History Main / BlindObedience

* In ''Literature/AnimalFarm'', the other animals initially follow the Pigs unquestioningly, especially Boxer, who makes "Napoleon is always right" a motto of his. Later on, while the other animals have ''something'' of a clue that all isn't right, the sheep personify this the most, as all they do is repeat what the Pigs said, from "Four legs good, two legs bad" to [[spoiler:"Four legs good, two legs ''better''"]]

* In ''Literature/AnimalFarm'', the other animals eventually follow the pigs unquestioningly, especially Boxer, who makes "Napoleon is always right" a motto of his.

* Vanilla Ice from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' takes on a form of zealotry that few fanatics can even dream of achieving. When his master, the vampire lord Dio Brando, mentions that he might need some blood in order to heal the scar on his neck, Ice's immediate response is to offer some of his own blood by ''cutting off his own head''.

[[quoteright:307:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blind_obedience_image_only_4291.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:307:"[[FlavorText By the time your knees have worn through your robe, you may have begun to learn your place]]."]]-]

** During the three-year timeskip that follows Guts joining Griffith's Band of the Hawk, Guts becomes Griffith's right-hand man and admires him to the point where he's willing to do anything for him and doesn't see Griffith's faults. When Griffith confides with him and asks if he's willing to carry out the assassination of the king's brother Count Julius, warning that this is a dirty job for which failure or blowing his cover is not permissible, Guts' cocky response is, "It ain't like you. Just cut to the chase and ''order'' me to do it. Like always." It's only when the mission goes wrong, and Guts barely escapes after getting innocent blood on his hands, that he begins to do some serious soul-searching about whether it's really okay to just obey Griffith without having any goals or ambitions of his own.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** The Gotei 13 is supposed to carry out the will of the Central 46 without question and even the captains are forbidden from questioning the Central 46's decisions: going against their decisions is treason. This is why Aizen masquerades as the Central 46 when ordering Rukia's execution and why Yamamoto is so angry with Ukitake and Kyouraku's disobedience. This is also the reason Byakuya gives Ichigo in response to the latter's question about why he's willing to support his sister's execution, although it is eventually revealed that this isn't the full truth.
** The Vandenreich Quincies are expected to be '''blindly and unquestioningly''' obedient to Yhwach's will. He has set himself up as a GodEmperor, who has taken the name of the Tetragrammaton because his power functions as divine miracles. All Quincies are blood-bound to him, and he can further enslave their very souls in the process of giving them greater power. In practice, the Quincies do question Yhwach's decisions, and he encourages dissent among the ranks for his own ends, but he doesn't hesitate to kill Quincies if they betray him. Eventually, some Quincies feel betrayed enough to side with the Shinigami against him.

* ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'': When Ed angrily confronts Mustang over killing [[spoiler:Maria Ross]], Mustang punches Ed in the face and makes a ''terrifying'' speech about the law of obedience in the military, and how following orders without question is what it means to be a soldier. [[spoiler:Of course, Mustang not only didn't kill Ross, he engineered her escape from prison himself after determining her innocence, and the entire speech plus Ed's reaction is just to throw the military off the scent.]]

** The Vandenreich Quincies are expected to be '''blindly and unquestioningly''' obedient to Yhwach's will. He has set himself up as a GodEmperor, who has taken the name of the Tetragrammaton, because his power functions as divine miracles. All Quincies are blood-bound to him, and he can further enslave their very souls in the process of giving them greater power. In practice, the Quincies do question Yhwach's decisions, and he encourages dissent among the ranks for his own ends, but he doesn't hesitate to kill Quincies if they betray him. Eventually, some Quincies feel betrayed enough to side with the Shinigami against him.

