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The story was then picked up by the Associated Press. On the morning of april 5, 1968, a Friday, Steven Armstrong stepped into Jane Elliott's third-grade classroom in Riceville, Iowa. At points, you are likely to feel uncomfortable. With over 2 million YouTube subscribers, over 500 articles, and an annual reach of almost 12 million students, it has become one of the most popular sources of psychological information. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Mental Sandboxes and Their Usefulness in Today's World, The Law of Reversed Effort: When Taking Action Isn't the Best Option. Its goal was to demonstrate what prejudice was to her third grade class. The episode features with new footage of the students, who are now adults. She was a standing-room-only speaker at hundreds of colleges and universities. Jane Elliott (ne Jennison; born on November 30, 1933) is an American diversity educator.As a schoolteacher, she became known for her "Blue eyes/Brown eyes" exercise, which she first conducted with her third-grade class on April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. "We give our children shots to inoculate them against polio and smallpox, to protect them against the realities in the future. Words are the most powerful weapon devised by humankind. If brown-eyed children made a mistake, Elliott would call out the mistake and attribute it to the students brown eyes. When you read about this experiment, its hard not to question labels. It brings up immediate anger and hatred. "They are cleaner and they are smarter.". Hire a professional with VAST experience! They didnt need to engage with a single Black person. The kids in the bottom group became timider and kept to themselves. Tears formed in the corners of Elliott's eyes. Three sections were selected to be administered the simulation . The results are mixed. They felt superior and had the support of the authority figure (the teacher). Little children don't like uproar in the classroom. Select from the 0 categories from which you would like to receive articles. The day after Kings murder, Jane Elliott, a white third-grade teacher in rural Riceville, Iowa, sought to make her students feel the brutality of racism. This is the phrase that inspired one of the most well-known experiments in education. In the case of any doubt, it's best to consult a trusted specialist. She noticed that student relationships had changed; even if students were friendly outside of the exercise, they treated each other with arrogance or bossiness once the roles were assigned. "This here is Jane Elliott," I said. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . But Elliotts experiment had a more sinister impact. Role Theory: Expectations, Identities, and Behaviors. The publication of compositions which the children had written about the experience in the local . The interaction only strengthened Elliott's resolve. "Well, what do you expect from him, Mrs. Elliott," a brown-eyed student said as a blue-eyed student got an arithmetic problem wrong. Jane Elliott on The Tonight Show on May 31, 1968. Ms. Elliott, now 87, said she started teaching about racism on April 5, 1968 the day after the Rev. You give them something nice and they just wreck it." SYNOPSIS OF BLUE EYED. ABC broadcast a documentary about her work. Exploring your mind Blog about psychology and philosophy. The test also included violation of consent in which participation of the children was made involuntarily. APA principles acknowledge that individuals rights to privacy, self-determination, and confidentiality is paramount to all psychological activities. The minimal group paradigm has shaped an entire methodology in social psychology. 10," Elliott said. Things even got violent at recess. "On an airplane, it is," Elliott said to appreciative laughter from the studio audience. Zimbardocreator of the also controversial 1971 Stanford Prisoner Experiment, which was stopped after college student volunteers acting as "guards" humiliated students acting as "prisoners"says Elliott's exercise is "more compelling than many done by professional psychologists. Blue-eyed students suggested that the teacher use a yardstick to discipline brown-eyed students that misbehaved. The results showed a . Sorry, but it's not possible to copy the text due to security reasons. View Module 2 Discussion_ Are We Still Divided_ Blue Eyes_Brown Eyes_ A 3rd Grade Lesson for Us All.pdf from HUMN 330 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Ethics + Religion; Health; Politics + Society; . Why Did Jane Elliott Choose Eye Color To Divide Her Students? When Elliott first conducted the exercise in 1968, brown-eyed students were given special privileges. "She stirs people up. (Byrnes & Kiger, 1992). The secretary on duty looked up, startled, as if she had just seen a ghost. When my grandchildren are old enough, I'd give anything if you'd try the exercise out on them. Fourteen years later, the students featured in The Eye of the Storm reunited and discussed their experiences with Elliott. Jane Elliots work and experiences have made her an authority on education and anti-racism. Many educators responded by holding mandatory workshops on institutional racism and implicit