The Brotherhood wants to
tell the people in Harlem what to think, rather than allow them to draw their
own conclusions. The military is also an organization where people are expected
to simply obey orders and are not supposed to think for themselves unless they
are of an upper rank. School officials expect students to obey rules and do not
usually anticipate that a student will think about a rule before complying.
Brainstorm additional
situations in which unquestioning obedience is expected. When is it okay to
simply expect obedience? When should people be encouraged to think for
themselves? How can a person tell when being told not to "think" is
an attempt to put down or limit opportunities and actions of a particular
group?
The Brotherhood like other
organizations expects its members to obey orders without questioning. In my
opinion this is a symbol of oppression and deception. It is the oppression of
the mind because it is human instinct to question what is being told to influence
your decision. When you want someone to do something immoral you will not tell him
or her what to your agenda is or you’ll give them a false background. This will
take away their thoughts of the immoral thoughts that begin to form in their
minds.
