A French, state-run TV channel appears to be stirring controversy by airing a documentary about a fake game show in which contestants torture eachother, called
"Game of Death." Based on the well-known
Stanley Milgram experiments of the 1960's that, in the wake of Nazi Germany, sought out to measure man's willingness to obey orders.
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posted by phaedon
on Mar 17, 2010 -
33 comments
The tech business world has forever hyped the idea of "virtual communities," but it appears that the internet is actually making us
more connected. Back in 1967, Stanley Milgram (of
Milgram Experiment fame), proposed that we are all connected, on average, by six degrees of separation. The idea rapidly entered the popular consciousness, spawning
a parlor game, and
a hit play (and subsequent movie.)
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posted by CheeseDigestsAll
on Sep 7, 2008 -
10 comments
The Milgram Experiment Today? "Students commonly assume that, even if
Milgram’s famous experiment sheds important light on the power of situation today, were his experiment precisely reproduced today, it would not generate comparable results. To oversimplify the argument behind that claim: The power of white lab coats just ain’t what it used to be. Of course, that assertion has been difficult to challenge given that the option of replicating the Milgram experiment has been presumptively unavailable — indeed, it has been the paradigmatic example of why psychology experiments must be reviewed by institutional review boards ('IRBs'). Who would even attempt to challenge that presumption? The answer:
Jerry Burger, a psychology professor at Santa Clara University. With some slight modifications, Burger manage to obtain permission to replicate Milgram’s experiment — and the results may surprise you."
[Via MindHacks]
posted by homunculus
on Jun 19, 2008 -
60 comments
Mass. school punishes students with electric shocks "They can be shocked for behaviors including ’failure to maintain a neat appearance’, ‘stopping work for more than 10 seconds’, ‘interrupting others’, ‘nagging’, ‘whispering and/or moving conversation away from staff’, ‘slouch in chair’ '
I have spoke before of
American Enantiodromia. Further, Thomas Moore wrote in
Dark Eros: The Imagination of Sadism
, that in any culture that does not acknowledge it's skeletons, --it's sins, if you will-- will have that imagination played out in real life.
The ways of Sade are not limited to bedroom and scenes of bondage or porno theaters or forbidden books. Any aspect of culture, from the great to the small, insofar as it is engaged in issues of power has therefore Sadean qualities. Furthermore, since life is never perfect, every aspect of culture will know the split of power into torture and suffering, dominance and submission, or sentimentality and cruelty.
I wont editorialize anymore than I have, but I can't help but wonder,
When did psychological abuse become entertainment? or has it always been thus?
Also see:
N.Y. report denounces shock use at school.
I look forward to your Parallax View.
posted by Unregistered User
on Jun 17, 2006 -
33 comments
