Powerful. I worried for students doing things they would regret. As I spent more time playing the role I had less time to remember its rational origins and purpose. It was the last time I would ask anyone to recite. Arrogance, violence, terror. Students were expected to sit at attention before the second bell, had to stand up to ask or answer questions and had to do so in three words or fewer, and were required to preface each remark with "Mr. Jones". "Should we wear white shirts?" He ordered students to attend a noon rally on Friday to witness the announcement. I said chocolate chip of course. We ran into each other quite by accident. No. 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. He said that he invented the term "The Third Wave" and the salute for it. . Then say goodbye. It went like this. The feeling of being "in" or part of something so great and orderly. The belief that human beings are basically evil and therefore unable to act well toward each other. That's how it all started. Row after row began to fill. Not a vacant seat could be found. [9] Jones instructed three students to report to him when other members of the movement failed to abide by the rules. 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. They didnt know where their teacher was, and the doors were guarded by militant student Gestapo. Always we said them together, emphasizing the proper way to sit, stand, and talk. "Strength Through Community." To build a special society. In an embarrassed hug we greet. It's a bit of both isn't it? Yes, we would all have made good Germans. Hey Felton, many thanks for your comments! Moving toward the door and the world outside. In the final twenty-five minutes of the class I introduced some new rules. We knew that it was interesting learning about different political systems, but not something we would ever emulate. Thanks, Eugene Robert was crying. 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. It was also the genesis of a secret that I and two hundred students would sadly share for the rest of our lives. Jones was clear, history can repeat itself, but sometimes it does under controlled conditions. In 3 days the movement had grown to 200 students. I reiterated the importance of this event and asked once more for a show of allegiance. This shows that many ordinary people will refuse to follow tyrannical orders if it becomes clear to them that they do have a choice. Oh, you make promises to call each other but It won't happen. Performance in academic skill areas was significantly improving. Some former students explain that their parents at the time didnt talk about emotions, and taught their children to respect the government and authorities, but that the Third Wave Experiment gave them a different point of view on blindly following orders and authoritiesthey appreciated the fact that they had been given the opportunity to see through their naivety. On the contrary, he had not simply followed orders blindly, he had actually planned his actions in great detailhe was an author of the Holocaust. Many of the students were completely into being Third Wave Members. I turned off the lights in the room and walked quickly to the television set. To be number one. Our principal came into an afternoon faculty meeting and gave me the Third Wave salute. You can't admit to being manipulated. It's one of those occasions experienced by teachers when they least expect. set I had in the front of the room. The room was empty of sound. After 5 days students were informed it was an experiment on how NAZIsm spread. I explained how at noon on Friday a national candidate for president would announce the formation of a Third Wave Youth Program. This kind of lie has been criticised for being inherently unethical but is, in fact, the only way in which experimenters can ensure that their subjects are acting in an authentic way. It was a full page color advertisement in the current issue of Time for some lumber products. Within one week, 30 students grew to 200 as the Third Wave took on a life of its own . I walked over to Robert and threw my arms around him. Emotionally and psychologically they had exposed themselves. and not themselves. "Oh my gosh," he gasped. He was a retired air force colonel who had spent time in a German prisoner of war camp. The plea of ignorance. Students were rewarded for making an effort at answering or asking questions. The balance between role playing and directed behavior became indistinguishable. Not a single student elected to leave the room. The maneuver took five seconds. Evil becomes banalised by human beings, but it is not in itself banal. The experiments revealed the degree to which a person's own opinions are influenced by those of a group . Following the analyses of Israeli-German historian, Yaacov Lozowick, two British professors, Alex Haslam and Steve Reicher, have studied the experiments of Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo. I began to talk. April 21, 1967. No one moved. I would dismiss the class allowing them to leave their desks and then call them abruptly back to an attention sitting position. Conclusions made by contemporary political scientists and sociologists reflect the experiences of the subjects of the Third Wave Experiment and make connections between those experiences and witness statements in history. During the 1960s, Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of obedience experiments that led to some surprising results. Shereen Lehman, MS. Control. But most of the students looked straight ahead in earnest concentration. The feeling being correct was more desired than being free. Someone stood up and shouted. We get or take an ascribed role and then bend our life to fit the image. Like the Germans, you will have trouble admitting to yourself that you come this far. Things were already getting out of control. But the rally itself. We practiced this new attention position over and over. No one laughed. 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]. Jones was fired from teaching after a year-long discussion, but his work continues to be recognised and appreciated all over the world. The only reason I came to know Robert at all is that I found him eating lunch in my classroom. They demanded strict obedience of the rules from other students and bullied those that took the experiment lightly. Students seemed intent on the assignment and displayed Accurate recitation of facts and concepts. Pulled the locks shut. I reminded students of what it felt like being in classes where competition caused pain and degradation. I told the assembly that a full explanation would take quite a while. We just stood there exchanging smiles when without a conscious command I raised my hand in curved position. he was a body guard. You're more alert. Jones emphasized this main point of the movement . The third wave, 1967: an account - Ron Jones. Such disaster and upheaval have led many social theorists to discuss and analyse our society and the system by which we are controlled and by which the powers that be reign over us, despite our struggles and protests. 