The Third Wave( Not Cinema But Very Interesting)

"Listen closely, I have something important to tell you." "Sit down." "There is no leader! There is no such thing as a national youth movement called the Third Wave. You have been used. Manipulated. Shoved by your own desires into the place you now find yourself. You are no better or worse than the German Nazis we have been studying."

When my teacher introduced me to the article by Ron Jones, I thought it was a simple read through. Little did I know that this essay by a high school English teacher would be a powerful account of brainwashing and fascism.

It was 1967, Jones and his class were studying Nazi Germany when he was interrupted by a question. How could the German populace claim ignorance of the slaughter of the Jewish people? How could the townspeople, railroad conductors, teachers, doctors, claim they knew nothing about concentration camps and human carnage? How can people who were neighbors and maybe even friends of the Jewish citizen say they weren't there when it happened? It was a good question and Jones did not know how to answer. So he decided to take a week in class exploring it. So for a week Jones lectured the class with V for Vendettaesque sayings, like Strength through Discipline, Strength through Action, Strength through Unity. Now surely, in our free world of democracy the students would not commit to such a fascist cause with such loyalty and discipline; and Jones figured the project would fall flat on its face. To Jones's surprise, he found students following everything he said, even teachers were getting involved on the "movement." The experiment took on a life of it's own. By the third day Jones's class size increased from 30 to 43 and showed dramatic improvement in academic skills and motivation. Each student was assigned a job like making a flag, or recruiting people. By the fourth day, the experiment was getting out of control. Students who broke the rules of the organization would get reported immediately. The students commitment to the organization were incredible, like they had been brainwashed. It was this day that Jones decided to end the experiment. He announced to the participants that this movement is a part of a nationwide movement and that on the next day a presidential candidate of the movement would publicly announce existence of the movement. Jones ordered students to attend a noon rally on Friday to witness the announcement. Instead of a televised address of their leader, the students were presented with an empty channel. After a few minutes of waiting, Jones announced that they have been a part of an experiment in fascism and that they all willingly created a sense of superiority that German citizens had in the period of Nazi Germany. He then played them a film about the Nazi regime.

  That was the end of the experiment. As the students went to exit the auditorium, their devastated faces told the story. Some cried openly and some wiped their tears away as they exited. To this day they all share a deep dark secret, that if it wasn't for Jones himself writing the original article, none of us would have probably never known.

  Referring back to the original question asked to Jones. How could the German populace claim ignorance of the slaughter of the Jewish people? How could the townspeople, railroad conductors, teachers, doctors, claim they knew nothing about concentration camps and human carnage? How can people who were neighbors and maybe even friends of the Jewish citizen say they weren't there when it happened? Was it because they know that they have gone to far? To answer this question, I would like to quote Jones from his original article from 1972:

 "Through the experience of the past week we have all tasted what it was like to live and act in Nazi Germany. We learned what it felt like to create a disciplined social environment. To build a special society. Pledge allegiance to that society. Replace reason with rules. Yes, we would all have made good Germans. We would have put on the uniform. Turned our head as friends and neighbors were cursed and then persecuted. Pulled the locks shut. Worked in the "defense" plants. Burned ideas. Yes, we know in a small way what it feels like to find a hero. To grab quick solution. Feel strong and in control of destiny. We know the fear of being left out. The pleasure of doing something right and being rewarded. To be number one. To be right. Taken to an extreme we have seen and perhaps felt what these actions will lead to. we each have witnessed something over the past week. We have seen that fascism is not just something those other people did. No. it's right here. In this room. In our own personal habits and way of life. Scratch the surface and it appears. Something in all of us. We carry it like a disease. The belief that human beings are basically evil and therefore unable to act well toward each other. A belief that demands a strong leader and discipline to preserve social order. And there is something else. The act of apology. 

    "If our enactment of the Fascist mentality is complete not one of you will ever admit to being at this final Third Wave rally. Like the Germans, you will have trouble admitting to yourself that you come this far. You will not allow your friends and parents to know that you were willing to give up individual freedom and power for the dictates of order and unseen leaders. You can't admit to being manipulated. Being a follower. To accepting the Third Wave as a way of life. You won't admit to participating in this madness. You will keep this day and this rally a secret. It's a secret I shall share with you." 

It was because of our psychological need to belong, that the students committed to the organization, the reward of feeling apart of a cause bigger than yourself, to be a hero to your comrades even for one second is worth more than doing something for yourself. The Third Wave made people belong, who were left out before. It made people equal, who were discriminated before. The 5 pillars of The Third Wave: "Strength through Discipline, Strength through Community, Strength through Action, Strength through Pride, and Strength through Understanding." Provide a simple yet effective way of living and outline a way to live a successful life, just as the fascist regimes of Nazi Germany and Italy have before. This study of fascism and power has received a lot of attention from psychologists and even filmmakers who seek to understand the power of unity; and what many will do to achieve to be apart of something.






The original article can be found at : http://libcom.org/history/the-third-wave-1967-account-ron-jones