All volunteers split up into eye colour, people with blue eyes going to be dealt with harshly.

No wonder her programme has caused lots of controversy, but fascinating to see how they will deal with it.

As with similar programmes in the past, I'm rather surprised that none of the "guinea pigs" realize what they're in for. Jane Elliot's “blue-eyed/brown-eyed” exercise is very famous...

I was about to mention the Jane Elliot study Eugene - it's not a new experiment but lets hope they get counselled better than the poor kids in the US.

She's really in your face and harsh.

Agree with you Feeling uncomfortable already!

It's actually Jane Elliot who's running the C4 experiment, Pengy.

As for counselling: yes, I hope so too...

Will this actually inspire people in some way though as she seems to think it will?. We'll have to see, uncomfortable watching...

I'm not watching it Eugene - it's something I'll have to catch up on with 4OD.  We've just studied it in psychology at college which is why I know about it.  I like the concept of the experiment and it really is a good way to let caucasians experience what it's like to be excluded. 

One thing puzzles me - what do they do with the green, hazel and grey eyed people?

Charlie Brooker has already seen the programme and in his review he says of Jane Elliott:

"Even when the experiment is over she retains her abrasive attitude in a way that seems counter-productive.

By the time the credits roll you're....wondering whether she's a bit nuts.

Be vile during the experiment by all means, June, But once it's finished jeez....couldn't you at least crack HALF a smile?"

The divison was done on the basis of "Brown" and "Non-Brown" eyes.
I expect this is something that she's modified in the experiment after running it a few times.

Darlo in her original experiment, nearly all of the children who went back to meet her when they were 18, were still affected by the experiment - some would say to the better as they understood how African-American children felt at that time.  Remember it took place in the 1960s when there was still so much racism, although she came in for quite a lot of criticism.

Discrimination is horrible, this experiment certainly having an effect so far.

Eye colour bit is a good idea though for the programme.

This is one of the main criticisms of her exercise. She gave her defence right at the beginning: her experience from repeatedly running the exercise is that if she's "soft", it's not as effective.

Dammit I forgot this was on, and had really wanted to watch it.  Will it be shown on More 4?

Not sure, but it will be on C4+1 at 11pm.

Channel 4+1 Cinds at 11:00 pm

I agree with that woman just as much discrimination towards white people as there is towards black people, can happen to anyone regardless.

I might not be able to record it as I am also recording MHL, I'll have to check if Mr C is asleep yet.

YAY he wasn't asleep but watching DVD so I can record it, thanks for the reminder.

Certianly caused a division within the group, always going to be different opinions though on what discrimination and racism means.

dont fink i really got it but i was only half watching while doing the ironing. seemed to be a lot of hostility

What gets to me is the amount of people who think they are not racist, just because they have a mate who is black, brown, sky blue pink with yellow dots, and think that because they have this 'friend' using terms such as the P word etc is fine, but nooooooooooo using the N word is just wrong. 

I had a neighbour, who has thankfully moved now.  When she was selling her house, I had asked if she had had much interest, she said 'oh yes a few, but don't worry I'll try not to sell to a P', I looked at her in shock, and asked if she was serious, silly bitch replied 'well I would hate to sell the house to someone who would bring the street down', my reply 'jesus aren't I glad that you and your narrow minded views are moving out of the street'.

gawd.

Well yes I suppose it can, but do you not think that it might be a reaction to the years of  oppression and abuse that these people (African, Asian, Maori basically non-western) have had to endure.  Even then, I still don't think that the crap some whites might have to put up with is anything in comparison to what these people have and still have to deal with.

True, more compassion for those people in particular who need it, but will it ever end for them?.

thing is that woman's husband who  had to dress according to others expectation, could remove those clothes , which she  said he did and  liked to wander about like a scruff.

whereas the  bloke talking about his daughter and his denying himself the pleasure of meeting her from schol was to protect her, from how  her white schol mates may perceive her having seen her black father.

 i doubt he can go home and change into some white skin to pick his kid up from school.

that's the difference ,darlo.

Not when we have arse holes like the BNP around no it won't.

It would also be very helpful if some of the people that oppose the BNP also changed their attitudes as to what words are acceptable, maybe that would be a start. *removes rose tinted glasses*

Obviously the BNP will never change their views.

My son is mixed race, I'm the pale half of him, his biological paternal is Somali (I'm still toying whether I should get him a pirate outfit for Halloween ).