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. Over the course of five days (or nine, according to student Sherry Toulsey), Jones, a member of the SDS,[6] Cubberley United Student Movement sponsor[7] and Black Panthers supporter[8] conducted a series of exercises in his classroom emphasizing discipline and community, intended to model certain characteristics of the Nazi movement. I want you to remember and be able to recite by tomorrow the name and address of every Third Wave Member. 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. Strength through understanding It affected everyone. This conclusion falls flat on the hard ground, as many critics have concluded, including Arendt herself. The Third Wave experiment once again indicates that the normal group processes that make social life possible also can lead people to conform to standardsin this case fascismthat most of us would reject. Composite by Coffee or Die . I explained how discipline and community were meaningless without action. I graduated in 1967 and lost contact with Ron, But my mother worked at the school and kept me up to date as to what was going on with him. I am Mr. Jones. I have a question for you. Take part. Pride Is something no one can take from you. Now the students do their homework to be able to answer Ben Ross questions. Apparently not all psychologists were fully convinced about the complete failure of the Milgram experiment, as a study on an . ", With that I switched on a rear screen projector. While debating whether to stop or go on with the experiment I talked on and on about community. Then it was time to part. Community is that bond between individuals who work and struggle together. It felt hard to breathe and even harder to talk. Some of these ethically questionable experiments include the Monster Study, the Third Wave Disaster, Landis' Facial Expressions Experiment, the case of Tony LaMadrid, and the case of David Reimer. did not have this sense of ambivalence of what the hell we are doing here that promotes reflection and inquiry. Jones decided to continue the experiment after observing his students' strict adherence to the previous day's rules. In objective terms I began to describe the past events. 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 room rocked with a guttural cry, "Strength Through Discipline.". From Ron's description it is clear to me that his students (many? He walked always on my right. I felt very alone and a little scared. The advertisement proclaimed in big red, white and blue letters, "The Third Wave is coming." Turned our head as friends and neighbors were cursed and then persecuted. Let me show you your future. I sensed myself moving from an introspective participant in the event toward the role of teacher. 509-10) told his students in the . To accentuate this, I requested answers to be given in three words or less. As friends they chummed together. Only a small minority of students saw through the faade, they were named the breakers who tore down Third Wave posters and replaced them with counter slogans. When and how will this end? it's right here. They were something special. Discipline. 1981 Todd Strasser (Morton Rhue) Novelization "The Wave". The rabbi for one of the parents called me at home. There was not a murmur of resistance. Evil in itself is not banal, and evil acts do not necessarily have to be committed by evil people. Many students were over the line. 1967 Original "Third Wave" Class, Palo Alto, California. Don't you feel better.". The students chanted their slogan in anticipation. He was surprised when around twenty of the students made such reports. With Ron Jones, Philip Zimbardo, Scott Thomson, Sherry Tousley. Once again I faced the thoughts of closing the experiment or letting it go its own course. The Wave is a made-for-TV movie directed by Alex Grasshoff, based on The Third Wave experiment put on by teacher Ron Jones to explain to his students how the German populace could accept the actions of the Nazi regime. Shoved by your own desires into the place you now find yourself. Students were cutting class to participate and the school counselors were beginning to question every student in the class. 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. Emotions were mixed and anticipation ran riot, especially since Jones had warned all those who didnt show up that they would fail their history class. To conclude, the Third Wave Experiment may have been unorthodox, but the Third Wave Experiment produced several insights and conclusions into the nature and mechanism of tyranny. 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. In concluding this conversation I envisioned similar conversations throughout history in which the clergy accepted and apologized for untenable conditions. I expected a flood of questions, but instead got intense quietness. Jones intended only a one-day experiment.[9]. I found one inaccuracy in his account based on what you wrote. Was all my belief in Carl Rogers to shrivel and die? He followed me every- where. I just kept talking. Class expanded from its initial 30 students to a total of 43. Their faces held looks of disbelief. Where was this experiment leading? He always ate lunch alone. They even seemed to be asking better questions and treating each other with more compassion. I talked about pride. He told me about his friends that had been killed in Germany. 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. According to a former student, Jones did a double take. Here are ten bizarre psychology experiments that totally crossed the line. Simply upload, import the demo data, and swap out the text and images as you wish! "We can do it!" I can tell you and anyone else about the Third Wave. Was the desire for discipline and uniformity a natural need? Evil is not banal, and it cannot be found everywhere, but it is made banal by those who refuse to admit that they have been the perpetrators and performers of evil. "This is the final lesson to be experienced. Situations in which students were pitted against each other In everything from gym to reading. (From around 2010) It was 12:07. We talked and laughed about the Third Wave for the next few hours. 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