The Good Rebels
I found this quote:
“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate.”
That was how grade school approached our education. When we stepped out of bounds with thoughts and actions, we were homed back to the rules. Nowadays, adults are educated this way by the media. Sometimes, I see no fact-based debate and no healthy rebellion. I hear people saying falsehoods spoken as the truth. Herd thinkers. Protesters who do not understand what they are screaming repeat lies. Destroyers. The technical definition of rebel refers to someone who directly opposes authority.
“Rebels have a bad reputation. We think of them as troublemakers, outcasts, and contrarians, but in truth rebels are also those among us who change the world for the better with their unconventional outlooks”
Reading Particular Place and People, you learn that I am a rebel. I recently chatted with Jimmy Reina from the old neighborhood, mentioned in Particular Place and People. During this chat, he described himself as a rebel, too. How does this trait develop in a child? Jimmy introduced me to the word contrarian. It means to rebel. He pointed out that his mom was a contrarian. After better understanding the term contrarian, I identified my mom as a contrarian. Jimmy and I disagreed with the teachers. Jimmy’s clash started with a word on a poem he wrote in second grade. On reflection, we now understand that our rebellious natures were an asset. However, rebellion not channeled positively can turn a young person into committing meaningless and mischievous deeds. Jimmy had his share of this type of rebellion. My book describes my own poor, rebellious decision at dancing school. Yet, we both knew we would be successful in what we were passionate about. Somewhere along the way, a teacher, parent, or friend encouraged us to think creatively. To us, thinking and acting creatively brought out our rebellious nature.
"Creative ideas usually get a weak reception, at least initially," says psychologist Robert Sternberg, provost of Oklahoma State University. "But contrarians give their lives meaning by attempting to change the way things are to the way they think they should be." Think Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Julius Robert Oppenheimer, Jesus, and Socrates. The latter two were executed. The Catholic Church excommunicated Galileo, the greatest scientist and rebel of thought.
In the movie Twelve Angry Men, a lone juror disagrees with the group. Hearing this, another juror complains, “Oh, there's always one.” It's a perfect depiction of how many people feel about contrarians.
Rebels need a cause. Otherwise, they may become juvenile delinquents, as Jimmy described himself growing up. My rebellion created a world of daydreams. Jimmy and I feel proud we are still contrarians.