The Eye of the Storm: A class divided
The PBS program, A Class Divided is about an experiment that Jane Elliott taught her third grade class about discrimination. Through this study the children were divided into groups based on eye color, where the blue eyes were superior and the brown eyes were not. Mrs. Elliott used her power as an authority figure to ingrain the children with stereotypes and the children acted based on those false beliefs. This led to anger, heartache, and even low test scores.
Definitions from the text: Diversity Consciousness: Opening our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities.
Selective perception is focusing on the things that support our thinking and ignore information that refutes it
Ethnocentrism is the assumption that our way of thinking and acting is naturally superior to any other.
Stereotype vulnerability is the danger of not performing up to out ability because of our anxieties and fears about perpetuating a stereotype.
Prejudice is an irrational and inflexible opinion formed on the basis of limited and insufficient knowledge
Discrimination is defined as the denial of equal rights and opportunities to individuals and groups.
Power refers to the ability to influence others and bring about change.
A few questions to answer:
1. What did you like most about the program?
Overall, I think this is a great program and a wonderful lesson to teach children about discrimination. The kids learned a powerful lesson about how preconceptions about people do not define who they are as a person. I believe teaching kids at a young age that the effects of discrimination are very hurtful and oppress that particular group. Once the students and teacher had a reunion 14 years later, you learn that this lesson still holds strong for these people and are teaching their kids the lessons they learned.
2. What did you not like about the program?
There wasn’t very much that I did not like about the program. Although, it was heartbreaking to see kids fighting and being nasty it was a tough but necessary lesson to learn. One thing that stuck in my mind was when the adults were being put through this scenario, they were immediately standoffish and irritable. I didn’t think that adults were acting in a mature matter, but I’m not sure I would either after being spoken to that way.
3. Were you surprised at how the kids with blue eyes treated the kids with brown eyes? Why or why not?
I was very surprised. Once the kids were given the stereotypes of how brown eyed people behaved and how they were to be treated they immediately became nasty. This was startling because they were all friends and within a matter of minutes they were against each other. The kids taunted each other and called each other “brown eyes” in an ignorant fashion. After a young boy was called “brown eyes” by his former friend, he got so angry and hurt that he punched the other child in the stomach. The amount of anger and hatred the kids felt by being pushed out of their circle was insurmountable. Children were crying on the playground, were being belittled based on the stereotypes forced upon their group. The blue eyed kids definitely exhibited ethnocentrism. I recall a moment when Mrs. Elliott lost her yard stick, you could hear a child saying “why don't you keep it on your desk, and you can use it when the brown eyed people get out of control.” A little boy said he felt like a king when it was his eye colors superiority day. The kids experienced stereotype vulnerability, when the blue eyes were the “better color” their test scores were higher and the rate at which they completed their work was faster. In contrast, the brown eyed children’s scores were much lower, they weren't confident and they completed their work at a much slower pace.
4. What scene/s do you think you will remember a month from now? Why?
I feel the scene I will remember the most is when the kids are finally finished the experiment and are allowed to remove the collars dividing them into non superior and superior groups. When they took them off, Mrs. Elliott asked what they would like to do with them, they immediately shouted “throw them away!” and they all rushed to the trash can. After the kids throw them away you can see a little boy trying to bite and destroy his collar. I feel like this moment was very emotional and it made me happy to see that the kids felt good once the barriers were broken down.
Another scene that will stick in my mind is when Mrs. Elliott attempts to teach this lesson to adults in a correctional facility. The blue eyed adults were immediately combative and annoyed at how little space or how little chairs they had while waiting for the program to begin. They were then belittled and looked very uncomfortable when they were singled out and the rest of the class was staring at them and judging their behavior. Having felt insulted the blue eyed adults eventually felt that they had no power and they weren't listened to and didn't have a voice in the room. Blue eyed adults also didn't support one another, while one was being bullied the rest sat back and staying out of the situation so they weren't targeted either. This had a strong message we all as people need to stand up for each other just to avoid being in the situation. We cannot judge people based on the color of their skin, but by their character. How you look as a person does not define you. I feel this video will stick with me for a long time and I always tell my children, treat others how you want to be treated.
I wish this would be taught through the country, more people need to know what oppression feels like, so we can put a stop to it. Children are our future, we need to teach them about racism, discrimination, and prejudice as early as we can. Through socialization children mimic our behavior and base their opinions off of ours. This has definitely solidified my consciousness of discrimination and drives me to better our community. Lets step outside of ourselves, and change for the better.
Works Cited:
A Class Divided. (1968). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
Bucher, R. (2015). Developing Diversity Consciousness Ch. 4. In Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities (Fourth ed., p. 95). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
