Would you have followed the orders on this flyer? Even if you had no idea what HYDRA was? Maybe you would have joined just because you didn’t know what else to do. But what happens if you join?

HYDRA, in the Marvel Universe, was a merciless and fictional authoritarian organization bent on world domination. If you joined, they would have used everything that you valued in life against you to keep you compliant. There was almost no escape, and you would have had no reason or will to do so anyway. This is a terrifying thought, but we can easily dismiss this because HYDRA is fake… right?

No one is immune to being influenced. “Compliance will be rewarded” was the quote HYDRA used to brainwash people into fighting for them. Although HYDRA is fictional, the measures that HYDRA took to ensure loyalty from its followers is reminiscent of the way real world organizations control our lives. For example, students dedicate their livelihood to school. School isn’t evil as HYDRA, but there are some similarities.

In school, students are supposed to try to get good grades. These grades determine what colleges, universities, and jobs are available to the student. Jobs will impact your income and either make your life comfortable or miserable. To strive for the possibility of a good life, students have to devote themselves to school. To relate school to the HYDRA quote “Compliance will be rewarded”, we need to comply with the school’s expectations to receive our “rewards”, which are good grades. Like those that have joined HYDRA, our dreams and lives keep us from leaving the system.

What are the consequences of not complying? For HYDRA, you would either die or have the things you love in life disappear forever. In school, your grades will drop. This will then lower your chances of finding a career that will keep you financially stable. If luck is on your side, then you could potentially break the control your society has over you. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky.

Is there anything we can do? We seem to be stuck here. Even if we’re aware of our compliance, is there a way to break the system without losing our livelihoods? The key might just be to comply until we have a chance to escape, but we would be ignoring another option.

We have the numbers. What if we forced changes in the system? There were only a few people that betrayed HYDRA that escaped. What if everyone that was disgruntled fought against it together? Change is possible, as proven by the past. Our nation was founded by revolt. People have banded together to fight for rights that protect us now. In the end, the force of change might be the only antithesis to the force of compliance.