Refer to "It's No One's Fault When It's Everyone's Fault" by Shelby Ostergaard.
In paragraph 7, how does the discussion of firing squads add to the reader's understanding
of deindividualization?
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Diffused responsibility works when the individual does not feel responsible for their actions. In the
case of the The Who concert, it would not be surprising for individuals to feel as if it was not their
fault or at least not their fault alone. It's likely they would argue that they were just doing what
others were doing, and they were not the person who crushed one of the victims. Being in a group
allowsthem to feel less responsible. The principles behind a firing squad work in the same way.
When soldiers line up to execute someone by shooting, one or two soldiers are given a blank
cartridge. None of the soldiers are told beforehand if they are using blank cartridges or live
ammunition. All of the soldiers fire at the same time, and the blank cartridges reinforce the diffusion
of responsibility. Soldiers can always tell themselves that they might have been the person who
fired a blank round.
It illustrates the difficulty of making moral choices when influence by diffused responsibility.
It provides a counter-arguemnt to the idea that deindividualization enables bad behavior.
It demonstrates people's ability to resist deindividualization if they wish to.
It gives an example of how diffused responsibility affects people's feelings about their actions.