Text by AKHIL JOONDEPH, JERRY FANG and KATHERINE CHENG Art by SAMANTHA HO
THE THIRD WAVE: TIDES OF TENSION
A 2016 STORY AND ITS RELEVANCE TODAY
22 OCTOBER 2020
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RESENTED WITH A RAW The Third Wave story idea and much to be uncovAfter facing difficulty conveying the ered, Verde Magazine staff writers way Adolf Hitler gained power after World Emma Cockerell and Stephanie War I to his students, Cubberley High Lee had little idea as to what they were get- School teacher Jones created a simulation ting themselves into when presented with in his class to mimic Hitler’s regime. a unique story idea weeks before the 2016 He began by engaging in simple activielection. The editors at the time wanted ties with his students like creating an offito publish a story on a social experiment cial salute to build discipline and commuknown as the Third Wave, conducted by nity. When Jones returned the next day, he Palo Alto teacher Ron was surprised to see his Jones 50 years prior. The students continuing to student journalists were You could see the play their experimental prepared to reflect and striking similarities roles, and decided to report on the anniversacontinue the experiry of this monumental [between] the kinds ment for the remainder event, but quickly real- of tactics that Jones of the week. ized that the tale they Over the next four were enlisted to tell was ... and Trump were days, the experiment far more than just a nar- employing.” spiraled out of control; rative about a classroom Jones’ students started — EMMA COCKERELL, writer simulation gone rogue. to turn against each As Cockerell and Lee other under the guise began their process of researching and re- of loyalty to the wave, and Jones himself porting, they became fascinated not only began to enjoy his new power so much that by the experiment itself, but also by its he was afraid of ending the experiment and connections to the election. letting go. Now, four years later on the eve of the This turn of events gave both Jones and next election, our nation stands even more his students a clear picture of the influence divided. The consequences of the polar- of authoritarianism. ization caused by what Jones describes as a government moving towards authoritar- The Third Wave at 50 ianism are more evident than ever While a story about a 1960s social exbefore. periment modeling an event of the 1930s may seem disconnected from the present, the writers began to see parallels between the Third Wave and the political climate of 2016. “You could see the striking similarities [between] the kinds of tactics that Jones was employing and the rhetoric that Trump was employing on the campaign trail,” Cockerell recently said. During an intimate interview in Jones’ San Francisco home,
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