** During the three-year timeskip that follows Guts joining Griffith's Band of the Hawk, Guts becomes Griffith's right hand man and admires him to the point where he's willing to do anything for him and doesn't see Griffith's faults. When Griffith confides with him and asks if he's willing to carry out the assassination of the king's brother Count Julius, warning that this is a dirty job for which failure or blowing his cover is not permissible, Guts's cocky response is, "It ain't like you. Just cut to the chase and ''order'' me to do it. Like always." It's only when the mission goes wrong, and Guts barely escapes after getting innocent blood on his hands, that he begins to do some serious soul-searching about whether it's really okay to just obey Griffith without having any goals or ambitions of his own.
** Casca practically worshiped Griffith ever since he saved her from being raped by a nobleman when she was twelve years old, and grew up to be his most devoted follower until Guts came along and became her rival for that position. While she takes her responsibility to her troops very seriously, her personal loyalty to Griffith overrides everything else, at least at first. As her initially hostile attitude towards Guts changes, first seeing him as a comrade and eventually falling in love with him, Judeau notices how she's already a different person than she used to be:

*** Farnese begins her character arc as a KnightTemplar leading the Holy Iron Chain Knights, a military order controlled by the Holy See and used for hunting down enemies of the Church. Because her noble and wealthy parents were never there for her while she was growing up, Farnese grew up lonely and extremely maladjusted. She latched onto the Church as a source of authority and approval, and turned to burning heretics at the stake so she could banish her fear and loneliness with a feeling of power, to the point where the sight of people being burned alive sexually excited her. Thus she had no problem with interrogating and burning suspects even in cases where the Church was clearly siding with the corrupt against the legitimate grievances of the people.
*** Farnese and the Holy Iron Chain Knights find themselves tasked with carrying out the will of Bishop Mozgus, an agent of the Holy Inquisition who has come to sniff out and exterminate heresy at the St. Albion refugee camp. While there are real heretics and demon-worshipers lurking among the refugees, the Inquisition does little to prevent innocent people from being arrested and brought in for torture, and punishes any criticism of church leadership or policy with the same barbaric methods. Mozgus is the most terrifying kind of Knight Templar because he genuinely believes that his methods--which include arresting people based on anonymous denunciations and torturing them to the point where most of them die--are for the people's own good because even if they die, he believes their souls will be cleansed and saved through suffering. He once went so far as to kill all the women and children in a village just becaused the inhabitants had the impertinence to petition for relief from the Church's tithes during a famine. Mozgus employs a team of physically deformed professional torturers whom he took in after they were persecuted for their monstrous appearances, and while the one called Bird admits that he doesn't like hurting people, he and his fellows feel that this is the chance they've been given to carry out the commands of Scripture and to repay Mozgus for his kindness to them.
*** As the chapter continues, the difference between those who follow blindly and those willing to question authority comes out. Even Farnese is horrified by the consequences of this persecution, and goes to ask Mozgus whether what they're doing is really helping people, but Mozgus tells her that as long as she is following God's orders, she needn't feel guilty about how much suffering she has to inflict. However, she still hears the voices inside her head telling her that she's unworthy of being saved, and she is deeply shaken in her beliefs by the example of AntiHero Guts who openly defies the Church in his quest to get his beloved Casca back. Ultimately those who decide to think for themselves and follow Guts [[spoiler:are the ones who survive the collapse of the Tower and the Mock Eclipse, while those who look above them for salvation are swallowed up by the darkness]].

