AP GOV. The wave

Niara Wilson October 10, 2013 “The Wave” is a film that was able to show how easy power can control the lives of people. In the film a teacher Mr. Ross did an experiment about power and its strong influence on society. His society was his students. He wanted to see how far his power would go by forming a “movement”. Mr. Ross called his movement “The Wave”. But what really gave him the idea was when a student asked him a question about corruption and power; he couldn’t even give the student an exact answer. He wanted his students to get an experience on corruption and how it takes over people’s lives each day. Mr. Ross’s movement had changed students so fast. It showed how power can take away people’s minds and their own individuality.
What the film says about authority and power is that people are brainwashed into thinking that the corruption is there to help them but in reality it is harming them. The power is removing them from being their own person. When the authority gets to the controller’s head, the controller starts to make decisions based on what he/she thinks and not what is best for society as a whole. Authority and power can be taking advantage of. The controller (Mr.Ross) was able to coax his followers. He wanted to make them feel important by telling them to repeat his saying “Strength through discipline, Strength through action, Strength through community! “. Little did his followers know that he was using his authority to change their minds and create “corrupt society.”
Authority is not evil because there is always structure needed. We need laws and rules so people can be safe. If there is no structure then society would be filled with chaos. It would be hard for people to leave their houses because it would not be as safe to go out as it is today. The authority that is needed is the kind that will help and protect