Quote:
Originally Posted by equinox63
The program below illustrates how within two days, a class of close-knit third-graders in Riceville, Iowa completely change when they are led to believe that they are either superior or inferior to other students in the class. It provides a wealth of insight into the causes and effects of prejudice, racism, and bigotry. Very interesting.
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I remember thinking when I was younger how shocked I was to learn that one time in the past a good majority of the population were prejudiced toward certain groups of people; I couldn't believe other people--that many people--could think that way. After studying the culture some hundred-odd years ago, I found that--though I feel before anyone gets any far-fetched ideas that I must strongly say that I myself do not agree with this way of thinking--that I have a better understanding of how they could have arrived at that way of thinking based on how they were raised and how society functioned as a very strong impressionating-factor in most people's lives.
Not that it doesn't factor in a strong way in people's lives anymore. We now (and we have before) praise the free-thinking individual whereas before these sorts of people were shunned or even put to death (I know that in certain societies past, I certainly would have been killed fairly early in life). Society in my understanding is sort of the "herd" mentality; it is interesting that a good percentage in modern times of the "herd" seem to idealize the individual and unique, whereas before it was a very dominating factor for most people to have their lives structured in a way that was very similar to everyone around them (though again, not that that isn't going on today, I just notice more expressions of wanting to be "unique" and different from everyone else--seems that this in a contradictory manner is the way in which "everyone wants to be like everyone else").
Well, as it is obviously apparent, I am an amateur at sociology, yet I find the topic most fascinating. I find it so phenomenal how a society's values, morals, and priorities change over time. An interesting book I've read on the topic is "Invitation to Cognitve Sociology" by Eviatar Zerubavel; fascinating if you are interested in that sort of thing.
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