Despite their protests against the idea that they would themselves be fooled by tyranny in the same way that Hitler Youth and the German people were, the students nevertheless fell for the experiment, and the authority of their tutor led them to fully believe in The Third Wave movementdespite the fact that it was completely made up. At twelve o'clock sharp I closed the room and placed guards at each door. Set in 1967 in Palo Alto, California, during the Vietnam war, racial integration and social revolution, the play centers around a young, popular teacher, Ron Jones, and his world history class. Ron is making a living out of lying about what happened at Cubberley. Ordinary people will rationalise rather than be rational when they are in a threatening or difficult situation, in order to excuse themselves for being part of something that they fundamentally disagree with. "Strength Through Community." [1] The idea that democracy emphasises individuality was considered a drawback, and Jones emphasised this main point of the movement in its motto: "Strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action, strength through pride. Students slowly rose from their Chairs and without words filed into the outdoor light. A new purpose. Just smiling and saluting other class members. "There is no leader! By Thursday the class had swollen in size to over eighty students. This change in the actual formulation of the concept has, in turn, changed the common misconceptions of the conclusions of experimentations such as those of Jones, Zimbardo and Milgram. The rabbi for one of the parents called me at home. I began to think that the students might do anything I assigned. The Asch conformity experiments were a series of psychological experiments conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s. Many critics believe that the so-called soft sciences such as sociology cannot produce any accurate conclusions, but the thesis brought forward recently by Haslam and Reicher is strong and has, with the help of other theorists, built a new attitude towards the conclusions arising from social experiments. Each Student had a job and they weren't to . They are lost. In A Nutshell. Third Wave Experiment. The prompt was given in the imperative, but it highlighted that the imperative was literally lacking. The balance between role playing and directed behavior became indistinguishable. "[1], Although the experiment was not well documented at the time, it was briefly mentioned in two issues of the Cubberley High School student newspaper, The Cubberley Catamount. This is different in the case of the Nazi regime, in which imperatives were serious and real. ", "If our enactment of the Fascist mentality is complete not one of you will ever admit to being at this final Third Wave rally. On Friday, the final day of the exercise, I spent the early morning preparing the auditorium for the rally. On Monday, I introduced my sophomore history students to one of the experiences that characterized Nazi Germany. Evil becomes banalised by human beings, but it is not in itself banal. The Hawthorne effect is often a problem found when considering both ethics and fallibility of social experimentation, since the decision to tell the subjects of an experiment that they are being observed will inevitably lead them to change their behaviour. Students were cutting class to participate and the school counselors were beginning to question every student in the class. Strength through community You are a selected group of young people chosen to help in this cause. Was all my belief in Carl Rogers to shrivel and die? I couldn't let the Roberts lose again. New people were speaking. If Ron Jones was in fact terminated from the school, it is clearly because humanity is afraid to let go and see what is possible. In focus drills I concentrated attention on the feet being parallel and flat, ankles locked, knees bent at ninety degree angles, hands flat and crossed against the back, spine straight, chin down, head forward. By this, the fourth day of the experiment I was beginning to lose my own arguments. To conclude the session on direct action, I instructed students in a simple procedure for initiating new members. There is no such thing as a national youth movement called the Third Wave. Like awakening from a dream and deep sleep, the entire room of people took one last look back into their consciousness. In the library or in gym students would be seen giving this strange hand jive. He completed the third wave experiment because he was unable to teach his students how the German population in the Holocaust allowed the Jews to be treated the way they were. In our consoling each other we became a rock in the stream of exiting students. The power of the will. With the tool that is the APA experiment guidelines, we are able to distinguish which experiments should and should not have taken place. I was only doing my job. Arrogance, violence, terror. Our class came up with the motto the "the third wave" and the salute, but it stayed in our class and was not carried out into the school. He would talk to the parents and calm their concern. This is exactly what happened across one . Was this display of obedience a momentary game we were all playing, or was it something else. The ultimate triumph. You can't admit to being manipulated. Robert was big for his age and displayed very few academic skills. The television won. Here I was enacting an authoritarian learning environment and it seemed very productive. When a student asks how so many people could be . In our own personal habits and way of life. While debating whether to stop or go on with the experiment I talked on and on about community. I hadn't planned such intensity or compliance. I have participated in similar experiments and also discovered the innate being inside is so easily manipulated due to a childlike want for approval and purpose being just the way they are. I then proceeded to talk about the meaning