Scam School's Brian Brushwood does a TEDx talk wherein he covers a few studies showing people's ingrained obedience to perceived "authority."

Although it is presented from a magic and scam perspective, the studies he brings up are very telling, and representative of the difficulties we face in turning people away from blind obedience to "authority."

It's unfortunate, as relying on perceived "authorities" is likely an evolutionary development, and has benefits, however it is sadly so exploited by those who seek, or are already in, "power."

The temptation to submit to authority examined by "Compliance" bolsters an authoritarian culture by transforming its leading institutions into servants of power rather than checks on it. But worse, it conceals the presence of oppression by ensuring that most citizens, choosing to follow and obey authority, do not personally experience oppression and thus do not believe – refuse to believe – that it really exists.

A UK immigration officer put his own wife on a terrorist watch list – ­so she could not get home from a trip to Pakistan. The officer was so sick of his partner that when she was visiting family overseas he added her name to the register of people banned from flights into the UK. When she went to the airport to get her return flight back, officials told her she could not board the plane and did not ­explain why. She called her husband, who ­promised to look into it – but left her stuck in Pakistan for THREE YEARS. He was sacked after bosses found out about his antics.