1/ Social psychologists long ago proved something utterly terrifying: *People will literally DISREGARD WHAT THEY SEE WITH THEIR OWN EYES to conform to what others around them say.* In classic 1951 experiment by Solomon Asch, people looked at picture of 3 lines & asked to choose

2/ which one was same length as "target" line—which was also right in front of them. Correct choice was OBVIOUS. Person after person gave wrong answer OUT LOUD when others before picked wrong line. WHEN THE TRUTH WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES. Watch

3/ video, see for yourself. This happened even when the truth was visibly obvious. If person after person will say something blatantly false to conform with group of strangers, imagine what happens when things are even slightly more ambiguous as with social, cultural, political,

4/ & ideological issues. But we don't have to imagine, it's happening all around us. Otherwise sane people say out loud things that are batshit crazy. Given pressure of social conformity, people will literally say the truth is a lie & a lie is the truth, right is wrong &

5/ wrong is right, violence is peaceful and peaceful is violence. And huge numbers just jump on bandwagon.

But here's where it gets interesting.

In famous line experiment, people who gave wrong answer fell into three groups:

1. People who saw the truth and knowingly

6/ said something they didn't believe just to go along.

2. People who saw the truth but thought the others must be right and they must be mistaken about what they were looking at.

3. People who, after hearing others say wrong thing, LITERALLY COULD NOT CORRECTLY SEE what was in

7/ front of them and literally saw the longer line as short and the shorter line as long. Their actual ability to perceive reality was altered.

And of course (although not an option in this particular experiment) there are the people who see reality accurately but REMAIN SILENT

8/ when the people around them start saying things that are batshit crazy.

Which group are YOU in?