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.

In the movie Toy Story 3, of all places, the Barbie doll utters this quote in the face of oppression from Lotso, the big purple teddy bear: “Authority should derive from the consent of the governed; not from the threat of force.” Political philosopher barbie? Maybe she was channeling Locke and Jefferson. Anyway, it is interesting to see these kinds of messages popping up in movies and car commercials.