One of the most enlightening
documentaries I have ever seen. It really makes you realize what an
impact our assumptions have on the world around us. If you treat
people like you believe they are brilliant, they will flourish in
your presence. If you consciously make a point to believe
in the absolute best in people, cherish their best qualities,
love and genuinely adore them, you will bring out the best in them.
They may even become capable of things of which they were not
previously capable. If you do not believe me, suspend your disbelief
just long enough to give this experiment a wholehearted attempt. Do
not doubt it while you are attempting it. Just try the thing for a
minute or two and see what you can accomplish. It is a beautiful
thing.
Conversely, when you are not believing
the best about people, the effects can be detrimental to their
performance.
This documentary really lays bare the
truth. Discrimination is an ugly thing.
When we realize we are all one, the
impact on our interactions, our thinking, our facial expressions,
body language and mannerisms can have a profound affect on the world
around us.
We only have racial issues because some
people (not we as a species, just some people) created this concept
of “race” or “ethnicity” and I for one am calling bullshit. I
do not believe in those racial categories like when you are asked to
check a box to indicate your ethnicity. Bullishit. That is all it is
. Bullshit and anachronistic cultural constructs. They are imaginary.
They do not really exist except in the minds of people who believe in
them. There is only one race, and that is the human race.
I do think we are closer and closer to
that place where racism discussed this film is less and less
applicable.
I happily anticipate a day when
discussion on this topic will be completely obsolete and people will
have completely forgotten the nonsense of racism.
In the meantime here is the link to the
film
I really wish that this film did not
even need to exist, but it was made because of these cultural
constructs (whether it be black and white or hutu and tutsi it is all
just a bunch of imaginary crap that has caused way too much
destructive bullshit) do exist even to some extent at present day. It
would be nice if every illinformed person, young or old, could see
this film and weigh the information unbiasedly for themselves.
Then additionally, regardless of the
“race” discussion, there are valuable lessons that can be taken
from this experiment that was conducted in this film. When the
children were told to consider themselves more brilliant and they
were treated as if they were more brilliant, their performance on
varrious tasks improved relative to what it had been prior to the
experiment. These results- this increase in ability, this improvement
in mental function and ability- these amazing results were
consistent, pronounced and continued even weeks after the experiment.
Here is what I take from that- the way
we treat people, the way we think about them, it impacts the way we
interact with them. It impacts the way we talk to them. It impacts or
body language and our posture. It impacts our tone of voice. It
impacts our facial expressions. And all this is a very integral part
of the interaction. And these things can influence and impact those
with whom we interact. And it can impact them profoundly for the
better. We have an opportunity inherent in every interaction to make
that person's life just a little better, or maybe even much better.
And, in doing so we are making the world a better place.
Okay, I am done rambling now. Enjoy the
film and have an awesome day.
Life is your garden; dig it.
Take care.
(There is another version of this film-
well there are several. But somewhere there is one where they show
pictures of the students on the different days of the experiment and
how much more lovely they looked when they were being treated with
elevated respect contrasted by the days they were not. The way these
things impact our world is so profound.)
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