bias, reforming teaching methods and lesson plans and searching for ways to amplify undersung voices. she asked the children, who were white. In 2001, Jane Elliott recordedThe Angry Eye,in which she revised and updated her experiment. On the first day of the experiment, Elliott told the children who had blue eyes that they were superior to the children with brown eyes; that they were better, nicer and smarter. She pointed out flaws in a student and associated it with . She and Darald split their time between a converted schoolhouse in Osage, Iowa, a town 18 miles from Riceville, and a home near Riverside, California. This time, the participants werent a bunch of elementary school children they were young adults. In this article, we talk about leadership and female discrimination.. Elliot wanted to show that the same thing happens in real life with brown eyed people (minority). Even though some of the children said yes, Elliott pushed back. The nearest traffic light is 20 miles away. She says that its shocking how children whore normally kind, cooperative, and friendly with each other suddenly become arrogant, discriminatory, and hostile when they belong to a superior group. Throughout the investigation, the classroom represented a real-life scenario in which the unprivileged and minority members of the society are treated as out-groups making them susceptible to discrimination. Still, Elliott said the last few years have brought out America's worst racist tendencies. It is a must . Mental Floss, 4. Elliott pulled out green construction paper armbands and asked each of the blue-eyed kids to wear one. I have brown eyes. She was 10 before the farmhouse had running water and electricity. Later, it would occur to Elliott that the blueys were much less nasty than the brown-eyed kids had been, perhaps because the blue-eyed kids had felt the sting of being ostracized and didn't want to inflict it on their former tormentors. Elliot said that when the children were given the test on the same day that they were in the superior group, they tended to get the highest scores. The blue-eyed girl apologized. Given the ethical concerns, will you still rely on a quasi-experimental research design as a source of information in counselling psychology? Elliott asked her students to write about their experiences for the local newspaper. That says very plainly that you know whats happening, you know you dont want it for you. Undeterred, Elliott tried to appeal to Pauls self-interest. "We just want to peek in," I volunteered. The children were not aware of the experiment, and therefore they could not give their permission of involvement. Perhaps because the outcome seemed so optimistic and comforting, coverage of Elliott and the experiments alleged curative powers cropped up everywhere. She asks them if they have ever faced treatment like the type that blue-eyed people would experience in the following two and a half hours. "They can't forget me," she said, "and because of who they are, they can't forgive me. ", That spring morning 37 years ago, the blue-eyed children were set apart from the children with brown or green eyes. Elliott created the blue-eyes/brown-eyes classroom exercise in 1968 to teach students about racism. In this photograph from Sept. 13, 1965, Black children on their way to school in New York City pass by segregationists protesting integrated busing. "Would you like to come on the show?" The test violated the principle of respect for people's rights and dignity. Then a picture was taken to remember. We dont have to learn about those who are other than white. New York: Elsevier Science. As a school teacher in the small town of Riceville, Iowa, Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom, the day after the civil rights leader was killed. ", Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise, 'I See These Conversations As Protective': Talking With Kids About Race. ", Vision and tenacity may get results, but they don't always endear a person to her neighbors. Withdrawn brown-eyed kids were suddenly outgoing, some beaming with the widest smiles she had ever seen on them. Weve been here before, with unsettling and disturbing results. "You know, sweetheart, you haven't changed one bit. Thus, the dominant group, supported by the authorities, will always have the upper hand. Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes 1968 - Jane Elliot, grade school teacher in Iowa conducted a classroom experiment to test whether racism was a learned characteristic Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes - an experiment to "create racism" Jane Elliot divided her 4th grade class into two groups based on eye color The Brown eyed group were told they were superior due . Even family members can turn against each other if some authority suddenly decides that those differences are a problem. Elliott said that blue-eyed people were less intelligent and less clean. (2013). Children with brown eyes were forced to wear armbands that made it easy for people to see that they had brown eyes. Thousands of educators across the United States folded the experiment into their curriculums. She nodded. In Jane Elliott's experiment she made the third graders believe that the blue eyed people were better,than the brown eyed