Reality TV and the standford prison exseriment

WR 121-05
11 October 2013
The fact that this age we live in strives on conflict and emotion this experiment would turn out to be one of the most watched reality television shows of all time. In an interview in 2001 DR. Zimbaro said, “The study is now more in the popular consciousness than it has ever been before. Attributing part of the recent surge in interest to reality TV shows such as Survivor and Big Brother. It represents a forerunner of reality TV."
The characters in some reality shows go through difficult situations and face many kinds of problems. As more conflicts are shown, people become more curious and have the desire to watch the show over and over to see how the conflicts are resolved. This just goes to show us that society loves to watch shows with conflict and emotion. The Stanford Prison Experiment would leave people wanting more. Two weeks and a new set of candidates would start a new experiment, and people would still want more. Reality TV is built on the foundations of exposing and exciting human emotions. In this aspect some reality TV shows have successfully portrayed human emotions. There is no doubt that reality TV presents the viewers with small aspects of real life.
There is big money in reality TV. With high ratings there is would never be a shortage of big sponsors to fund it. With that money there would be a waiting list of people that would want to volunteer for this kind of show. From the person who thinks, “They won’t break me.” To the person who is just curious to what it would be like. And we can’t forget about the ones who would do it just for the money. There would be no shortage of people to fill the spots for this show. With a key stroke the random algorithm would select the guards and prisoners and away we would go. Will it be fast like in the original experiment, and turn on the second day? Or this time will the guards be the first to add more pressure on the inmates to set the tone of dominance over there situation. Every few weeks as the one show came to an end, and a new set of candidates were brought in. people would be left thinking about how the whole situation would play out different on the next show. It would give people a chance to see how good people put into this kind of environment could become perpetrators of evil. It would also show that even the strongest mind and concrete will could be broken in less than a week.
With shows like, “Jail” on Spike, and “Lockdown” on the National Geographic Channel, the road has already been paved for an experiment slash reality show like the Stanford Prison Experiment. As the cold steel of the cuffs get slapped on their wrists. To the ride in the cop car ending with the jail cell door slamming shut. You can see the horrendous shock of reality as it hits the person. Can’t you feel the shivers running down their spin? Can’t you see the hopelessness that falls over there face? The show “Jail” supplies a multitude of emotions as reality comes crashing in. As in the Stanford Prison Experiment, “Lockdown” is a prison environment but with people who have no choice to be there. Here you can see first-hand the will of men being crushed under the iron rule of guards in these super max prisons.
What drives much of the fascination with the experiment is the sense that any individual could become a brutal dictator if given the chance. Dr. Zimbardo said he is still surprised at how quickly the participants changed their stripes. "These guys were all peaceniks," he recalled of the students chosen to be guards. "They became like Nazis.” Doesn’t that sound like a show you would watch?