of action. The trials. We knew that it was interesting learning about different political systems, but not something we would ever emulate. ", "It's all set for tomorrow. I am having a hard time believing this. Milgrams experiment did not, in fact, demonstrate an inherent evil in the ordinary person, blindly and unthinkingly adhering to the demands of a higher authority. Turned our head as friends and neighbors were cursed and then persecuted. Juden, Kommunisten, Zigeuner, Schwarzethere were labels for people according to what kind of offence or threat they posed to the regime so that everyone would know their place in society. I sensed myself moving from an introspective participant in the event toward the role of teacher. Who is this young man hugging me? Instead of simply summarising Haslams theory, however, its necessary to study his newer formulation of old conclusions to analyse a different, lesser-known social experiment called The Third Wave Experiment. We just stood there exchanging smiles when without a conscious command I raised my hand in curved position. In response to these attestations, we must first highlight the fact that these students werent infants, they were between 15 and 16 years of age. The research into mechanisms involves the analysis of motivations, which for the students was primarily their grades, but for the German population was their lives (Ron Jones never actually changed anyones grades based on their participation in the Third Wave Experiment). Feel strong and in control of destiny. Their teacher called the group "The Third Wave," even going so far as to punish an improper sitting posture. They possessed a silent confidence and took pleasure in a school setting that gave them academic and leadership opportunity. Evil becomes banal when ordinary people dont want to admit that they are implicated. Evidently, experimentation in the social sciences is different. Well, the Third Wave gave Robert a place in school. The Third Wave Is a nationwide program to find students who are willing to fight for political change in this country. The goal of the experiment had thus been achieved. I lectured about the beauty of discipline. The machine came to life producing a luminous field of phosphorus light. And I daily argued to myself on the benefits of the learning experience. Talk about tone deaf. Then say goodbye. Given that assurance and smile I couldn't say no. We ran into each other quite by accident. Jones." I whispered to him to watch closely and pay attention to the next few minutes. Some would say he abused this confidence that the students had in him to play the tyrant, but, ultimately, he was still respected by the students and his colleagues even after the movement was exposed as a lie. It was strange how quickly the students took to this uniform code of behavior I began to wonder just how far they could be pushed. Yes, we know in a small way what it feels like to find a hero. It's your job to read this pamphlet and report its entire content to the class before the period ends. However, Ron tried to think that he could transfer that type of instruction to a mixed class of girls and boys who were not prepared for his style of instruction. Burned ideas. For years after the second world war, when the world had time to reflect, we had taken the conclusions of these experiments and the words of Arendt to conclude that evil, in itself, is banal, and can be found in the most ordinary of upstanding citizens. Like the Germans, you will have trouble admitting to yourself that you come this far. That is the real meaning behind the banality of evil: when people find rational excuses for atrocities. This activity we have been doing has been practice for the real thing. We learned what it felt like to create a disciplined social environment. There were the athletes, the social prominents, the student leaders, the loners, the group of kids that always left school early, the bikers, the pseudo hip, a few representatives of the school's dadaist click, and some of the students that hung out at the laundromat. Even stranger was the gradual improvement in the quality of answers. "The Third Wave isn't just an experiment or classroom activity. In the next few minutes and perhaps years, you will have an opportunity to answer this question. We did noise drills in which talking was allowed only to be shown as a detraction. ''Is this part of the campaign, Mr. There must be a program. A new member had only to be recommended by an existing member and issued a card by me. Oh, you think to yourself that you were just going along for the fun. Why hadn't I thought of this technique before. And profound revelation. That's what I did. The room rocked with a guttural cry, "Strength Through Discipline.". They were learning more. Played guitar and enjoyed drama. [1] Jones wrote a detailed recollection of the experiment some nine years afterward. To provide an encounter with community I had the class recite in unison "Strength Through Discipline." One of the central points of this movement was that democracy's main weakness is that it favors the individual over the whole community. Was The Wave Experiment by Ben Ross Succesful. I began to talk. The advertisement proclaimed in big red, white and blue letters, "The Third Wave is coming." It was 12:07. To give validity to the seriousness of my words I turned to the three women in the class whom I knew had questioned the Third Wave. I marked three of the cards with a red X and informed the recipients that they had a special assignment to report any students not complying to class rules. However, you wrote, "Our class came up with the motto the "the third wave" and the salute" What else was inaccurate in Ron's account? Jones announced to the class that this movement was a part of a nationwide movement and that on the next day a presidential candidate of the Third Wave would announce its existence to the public. He convinced the students to attend a rally where he