HAVE THERE NAMES AS A LINK.

    “THERE”? Perhaps you meant “THEIR”

    RESORG YOU WHINEY WUSSBAG
    Again with the alliteration. Did you look that one up?

    GO AWAY
    No.

    ALSO YOU CAN TELL THAT BECAUSE THE REAL SAM AND IAN HAVE DIGNITY AND INTELLIGENCE
    (JUST IN CASE “RENSORG” FIGURES OUT HOW TO DO A LINK :WHICH I DOUBT WILL HAPPEN GIVEN HIS INTELLIGENCE)

    And the intelligence of someone who writes in all caps, uses no punctuation, and doesn’t know the difference between “There” and “Their”?

    Good to have you on the other side, David. Do you have to use all your fingers and toes to do the anti-spam math test?

  43. david on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 5:57 pm

    Nevermind
    i figured out I’m talking to a dolt
    you get no more of my attention “wussbag” i mean “rensorg”
    bye wussorg

  44. rensorg on Sat, 11th Sep 2010 6:05 pm

    Hey, David,
    dont go away mad
    i here Sam and Ian are going too bee at the bar to nite
    want two meat them their?
    there really nice
    and there intelligent to
    just like you
    oh nevermind, you figured me out

  45. Jimmie Ziadie on Sun, 3rd Oct 2010 9:56 pm

    Amazing web-site, where did you found this details in this posting? Im glad I discovered it. i’ll be checking out back quickly to check out what other content you may have.

  46. Sam Dodson on Sun, 3rd Oct 2010 11:09 pm

    Hi Jimmie – I shot and uploaded the video to my site, http://www.obscuredtruth.com, which points to my youtube channel. There are probably several videos there you would find interesting, and FK hosts content from lots of other great liberty friendly media.

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