UNDERSTANDING OPPOSITION
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Note to Readers: Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a brilliant protestant theologian executed by the Nazi’s in 1945.
Anticipating his death, he wrote a letter, to fellow anti-Hitler conspirators, entitled Theory of Stupidity.
I think it provides a helpful way to understand the opposition to social change by stakeholders supporting a social problem embedded in the status quo. Such opposition is often rooted in groupthink which is also a challenge facing all organizations, including social enterprises.
Full disclosure I have no formal religious beliefs. I came to appreciate the power of Bonhoeffer’s thinking when. in college, I read his book, Cost of Discipleship.
The following excerpts are taken from two sources, the 7 minute video provides an excellent overview:
‘If we want to know how to get the better of stupidity, we must seek to understand its nature. This much is certain, that it is in essence not an intellectual defect but a human one. There are human beings who are of remarkably agile intellect yet stupid, and others who are intellectually quite dull yet anything but stupid. We discover this to our surprise in particular situations. The impression one gains is not so much that stupidity is a congenital defect, but that, under certain circumstances, people are made stupid or that they allow this to happen to them.
He (the Stupid person) is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings. ‘Yet at this very point it becomes quite clear that only an act of liberation, not instruction, can overcome stupidity. Here we must come to terms with the fact that in most cases a genuine internal liberation becomes possible only when external liberation has preceded it.
So those who would lead must first demonstrate they can manage their own households well. They must make intelligent choices that benefit others as well as themselves, ethical choices, showing that they are servants of all.”
Key Principles of the Theory
A Moral, Not Intellectual, Defect: Stupidity is not a lack of IQ or education; rather, it is a state where an individual's critical thinking and independence have been suppressed.
The Power-Stupidity Link: Bonhoeffer observed that every strong upsurge of power (political or religious) "infects" a large part of humanity with stupidity. People surrender their inner independence to the overwhelming impact of rising power, becoming mindless tools.
Impervious to Reason: The "stupid" person is self-satisfied and dismisses facts that contradict their prejudgments. If facts are irrefutable, they are simply pushed aside as incidental.
A Social Phenomenon: Stupidity thrives more in groups than in solitude. Individuals in a crowd often surrender their autonomy to feel a sense of belonging or security.
The "Automaton" State: In conversation, one doesn't feel they are dealing with the person themselves, but with "slogans, catchwords, and the like" that have taken possession of them.
TIP: Go to Module 7 in the Practitioner Guide
TIP: Go to the update section and read, Why Facts Don’t Change Minds (And the 4 Things That Actually Do) Feb 6
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