I have all sorts of crappy shit thrown at me over his heritage.  Even to the point of cutting people out of our lives because of their attitudes towards his beautiful skin colour.

OH and now I have a friggin twitchy eye, which only ever happens when I am a tad upset/annoyed, delete as appropriate.

Maybe not, but they might get less followers if people changed their inbred crappy attitudes towards minorities.  And people stopped using degrading terms for other races.

*stumbles off soap box*

Sorry but it all really pisses me off.  Try having a child coming home from school really upset and asking why he had to be born brown, just because of crappy fucking attitudes.  

Yeah yeah, I know, I'm off on one now.  It's not very often you get seriousness out of me on here, but for this I can't help myself.

My boy's mixed race too Cinds (as you know). His dad is Grenadian and due to my heritage (which includes Sri-Lankan) he is very dark and alot of people cant work out exactly where he's from. The one thing they have noticed is that he's partly black and from the age of 3 he's had shit for it. I had to pull him out of school when he was 6 cos the kids surrounded him in the playground and threw sticks and debris from school building work shouting 'get the nigger'. He still remembers it as clear as day. And these were 6 year olds FFS. They're not born with that attitude. It's bloody instilled in them from their parents. I have had so many 'discussions' with the Education Authority as to the work ethic of some of their teachers and their amazing selective moral guidelines. Thank frig he's now at high school where none of this shite goes on cos it just will not be tolerated.

Racism and discrimination starts at home IMO.

I felt sorry for that guy who wouldn't go to collect his daughter from school in case she got teased for it. This is 2009 FFS, not 1974. And totally agree with your BNP comment Cinds.

 Cinds.


Essentially, this is the basis of Jane Elliot's approach. It's putting into practise the "you can't understand someone till you've walked a mile in their shoes" concept. Unfortunately some of her "guinea pigs" never fully got it...

Karma, I moved to Newcastle over the summer when my lad was making the transition from nursery to primary, I was lucky (or so I thought at the time) to get him in to a school in Gosforth, had a great reputation, in less than a week my boy was miserable.

I was getting phone calls every day off the head telling me how awful he was etc etc.  I even went in to the school unannounced at lunch time (this was the alleged time he was at his worst), I stood behind a door and watched, he was being so well behaved.  Anyway, you trust what teachers are telling you, but I had a 4 yr old that was vomiting at breakfast because he was so scared to go to school.

He had been at this school for 4 days when the head teacher rang me and told me he had bit his teacher, I was totally shocked because he was never a biter, but I trusted her and so when I got him from school he was punished, and do you know, I am crying as I type this, I'll never forget the look on his face, cos he was just so scared from everything that had happened.  Anyway the next day I took him to school, so I asked his teacher what happened for him to bite her, she didn't have a clue what I was talking about.  Turned out the head just didn't like a brown face in her lovely white school.

I took him out of that school that day, and home schooled until I got him a place somewhere else, but even then the head still tried to get to him.  When I got him in to a new school, obviously they had to get his school records from the old school, and the head made a point of calling them to tell them what an awful unpleasant child he was.  The head teacher of his new school told me about it, because she was so furious that another head teacher could be so spiteful.

Bloody hell Cinds That's disgusting. And to think this goes on from such a young age. Jesus.

I've had similar situations of denial and THAT'S what grated me the most. It's the way the adults/teachers behaved. It's poxy cos there are some damned good teachers out there who dont see colour, they see each child as individual and want each and every one to do well. And when you meet teachers who want the best for your kid the difference is amazing.

Racism isn't only defined to black v's white, and I don't disagree that white people have suffered too, but it's terrible that in this day and age it's STILL an issue.

The Government might aswell have given the BNP a nice huge pat on the back and a golden handshake welcome. They've done frig all to control immigration in this country, they have no idea of the true population of this country or even where immigrants are. The benefits system is totally out of control and the UK is now known as the gift that just keeps giving. And this is what the BNP are using to their full advantage, and because of the Governments cock-ups on controlling this country they're gaining more and more interest from those who wouldn't have given them the time of day before. The new BNP recruits think they are making a positive stand and fighting for the rights of those born and bred here (the BNP campaign leaflet is hugely seductive if you dont read between the lines), but the reality is they are joining a party that are dedicated to getting Britain back to being all white again and causing divide and intolerance. The BNP can't use this as a campaign tactic anymore, as attitudes have changed in some areas, but this is the root of their cause.