Jane Elliot Unequal Groups Summary

I believe Jane Elliot effectively created two unequal groups in the three times we watched her run her experiment. Each time one group was given considerable special treatment. The "majority" group was giving things like being allowed into the conference room early, given seats and a more comfortable environment, and treated with respect. The advantages were even more distinguishable for the "minority" group who was subjected to sub par conditions, forced to wear bands of shame, and faced even harsher criticism. I think you can see from the immediate reactions, hostility, and frustration of the "minority" group that two very unequal groups are created. But the criticism is so over the top that it really makes you feel for those that are being yelled and verbally abused for their slightest
mistakes. It really make you hate and despise Jane Elliot but that doesn't mean the point is lost. I think it's pretty obvious that the group being abused and forced to deal with an unequal situation takes a way a whole lot more from the experiment.
The woman from East Germany assumed that the best way to get through to everyone was through talking and open discussion. But I think that most people have been told in their lives that racism and discrimination are wrong, our experiences shape our opinion more than someone else's words. There is no other way to show white people what it feels like to be discriminated against. That is why it is such a good idea to put the blue eyed people in the "minority." Most of those who probably experience discrimination on a daily basis get to see it from the other side of the fence as well. There are very few situations in the real world where they may feel like the minority and experience discrimination. This discrimination is also only temporary and not as powerful as the kind some people have been experiencing their entire lifetimes. Appealing to their emotions is a much stronger way of getting the message through and you can see the effectiveness through the testimonials of the college kids after words and at the class
reunion. The reason I keep referring to the groups as "majority" and "minority" in parenthesis is because one of the main problems I have with the experiment is that it seems that the groups are actually equal in number. Thus the "minorities" don't get the full experience of being different from everyone else. They can fall back and hide within their large group as others take most of the punishment. In fact I would argue that they are more experiencing oppression than discrimination. Although, they may be synonyms and have similar effects I believe it is a slightly different feeling. I would compare what they experience to blatant racism that was more commonly found in the past. Blatant racism is obvious and came in the forms of segregation and obvious differential treatment because of skin color. I don't know if the people in the experiment get the full effect of what someone goes through today. They don't get to see the institutional racism and other modern more covert forms of racism that exist. While it might not be possible to simulate these in a controlled experiment such as this, I think they need to get more discussion after the fact as many people might not be aware of these walls.
Despite these negatives I still might continue to run the experiment as shown. Like previously stated I think you get much more out of this exercise by being in the persecuted group so having a less intense experience is a small sacrifice in order to get through to the most amount of people. This experiment is very worthwhile and while it may be somewhat harsh it is eye opening for many and seems to have changed many lives for the better. The majority of my relatives are from Indiana and in my visits there I've noticed that almost all are racists, ranging from subtle to blatant comments. So in what I feel is a somewhat similar area in Iowa, It's refreshing to see the opinions and open minds of the now adults who were in the experiment.