people. Their response is to create dichotomies of inferiority and superiority. Separate the class into two halves - those with blue eyes and those with brown. The brown-eyed children could take off their armbands and give them to the blue-eyed children, who were now taught that they were inferior to the brown-eyed children. "We want to see Room No. They were forced to sit on the back rows and had to use a . But in reality, I found in researching for my book Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes that the experiment was a sadistic exhibition of power and authority levers controlled by Elliott. She could feel a chasm forming between the two groups of students. On April 4 1968, King was killed by the single . All 28 children found their desks, and Elliott said she had something special for them to do, to begin to understand the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. the day before. After recess that day, the brown-eyed children complained that they were . Blue-eyed people. She told them that people with brown eyes were better than people with blue eyes. That spring morning 37 years ago, the blue-eyed children were set apart from the children with brown or green eyes. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted educator Jane Elliott to create the now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise ." As a school teacher in the small town of Riceville, Iowa, Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom, the day after the civil rights leader was killed. 4. It was typical of Elliott's blunt styleno "Good morning," no small talk. Essay Sample: Ethical Concerns in Jane Elliot's Experiment. Questioning authority The mainstream media were complicit in advancing such a simplistic narrative. Even though the response to the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise was initially negative, it made Jane Elliott a leading figure in diversity training. And Im only doing this as an exercise that every child knows is an exercise and every child knows is going to end at the end of the day., We learn to be racist, therefore we can learn not to be racist. ", 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Before proceeding with the test, she began with random questions to fully understand the children's perception of Negroes. However, in this classroom, having blue-eyes had become a condition of inferiority. Not only were they fewer in numbers, but the authority figure was against them. There is a way to avoid editing or writing from scratch! When the blue-eyed group saw that the brown-eyed group was going to be seated first, some became upset. (2022, Apr 06). The Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment. Why do researchers use correlational studies? ", "I've never forgotten the exercise," Whisenhunt volunteered. Jane Elliott and Dr. On April 5 1968 the day after the death of Martin Luther King Jr Elliott decided to show her students how easy it was to be influenced by racism. Then tell them that . They all either smiled or laughed and nodded.". Consequently, the brown-eyed children started using blue-eyes as an insult. One even wrote a lipstick message with racial slurs. Terms of Use Subsequently the brown-eyed children stopped objecting, even when Miss Elliott and the blue-eyed kids chastised and bullied them. . The blue eyes/brown eyes experiment, which could last one to three days, was at a glance similar to other human-potential-movement workshops of the era, including Werner Erhard's est training . The fact that children are easy to manipulate into acting in a particular manner explains Jane's choice of sample. Biddle, B. J. In this 1998 photograph, former Iowa teacher Jane Elliott, center, speaks with two Augsburg University . "Do blue-eyed people remember what they've been taught?" You have the right color eyes!. Elliott's friends and family say she's tenacious, and has always had a reformer's zeal. Elliott separated her all-white class of students into two groups: blue-eyed children and brown-eyed children. The experiment was to be a division of eye colour starting with blue eyed student having superiority and then the following day, the roles would be reversed. She says its because racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, and ethnocentrism are mean and nasty. Subsequent research designed to gauge the efficacy of Elliotts attempt at reducing prejudice showed that many participants were shocked by the experiment, but it did nothing to address or explain the root causes of racism. On the first day, the blue-eyed students were informed that they were genetically inferior to the brown-eyed students. Stripping away the veneer of the experiment, what was left had nothing to do with race. THE ANGRY EYE , a 35-minute video, features Jane Elliott conducting her Blue Eyed/Brown Eyed exercise with college students. "The racists carry on, so I carry on." The lives and legacies of Dr. Jane Elliott and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are inextricably linked. At the time, she was a third-grade . Did they know what it was like to be discriminated against? The students who had blue eyes were told that they were better and smarter than their inferior brown-eyed peers. "I understand this is the first time you've flown?" She