Blue or Brown?

Consider Jane Elliot’s famous classroom experiment, the Discrimination Day exercise, and discuss what sense can be made of it today.  Was she taking unjustifiable risks with the minds and characters of her students? 

       The Discrimination Day exercise was a very interesting experiment.  Watching the videos and listening to the teacher/children really made me think how something like this could be used today.  I think that this exercise could be used in various formats in an effort to express to chidren tolerance as well as compassion.  When Jane Elliot placed students in this environment they had no true idea what was going on.  I feel that this was what made the lesson so successful.  These kids weren't thinking about why brown eyed students were worse or better, just that they had the power.  Being a white male, it puts a lot of today's racial profiling and discrimination into perspective.  Because I do not receive any type of discrimination, I could possibly not even realize the 'power' I have.  So the saying goes, "walk a mile in another man's shoes".

       I do not feel that Mrs. Elliot was taking unjustifiable risks with the minds and characters of her students.  The experiment she performed on them was nothing more than a truth concerning human nature.  The students played into her game perfectly and the lesson that was ultimately learned was worth far more than the students feelings getting hurt for a day or two.  Those that were upset I assure you were more tolerant in the future than they would have been without.