claimed that the classroom project was part of a nationwide movement, and that the announcement of a Third Wave presidential candidate would be televised. Our principal came into an afternoon faculty meeting and gave me the Third Wave salute. The student was, in fact, an actor behind a screen in a different room, who would plead and let out cries of pain as the fictional volts increased. [9], The students all arrived at 11:50 a.m. Jones had convinced a number of his friends to pose as reporters, and asked the students to demonstrate what they had learned in the minutes before the televised address would supposedly begin. There was a mental tug of war between the people in the room and the television. The visual stench of death camps. Take this story with a considerable grain of salt. Finally questions began to emerge. The salute was give. Outright organised fascism is capitalism gone over the top, but manipulation of group dynamics happens all over the place - particularly in schools - and is the means used to get people to behave in required ways, absurd ways often but sometimes ways that are practically credible on the surface. The act of apology. A hushed silence shrouded the room. I said chocolate chip of course. Be in the small auditorium ten minutes before 12:00. The world misinterpreted her idea of the banality of evil; many believed that the phrase meant that within each of us there is evil and that the Nazi criminals were ordinary people simply following orders. Sort by: best. We spent hours later talking about what he felt and did, but from that moment on Thursday morning I was more concerned with what might be happening at school. After 5 days students were informed it was an experiment on how NAZIsm spread. I was now acting instinctively as a dictator. At this stage of the game I was debating in my own mind whether to stop the experiment or continue. I wondered if this doesn't happen to lots of people. It was equally disconcerting to realize that complex and time consuming written homework assignments on German life were being completed and even enlarged on by students. [9] Subsequent articles by other authors followed, some featuring interviews with Jones and the students involved. His role playing spilled out of the class into all of the school. The experiment had now taken on a life of its own. He calls me Mr. Jones. I told him we were merely studying the German personality. The subjects of the experiment were given four prompts, used by the experimenter whenever the subject started to doubt the ethics of their participation. In the beginning, the students treated the new regime as a game but became more serious once their teacher told them their marks were at stake. [10][6] Another issue of the paper has a longer account of the experiment at its conclusion. There have been a number of famous psychology experiments that are considered controversial, inhumane, unethical, and even downright cruelhere are five examples. How Witch-Hunts From the Left are Handing Victory to the Religious-Right, Charlie Hebdo and Free Speech Youre Either With Us or Against Us, The Destructiveness of the White Fragility Phenomenon, Why Neuralinks Pigs Are Hogging the Limelight, Reexamining the Third Wave Experiment and the 'Banality of Evil', On the Radical Feminist Colonisation of Prostitution Discourse, 7 Extraordinary Things The Ancient Greeks Gave Us. [2], The experiment began with simple alterations such as proper seating. Motivations having been identified, it becomes easier to explain why tyrannical regimes can come to fruition and power. set I had in the front of the room. To be right. How could the German populace claim ignorance of the slaughter of the Jewish people. As for my part in this exercise, I had nothing but questions. I discussed the beauty of taking full responsibility for ones action. By strange coincidence I think it was Steve who started the Third Ways with a question. Not a single student elected to leave the room. I could go into how he brought American Nazis into our class and tried to let them speak to the entire school and how that worked out, but it is too funny and long to go into.Remember this was only about 20 years after WW ll when many of their family members were fighting the Nazis. I walked up and down the aisles of seated students pointing out small flaws, making improvements. The involvement level in the class moved from the few who always dominated discussions to the entire class. Thanks to ethical codes and institutional review boards, most of these experiments could never be performed today. With that, I gave the salute followed automatically by two hundred arms stabbing a reply. A slogan had been created throughout the first three days by Jones and his class, and banners were posted all over the school, reading strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action. The other option of just letting the experiment run its course was also out of the question. We practiced short "silent reading" sessions. Edit: here is a video and post of Sherry Tousley describing the assembly in the gym on the last day among other things. Control. Across the country teachers like myself have been recruiting and training a youth brigade capable of showing the nation a better society through discipline, community. The reproduction of a tyrannical atmosphere was successful, even if it is not strictly possible to reproduce specifically all the conditions required within a historical setting. I found him that morning propped up against the classroom door. The experiments revealed the degree to which a person's own opinions are influenced by those of a group . In an embarrassed hug we greet. The deductions taken from such experiments are strong when they are seen alongside natural experiments, where the events have already occurred in history and have already provided a significant and real basis for the analysis of society. 