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': TheMole turns out to be this; his superior officer (also a mole) recruited him as a mentally damaged juvie hall psychopath and trained him to hide his crippling lack of willpower behind ruthlessness and efficiency. As a result, he's one of the most competent agents on the field but willingly betrays his friends in unnecessarily sadistic ways at the whims of his master to ease the "emotional overload" that his damaged empathy absorbs. He denies his own faults to keep obeying his superior officers, and the more they hurt him the more loyalty they gain from him. It gets so bad that in Season 3, when he is killed and possessed by a genocidal EldritchAbomination, it has only ''praise'' for this exemplary ideal of HYDRA's EvilPlan.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'' [=SpongeBob=] exhibits Blind Obedience to the Jellyspotters in hopes of joining the club. Even when the leader instructs him to punch himself in the face and throw himself off of a building he complies. When asked, "Doesn't that hurt you?" The next shot is of [=SpongeBob=] wearing a metal, spiked glove. He asks "Do you want it to really hurt me Kevin?". Eventually the club members decide to just humor him. Kevin assures them [[ForTheEvulz Don't worry. I won't let him into the club. I just want to see how many times he has to get stung before he runs home crying like a little baby]]. Funny thing though... [[LaserGuidedKarma Everything they do backfires and hurts them instead even when it should be completely impossible for that to happen.]]. Eventually this obedience fades and [[TooDumbToLive Patrick]] reminds him that Idol worship is never healthy [[SpoofAesop before walking past and revealing that he has subdued and captured the "Jeremy the Jellyfish" Mascot he's been chasing the entire episode.]]

These followers will often obey their leader even when they are OrderedToDie. Compare/contrast HonorBeforeReason. See also UndyingLoyalty, MyCountryRightOrWrong, JustFollowingOrders.

->'''Leo Mycenae:''' What are you saying lord Eden? We've sworn our loyalty to lord Mars. That means that we must never question his actions!

** The Vandenreich Quincies are expected to be '''blindly and unquestioningly''' obedient to Yhwach's will. He has set himself up as a [[GodEmperor God Emperor]], who has taken the name of the Tetragrammaton, because his power functions as divine miracles. All Quincies are blood-bound to him, and he can further enslave their very souls in the process of giving them greater power. In practice, the Quincies do question Yhwach's decisions, and he encourages dissent among the ranks for his own ends, but he doesn't hesitate to kill Quincies if they betray him. Eventually, some Quincies feel betrayed enough to side with the Shinigami against him.

** Casca practically worshipped Griffith ever since he saved her from being raped by a nobleman when she was twelve years old, and grew up to be his most devoted follower until Guts came along and became her rival for that position. While she takes her responsibility to her troops very seriously, her personal loyalty to Griffith overrides everything else, at least at first. As her initially hostile attitude towards Guts changes, first seeing him as a comrade and eventually falling in love with him, Judeau notices how she's already a different person than she used to be:

* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', the authority of the [[KnightTemplar Kyorl'solenurn Clan]] is based on this, with the Judicators relying on it to keep the drowussu people in line. One of them even [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=9387 brags that they are so much more obedient than the other dominant race of drow]]. [[spoiler:They're wrong]].

*** Meanwhile Serpico, Farnese's valet and bodyguard, feels responsible for Farnese because she took him in when he was ostracized as an unwanted bastard son ([[spoiler:and because she's secretly his half-sister]]), so no matter how much she mistreats him or what she asks him to do, he will obey her to the best of his ability. He even went so far as to [[spoiler:partake in burning his mother at the stake]] to prove his loyalty to Farnese.
*** Farnese, Serpico, and the rest of the Holy Iron Chain Knights find themselves tasked with carrying out the will of Bishop Mozgus, an agent of the Holy Inquisition who has come to sniff out and exterminate heresy at the St. Albion refugee camp. While there are real heretics and demon-worshipers lurking among the refugees, the Inquisition does little to prevent innocent people from being arrested and brought in for torture, and punishes any criticism of church leadership or policy with the same barbaric methods. Mozgus is the most terrifying kind of Knight Templar because he genuinely believes that his methods--which include arresting people based on anonymous denunciations and torturing them to the point where most of them die--are for the people's own good because even if they die, he believes their souls will be cleansed and saved through suffering. He once went so far as to kill all the women and children in a village just becaused the inhabitants had the impertinence to petition for relief from the Church's tithes during a famine. Mozgus employs a team of physically deformed professional torturers whom he took in after they were persecuted for their monstrous appearances, and while the one called Bird admits that he doesn't like hurting people, he and his fellows feel that this is the chance they've been given to carry out the commands of Scripture and to repay Mozgus for his kindness to them.

