The Allure of the Rebel

Rebels have long held a special place in our hearts. From Han Solo & the Rebel Alliance to Mal Reynolds & the Independents, these rebels are often the protagonists and most loved characters.

But what is it that we like about these rebels?

Starting from a new perspective on Asch's experiments, Moscovici began a line of study looking at the effect of minorities upon majorities (Gross, 2005). These minorities are often the source of pioneers & innovators, of new angles & new perspectives, which usually leads them into conflict with the status quo.

This provokes an alternative question. Why might we dislike the status quo?

From the perspective of protagonists like Han Solo and Mal Reynolds, their enemies are usually tyrannising minorities; in Star Wars the rebellion fights against an empire founded upon a small religious cult and a military-industrial complex; in Firefly the Independents oppose the alliance of wealthy core worlds that seeks to impose its rule on the poorer and wilder fringe worlds. Both were rebellions seeking to free individuals from the establishment's deeply conservative attachment to an idea of societal order.

Has an aspect of this meme been transposed to our real world perception of authority?

There certainly seems to be something to the idea that a government, from a certain perception, is always (regardless of mandate) a separate minority ruling over the majority (Fulcher & Scott, 2003). If this is the case, it certainly casts our favourite rebels in a different light. Rather than favouring them for their individuality or as outcasts, we instead identify with them as an embodiment of the majority. The 99% who wish to be out from under the influence of a minority.

This leads us back to the earlier forms of these characters - the noble barbarians - Aragorn, Conan, Othello and treatment of semi-historical figures like Arminius & Calgacus by Tacitus. What tends to elevate these protagonists, whether through charisma & personality or effective leadership techniques, seems to be a perception of them as being positive & pure examples of our ingroup identities.

We are however, it is worth remembering, somewhat prone to generalisations. And it is something that makes the romanticised notions of rebellion difficult when applied to the real world - in situations like the American Civil & Boer Wars - where the politics & ideologies of both sides make such simplistic notions as 'rebels are good' and 'authorities are bad' seriously problematic.

What can be salvaged is that the rebel is an aspirational character, representing elements of what we hope that we & the majority could be - independent thinking individuals who justly question authority and maintain a constant vigilance.

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References:
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+ Richard Gross' 'Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour'; (5th Ed); Chp 26, Conformity and Group Influence; pg 446-449; Hodder Arnold, 2005.

+ James Fulcher & John Scott's 'Sociology'; (2nd Ed); Chp 19, Politics, Power and Protest; pg 783-784, Elitist Theories; Oxford University Press, 2003.