Example Of Critical Thinking On Social Psychology

Jane Elliott’s Blue Eyes vs. Brown Eyes experiment could hardly take place in our schools today. A controversial experiment of such a nature could be greatly criticized today as being too insensitive and naïve. The fact that the experiment is done in a class of young children-third graders while easily noticing Elliott’s determined reserve, and imagining how psychologically she deeply tread in instigating discrimination amongst these young learners raises eyebrows. Present parents would obviously complain that such a lesson is too direct and inappropriate for their young ones. However, one may be left wondering about the consequences of a similar experiment in today’s classrooms. Therefore, in as much as Elliott’s experiment could have garnered much criticism for treading and teaching against the grain, the impact of that experiment reached beyond her classroom.
I remember one afternoon when we were traveling in a bus way back from school. There was this young black man who was seated near me in the front seat. The bus was barely full, and several seats were empty at the back. As the bus was continuing to pick passengers along the next bus stations, on boarding passengers could fill the seats from the front slowly to the back seats. The last passenger to board the bus was a young white lady. She was destined to occupy the last seat at the back. Unfortunately, she complained and rejected that seat. We thought she could alight and wait for another bus. To the surprise of many other passengers, she publicly demanded in a commanding manner to take the seat of the front-seated black gentleman. Her acts raised criticism from the rest of the passengers, and I could remember one other woman who sat behind me whisper, “You mean racism and prejudice still exist in this 21st century?”