From the moment our country was created, one of the main liberties we asked for was the idea of equality, “that all men will be created equal.” Although this has been a part of the American ideal since 1776, American’s have not fulfilled this liberty. Individuals do not admit it, but many are still prejudice against minorities, particularly African Americans. In the 1960’s, around the time when Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for civil rights for people of color, a 3rd grade school teacher, Jane Elliot, from Riceville, Iowa was busy at work in an attempt to recreate the negative emotional and physical effects of racism within her classroom. She created an experiment in which she divided her students into unequal groups as a way of creating artificial stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination. Jane Elliot eventually expanded her experiments into the adult population. She has done these experiments on corrections workers in prisons, as well as college students. Through all these experiments, Jane Elliot has made many conclusions and generalizations that can directly relate back to the real world, and hopefully aid in solving the problem of racism.
Jane Elliot’s experimentation with stereotypes first began within the walls of her 3rd grade classroom. Before the experiment began she asked the students for their opinions on minority groups. Many of the students answered with statements regarding black people as being dumb and different than whites. They also discussed how African Americans do not have to same opportunities as white people do because of the color of their skin. Jane Elliot continued by effectively dividing the students into unequal groups based on eye color. From the initial division, Jane Elliot treated the students in the brown eyed group as if they were inferior to those in the blue eyed group. She set a vast amount of boundaries limiting what those in the bottom could do, and in contrast expanding what those in the top could do. For example, she enforced that blue eyed people were better than brown eyed people and that anyone who had blue eyes was clearly smarter and better at listening than those with brown eyes. She also gave blue eyed people special privileges, like getting extra time at recess or going up for seconds at lunch. The brown eyed people received no acknowledgement at all, unless it was to be ridiculed. They were also forced to wear a collar around their necks, as a visible distinction of the differences between the two groups.
Almost immediately after all the boundaries were set, all of the children seemed distressed and anxious, especially those in the brown eyed group. They were describing feelings of hopelessness, like they didn’t want to even try to do anything about the prejudice they were experiencing. They were all getting really upset, and they said they felt like they were trapped in a prison. They felt demoralized and humiliated. In contrast, the children in the blue eyed group turned into “monsters.” They were rude and nasty and were purposely calling the children with brown eyes names like “brown eyes.” This was a very interesting part of the experiment. When Jane Elliot asked why the blue eyed children were calling the brown eyed children names, they said because it made them feel good and they were trying to be mean. This is ironic because before this experiment, those children had been friends and eye color was never an issue. This is a perfect example of internal acceptance. The students were internally accepting that blue eyed people were superior to brown eyed people just because of what someone was telling them. Their actions were not at all based on what they truly believe. This also illustrates the idea of internal locus of control over a situation and if the students were acting based on their true beliefs, or if they were acting based off of societal expectations or other external factors. Jane Elliot repeated this experiment the next day, only she reversed the groups. This time blue-eyed people were on the bottom, and brown-eyed people were on the top.
The simulated discrimination took a toll on the student’s educational aptitude. On either day, whichever group of students was on top received more praise for their work and educational opportunities than those who were on the bottom. Jane Elliot also used phonics card packs on each day and timed how long it took the students to go through all the cards. When each of the groups was on top, they performed significantly better than when they were on the bottom. The only difference in the two days was if the students were being discriminated against or not. From this we can see the mental and educational burden placed on discriminatory groups. This directly relates to society, and the fact that many minorities, like blacks and Hispanics, do not always complete their college education. This study is saying it is not because they are dumb and drop-out, which is the stereotype. It is because it is not worth all the pain and torture they are put through every day to one day be successful. They are essentially pushed out. All of the badgering is too demeaning for them to want to continue on. It is a sense of a learned helplessness.
I feel that the way Jane Elliot employed the experiment to the students was the most effective way. I think the only way to get her point across to her students was to treat them the way people of color are treated every day. They needed to feel the pain and cruelty for a little bit of time, sort of like fighting fire with fire. I think through experience, the children learned a far deal more than they would have if they were just told. It leaves a mental image in their minds that they will never forget.
Jane Elliot expanded her study into a correctional facility. She employed the same experiment on groups of adults. The only difference was the groups were not reversed and repeated. This is because of the fact that the adults would’ve seen it as a game and not a learning experience. Also, students do not have a fully established academic self efficacy, so they are easier to manipulate. As in the 3rd grader experiment, the people were either on top or on the bottom. The blue eyed people were on the bottom. Through the entire experiment those with blue eyes were put down and bashed on every chance Jane Elliot could get. She called them out on being bad listeners, not being prepared to take notes, and on their grades on the written test they were required to take.
The same results were found in correctional facility. The blue eyed group felt very uncomfortable. They felt like they were being attacked and made lesser individuals. Those individuals with brown eyes were actually relieved they were in the group with all the power. I think the group of individuals in the bottom gained a little more knowledge from the experiment than those who were in the top. They got the first hand experience of being discriminated against based on a physical attribute that they could not change. They felt the pain and the humiliation, where the other group just witnessed it. Overall, however, I think both groups built a sense of empathy towards minorities as well as the skills to understand another person’s viewpoint.
When Jane Elliot even further expanded this study to college students, she was enlightened by their reactions and responses to the treatment. As in all previous experiments, those with blue eyes were almost immediately intimidated, badgered, and laughed at by those with brown eyes. They students learned that perception is everything, and you never really understand how another person feels because you are not them. It is a matter of how you make every situation out to be. One of the main points made was that an individual cannot make generalizations about anyone or anything because racism does exist everywhere. For example, people who are black cannot just leave and walk out when they are being discriminated against because it is there life and it is who they are. They do not have the freedom, like those people in the experiment, to escape the discrimination and just leave whenever they want. The group in the bottom’s experience can be summed up as what people going through the five stages of grief experience. They first started by denying the fact that they were different and that blacks were treated different. Then they got angry for being discriminated against and accused of discriminating against others. This was followed by bargaining for a way to stop the humiliation, and then a state of depression and hopelessness because they felt so inferior and demoralized. Finally, the group internally accepted the artificial stereotype that they were different and just sat back and dealt with it.
From 3rd grade to college students and then on to the adult population, Jane Elliot successfully created an atmosphere where discrimination and prejudice dominated individuals’ lives. Those involved in the experiments were put in physically and mentally demeaning states, where they learned firsthand how it feels to be treated as if you are nobody. I feel like all of the individuals involved gained a sense of empathy towards African Americans, as well as new perception on what truly defines someone as being different. Just because someone is different does not mean that they are good or bad. Everyone has the right to be different and we should not deny them. We need to accept and cherish all the differences in the world, and then we can live in a world that was anticipated for us, where “all men are created equal.”