1976 Ron Jones First Short Story "The Third Wave". quite the contrary. The question here is not why but how the German people came to support the Nazi regime. To make the salute you brought your right hand up toward the right shoulder in a curled position. We were studying Nazi Germany and in the middle of a lecture I was interrupted by the question. Lesson Plan: Directed by David Jeffery, Philip Carr Neel. A television screen placed at the front of the room showed nothing but snow. He will explain all the things that he was able to manipulate the kids into doing which seems like would've taken weeks or months and claim it only took one day. Strength through understanding Everything rests with you and your willingness to take a stand.". So, he decided to demonstrate this . "This is the final lesson to be experienced. Always we said them together, emphasizing the proper way to sit, stand, and talk. Ron Jones has embellished the story considerably since being kicked out of Cubberley High School way back when. He decided to create a fictional social movement as a demonstration of the appeal of fascism. Jones emphasized this main point of the movement . My job. I am Mr. Jones. I worried for myself. Hand curved in a similar fashion I return the gesture. "It's over." Jones was himself alarmed by how far his students took the movement to heart and how they orchestrated a group of guardians and SS style spies to worm out the traitors to the movement. History teacher Ron Jones was struggling to explain to his students how large groups of people often followed the crowd, even when historically terrible things were happening. He was holding on to me and shaking. This conclusion falls flat on the hard ground, as many critics have concluded, including Arendt herself. This lesson was the question that started our plunge in studying Nazi life. Milgram's original "shock box" displayed at the Ontario Science Centre. In the still darkened room I began the explanation. Answers *tarted to stretch out as students usually hesitant to speak found support for their effort. Kids were instructed in posture, began each remark with Mr. and saluted. The intensity of the response became more important than the content. Strength through discipline Within one week, 30 students grew to 200 as the Third Wave took on a life of its own . "Before turning on the national press conference, which begins in five minutes, I want to demonstrate to the press the extent of our training." Ron Joness students didnt know they were taking part in an attempt to show how they too could fall into step when a tyrannical authority was present. Jones told his students of the true nature of the movement as an experiment in fascism, and presented to them a short film discussing the actions of Nazi Germany.[9]. Many students were over the line. So we become the image. The next day, the students assembled in a lecture room at midday. "Pride is more than banners or salutes. I can tell you and anyone else about the Third Wave. This incidence of monitoring meant that half the class now considered it their duty to observe and report on members of their class. Steve Conigio had been a sophomore student in my World History class. Late Wednesday afternoon I found Robert following me and asked what in the world was he doing. They included . We talked and laughed about the Third Wave for the next few hours. Yes, I had been pushing information at them in an extremely controlled setting but the fact that they found it comfortable and acceptable was startling. Faced with this experiment exploding in one hundred directions, I decided to try an old basketball strategy. Knowing that one is being monitored changes ones behaviour significantly. Jones instructed the students on how to initiate new members. It was a silent signal of recognition. I saluted back. Not knowing when and if you'd ever see each other again. He was surprised when around twenty of the students made such reports. Their faces held looks of disbelief. It's taken three years. "Everyone turned in shock. The big lie. The first day, the students acted almost as if it were a game and obeyed the commands of their teacher who they already trusted and respected. Jones." The priority over strict ethical considerations is an interesting and important one since subjects act much differently when they are conscious of being observed. Hey Felton, many thanks for your comments! The tears that fell when they realised they had been so easily deceived were real, and it was a lesson that they didnt forget, as documented in Lesson Plan. I was tearing apart. No one moved. Where is their curiosity or resistance to this marshal behavior. The rabbi became a part of the experiment In remaining ignorant of the oppression in the experiment he became an accomplice and advocate. All day long he opened and closed doors for me. 6. First I would have two students stand and call back our motto. He seemed delighted and told me not to worry. There was much more to see and try to understand. The plea of ignorance. Experiment in Palo Alto, California, proves that what happened in Nazi Germany was not unique to that time or place. Where is it? In this case it was Steve running down the street shouting "Mr. Jones, Mr. Many of the students were completely into being Third Wave Members. Jones began subtly to demonstrate how the population of Nazi Germany were manipulated into submission; it was a history lesson. While Jones taught his students about Nazi Germany during his senior level Contemporary World History class, Jones found it . The exchange of physical hardships for superior mental and physical facilities. The Third Wave had become the center of their existence. On Wednesday, I decided to issue membership cards to every student that wanted to continue what I now called the experiment. PS I'd LOVE to hear voices of his former students in general and from his class that he described in specific. In objective terms I began to describe the past events. 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