left teaching in the mid-80s to speak publicly about the experience and the impact of prejudice and racism. Ethical & Pedagogical Issues 2. In 2001, she was still trying to make a change. Elliott is nothing if not stubborn. Brown-eyed people, she told the students, are smarter, more civilized and better than blue-eyed people. They killed hundreds of thousands of people based on eye color alone, thats the reason I used eye color for my determining factor that day., Elliott divided the class into children with blue eyes and children with brown eyes. Jane would get invited to go to Timbuktu to give a speech. They are steeped in centuries of economic deprivation and cultural appropriation. But the protests happening now have given her hope. Most Riceville residents seem to have an opinion of Elliott, whether or not they've met her. More than 50 years after her famous exercise, Elliott is still fighting. Elliott was shocked by the results and decided to switch the roles the following day. Basically, you establish differences between a set of subjects in order to divide them into separate groups. Knowing that her experiment would have consequences, Jane remained committed to her course. "The browneyed people are the better people in this room," Elliott began. . In the documentary, she said that she conducted the original blue-eyes, brown-eyes experiment to make a positive change. Articles and opinions on happiness, fear and other aspects of human psychology. 2012 2023 . The exercise is "an inoculation against racism," she says. And the exercise continued in a similar fashion to how it was executed the day before. See Page 1. One scholar asserts that it is "Orwellian" and teaches whites "self-contempt." ", Elliott defends her work as a mother defends her child. Considering all the stereotypes and prejudices that exist, what kind of damage is being done? 5/21/2020 Topic: Module 2 Discussion: The "invisible knapsack" is an analogy for a set of invisible and not widely talked about privileges that white people possess in the society. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Alan Charles Kors, a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, says Elliott's diversity training is "Orwellian" and singled her out as "the Torquemada of thought reform." "Your son got what he deserved," the woman said. The Blue-Eyes, Brown-Eyes Experiment. SpeedyPaper website, please click below to request its removal: Liked this essay sample but need an original one? Elliott instructed the blue-eyed kids not to play on the jungle gym or swings. Problems with this research were that it went against a lot of ethical issues. On the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in April 1968, Jane Elliott's third graders from the small, all-white town of Riceville, Iowa, came to class . ", When I met Elliott in 2003, she hadn't been back to Riceville in 12 years. The contents of Exploring Your Mind are for informational and educational purposes only. In the brown eyed/blue eyed experiment Jane Elliot told her third graders with blue eyes that they were better than the brown-eyed children. She believed that experience was the only way her students could understand how it felt like to be discriminated. One of the main ones was the fact that their right to withdraw was taken away from them. On the first day, she told the children with blue eyes they were superior: smarter and more well-behaved than the children with brown eyes. . "Hey, Mrs. Elliott," Steven yelled as he slung his books on his desk. One of the ways Hitler decided who went into the gas chamber was eye color, Elliott said in a later speech. The latter felt discriminated against by the other brown-eyed children. One group consisted pupils with brown eye while the other group consisted of those with blue eyes. Outside, rows of corn stretched to the horizon. "Not one of them reprimanded her for that or even corrected her. Decent Essays. Would you? Although Jane Elliot's intentions were to teach the youngsters about racism, ethical issues related to the simulation were raised. Not a day goes by without me thinking about it, Ms. Elliott. Racism is not genetical. [White people] on the other hand, don't have to understand them. Two education professors in England, Ivor F. Goodson and Pat Sikes, suggest that Elliott's experiment was unethical because the participants weren't informed of its real purpose beforehand. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Watch it online right now! The demonstration has since been taught by generations of teachers to millions of kids across the country. He printed them under the headline "How Discrimination Feels." Now, almost four decades later, Elliott's experiment still mattersto the grown children with whom she experimented, to the people of Riceville, population 840, who all but ran her out of town, and to thousands of people around the world who have also participated in an exercise based on the experiment. In the early morning, dew and fog cover the acres of gently swaying stalks that surround Riceville the way water surrounds an island. "She said, on the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, 'I don't know why you're doing that I thought it was about time somebody shot that son of a bitch,' " she said.