--> ''The old Casca would have never cared even if it came to comrades getting hurt. I bet she wouldn't even have faltered at losing her own life had it been Griffith's will. To Casca, his word was gospel. No. Maybe that's still the truth, but...is she herself even aware that she's begun to change?''

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism]]" (note that "right-wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values respect for authority and loyalty towards the established norms in society; such individuals could hold - and historically have held - [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]], [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]], or alternative political views depending on which system they personally prefer). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Regal_and_Kungic_Societal_Structures theory of Regal and Kungic societal structures]] suggests that this phenomenon may have a basis in evolutionary psychology. While [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Rising research by the World Values Survey suggests that human beings tend to prefer more egalitarian socioeconomic structures]], human history is also punctuated with frequent and violent inter-group conflict. It is thus presumable that right-wing authoritarianism evolved as a means of punishing free-riders and enforcing cooperation when faced with collective danger, guaranteeing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_selection_theory the survival of one's tribe and culture]]. In peaceful societies where no such collective threats are present however, the people will exhibit more egalitarian preferences and revolt against their authoritarian despots. This explains why authoritarian regimes usually thrive in warring/developing nations where existential threats are more of an everyday concern (or in disunified nations that are lacking in shared practices and social norms), while authoritarian followers do not generally question the behavior or judgement of their preferred leaders. It also sheds light on why societies almost inevitably become more democratic, more individualistic, less traditional, and less religiously fervent as they become more prosperous.

** Dedue in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' would do ''anything'' Dimitri asked of him, no matter how heinous. This is explained by his backstory - everything and everyone he ever knew or loved were destroyed in the Duscar genocide, so when Dimitri saved him he became the only meaningful or positive thing left in his life, and he has no positive feelings towards the rest of Faerghus who participated in the genocide and even now look down on any surviving Duscar people as untrustworthy.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Regal_and_Kungic_Societal_Structures theory of Regal and Kungic societal structures]] suggests that this phenomenon may have a basis in evolutionary psychology. While [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Rising research by the World Values Survey suggests that human beings tend to prefer more egalitarian socioeconomic structures]], human history is also punctuated with frequent and violent inter-group conflict. It is thus presumable that right-wing authoritarianism evolved as a means of punishing free-riders and enforcing cooperation when faced with collective danger, guaranteeing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_selection_theory the survival of one's tribe and culture]]. In peaceful societies where no such collective threats are present however, the people will exhibit more egalitarian preferences and revolt against their authoritarian despots. This explains why authoritarian regimes usually thrive in warring/developing nations where existential threats are more of an everyday concern (or in highly decentralized states that are lacking in unifying practices and social norms), while authoritarian followers do not generally question the behavior or judgement of their preferred leaders. It also sheds light on why societies almost inevitably become more democratic, more individualistic, less traditional, and less religiously fervent as they become more prosperous.

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism]]" (note that "right-wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values respect for authority and loyalty towards the established norms in society; such individuals could hold - and historically have held - [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]] or [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]] political views depending on which of the two systems they perceive to be legitimate and are loyal towards). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.

** The work of social and moral psychologist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt Dr. Jonathan Haidt]] has elucidated that respect for authority is stronger among conservatives (particularly social conservatives) than it is among adherents of all other political ideologies. This not only lends credence to the theory detailed above, but the greater emphasis on authority combined with in-group loyalty explains why conservatives are a bloc, whereas progressives are a coalition. Additionally, Haidt's research has found that conservatives tend to value proportionality and punitiveness (systems of reward and punishment) to a greater extent than do progressives and even libertarians, which correlates with the aforementioned hypothesis that right-wing authoritarianism evolved in order to suppress free-riders during periods of inter-group conflict.

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism]]" (note that "right-wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values respect for authority and loyalty towards the established norms in society; such individuals could hold - and historically have held - [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]] or [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]] political views depending on which of the two is perceived to be “the established order”). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.

** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Regal_and_Kungic_Societal_Structures theory of Regal and Kungic societal structures]] suggests that this phenomenon may have a basis in evolutionary psychology. While [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Rising research by the World Values Survey suggests that human beings tend to prefer more egalitarian socioeconomic structures]], human history is also punctuated with frequent and violent inter-group conflict. It is thus presumable that right-wing authoritarianism evolved as a means of punishing free-riders and enforcing cooperation when faced with collective danger, guaranteeing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_selection_theory the survival of one's tribe and culture]]. In peaceful societies where no such collective threats are present however, the people will exhibit preference for more egalitarian ideals and revolt against their authoritarian despots. This explains why authoritarian regimes usually thrive in warring/developing nations where existential threats are more of an everyday concern (or in highly decentralized states that are lacking in unifying practices and social norms), while authoritarian followers do not generally question the behavior or judgement of their preferred leaders.

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism]]" (note that "right-wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values respect for authority and loyalty towards the established norms in society; in theory, such individuals could hold [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]] or [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]] political views). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Regal_and_Kungic_Societal_Structures theory of Regal and Kungic societal structures]] suggests that this phenomenon may have a basis in evolutionary psychology. Human history is punctuated with frequent and violent inter-group conflict, and it is presumable that right-wing authoritarianism evolved as a means of punishing free-riders and enforcing cooperation when faced with collective danger, guaranteeing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_selection_theory the survival of one's tribe and culture]]. This explains why authoritarian regimes usually thrive in warring/developing nations where existential threats are more of an everyday concern (or in highly decentralized states that are lacking in unifying practices and social norms), while authoritarian followers do not generally question the behavior or judgement of their preferred leaders.

Compare/contrast HonorBeforeReason. See also UndyingLoyalty, MyCountryRightOrWrong, JustFollowingOrders.

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism,]]" (note that "right wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values respect for authority and loyalty towards the established norms in society; in theory, such individuals could hold [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]] or [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]] political views). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.
** The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Regal_and_Kungic_Societal_Structures theory of Regal and Kungic societal structures]] suggests that this phenomenon may have a basis in evolutionary psychology. Human history is punctuated with frequent and violent inter-group conflict, and it is presumable that right-wing authoritarianism evolved as a means of punishing free-riders and enforcing cooperation when faced with collective danger, guaranteeing the survival of one's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_selection_theory tribe and culture]]. This explains why authoritarian regimes usually thrive in warring/developing nations where existential threats are more of an everyday concern, while authoritarian followers do not generally question the behavior or judgement of their preferred leaders.
** The work of social and moral psychologist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt Dr. Jonathan Haidt]] has elucidated that respect for authority is stronger among conservatives (particularly social conservatives) than it is among adherents of all other political ideologies. This not only lends credence to the theory above, but the greater emphasis on authority combined with in-group loyalty explains why conservatives are a bloc, whereas progressives are a coalition. Additionally, Haidt's research has found that conservatives tend to value proportionality and punitiveness (systems of reward and punishment) to a greater extent than do progressives and even libertarians, which ties in with the aforementioned theory that right-wing authoritarianism evolved in order to suppress free-riders during periods of inter-group conflict.

* The formal sociological term for this behaviour is "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism right-wing authoritarianism,]]" (note that "right wing" in this context [[NonIndicativeName does not refer to one's political beliefs]], but rather to the degree that one values punitiveness, respect for authority, and loyalty towards the established order and norms in society; in theory, such individuals could hold [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} left-wing]] or [[Sandbox/{{Fascism}} right-wing]] political views). This psychological type exists [[http://www.cambridge.org/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521827434 in roughly 20-30% of any given population]], and can appear in the form of both "leaders" and "followers". An authoritarian leader will lash out strongly and violently against any challenges (real or perceived) against their authority and the established social order, while an authoritarian follower will defend any decisions made by their chosen authority on the grounds that the ends justify the means.