ZIMBARDO SYSTEMIC ENGAGEMENT SUPPORTING OUR WORLD AT THIS TIME OF NEED DR. PHILIP ZIMBARDO STANFORD UNIVERSITY PALO ALTO UNIVERSITY WHY ARE WE MEETING TODAY? OUR WORLD IS NOT WELL
Warning signs - Our planet is wounded due to negligence, greed, and related climate disasters. - Our physical and mental health are rapidly deteriorating with insufficient action taken. - Our political and social systems are failing. - Our ability to relate to each other with compassion and respect is increasingly fragmented, leading to various inter-group and racial conflicts. - Covid-19 Pandemic has recently hit our species hard! It has impacted all of us, with billions of people impeded, half a million now dead, and no clear end in sight. Is the worse yet to come? - We have been confronted with the fact that our healthcare systems are ill equipped to care for so much sickness, and that severe resource inequity prevents basic services deployment to those who are desperately in need. - We are recognizing the problem is not only this vicious virus spread, but also an incompetent political system which is not caring enough and is actively discriminating between different groups in society. - While these markers are present all over the world, we are clearly identifying severe manifestations of these problems in our own nation -- the USA!
Warning signs - The hideous murder of George Floyd has enacted another wake-up call, alerting us to our inundated systems of evil in many police departments and laws protecting only privileged classes. - The current racial justice uprising of protest marches and demonstrations across America, and around the world, are a clear signal that these warning signs are now visibly identified. - These clear markers of evil are not being ignored. Alongside depressing indicators of prejudice and systemic oppression we are also witnessing a large-scale heroic, collective public outcry for social justice. - It is up to us all to take pro-social actions in response to these evils and injustice! Responding to Warning signs - Here is a visionary statement from Angela Davis, professor emerita at University of California, Santa Cruz: “This is an extraordinary moment. I have never experienced anything like the conditions we are currently experiencing, the conjuncture created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recognition of the systemic racism that has been rendered visible under these conditions because of the disproportionate deaths in Black and Latinx communities. And this is a moment I don’t know whether I ever expected to experience.” - In other words, these recent tragedies have been effective in shining a clear light on Systemic Evil in our nation ! - The time to engage our positive response systems is NOW !
WARM UP MUSIC - SANTANA “CHANGE YOUR EVIL WAYS” WHAT IS EVIL? Evil is the exercise of Power to intentionally: ‣ HARM (psychologically) ‣ HURT (physically) ‣ DESTROY (mortally), and ‣ COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY (via genocide by nations) In social, economical and political structures: allowing Fraud, Corruption, Bullying, Discrimination- Sexist, Ageist, & Racist
3 TYPES OF EVIL INDIVIDUAL- Personal disposition- “bad apples” SITUATIONAL- Social and physical environment- The “bad barrel” SYSTEMIC- Organizational influences, political, economic, cultural, and legal- “bad barrel makers” Systemic Evil Worldwide - Poverty - Genocide - Slave labor - Sex trafficking - And Evil of Inaction: Climate Change Disaster Indifference ( promoted by U.S. President TRUMP! )
TWO VERY DANGEROUS QUESTIONS: 1. Would You electrocute an innocent stranger if an Authority asked you to act against your conscience? 2. Could the Holocaust occur again– in America? THE START OF THE SITUATIONAL EVIL YES/ YES - The shocking answers by Stanley Milgram in 1962 He conducted the first research that "quantified Evil” by measuring the degree to which an average person would deliver painful/ lethal shocks to an innocent stranger on the orders of an authority figure.
MILGRAM AND I WERE CLASSMATES AT JAMES MONROE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE BRONX, CLASS OF 1949-1950! LISTEN TO MILGRAM’S MORAL REASON FOR THIS RESEARCH ON BLIND OBEDIENCE TO AUTHORITY…
The experimenter as The Authority directs the “Teacher” how to shock his student- who verbally dissents, but behaviorally obeys The “Learner” getting strapped into the electric chair apparatus- he is the confederate of the researcher 40 PSYCHIATRISTS PREDICTED ONLY 1% OF ALL AMERICANS WOULD SHOCK UP AT 450 VOLTS —— WRONG!!! 65% WENT ALL THE WAY!
MILGRAM’S SHOCK BOX ALL EVIL BEGINS WITH 15 VOLTS, FOR JEWS FORCED TO WEAR A YELLOW STAR INITIALLY- THEN CONDITIONS WORSENED
NEXT, A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF SITUATIONAL EVIL THAT I CREATED WITH MY ASSISTANTS!
Participants answered this ad 75 applicants took personality tests, and interviews. The 24 most normal and healthy were chosen and randomly assigned as prisoners or guards. Prisoners wore smocks and were assigned number ID’s instead of names
Initial menial tasks escalate First prisoner 8612 broke down from extreme daily to more humiliating and stress reactions in 36 hours, and was released— degrading… then abuse by guards worsened daily until 5 prisoners had to be released Prisoners were often stripped I ended the study after only 6 days (was named, sexually taunted, and supposed to be 2 weeks)!! It had spun out of sexually degraded control!
SPE AS A NEW HOLLYWOOD MOVIE
Let’s pause to reflect What type of Prisoner would You be? What type of Guard would You be? What kind of Staff member would You be? What is happening today in America’s real prisons ? AMERICA’S MASS INCARCERATION– THEN & NOW ▸ 1971 – 358,000 CITIZENS IMPRISONED ▸ 2020 -- 2. 2.3 3 MILLION CI CITIZENS IMPR PRISONED ! ▸ 60 % are People of Color ▸ 75% of all imprisoned for drug offenses are People of Color ▸ $ costs-- $182 BILLION ANNUALLY !!
ZIMBARDO REBUTTAL TO SPE CRITICS ▸ Over many decades there have been numerous challenges to the validity and authenticity of the Stanford Prison Experiment. ▸ For those of you interested, here is a link to my detailed (19 page) rebuttal to each of them. ▸ ---- ▸ https://www.prisonexp.org/response MY LUCIFER EFFECT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX NATURE OF EVIL
LET US ENGAGE SYSTEMS BY BECOMING EVERYDAY HEROES! OUR THESE OUR ONLY HEROES?
SO WHAT IS A HERO? A. Acts on behalf of others in need , or in defense of moral causes, and engages against unjust systems B. Aware of risks to life, to finances, or to career C. Usually modest and humble, who usually disown the hero label THE COURAGE TO ENGAGE EVIL SYSTEMS IS AT THE CORE OF HEROIC ACTION PROMOTING A NEW CONCEPTION OF HEROISM AND SYSTEMIC ENGAGEMENT DEMOCRATIZE: Anyone can be a hero DEMYSTIFY: No special inner qualities are essential, or specific family background DIFFUSE: Away from solo heroes to team or Ensemble Heroes, working in safe, supportive community networks of Caring ENGAGE: Heroes collaborate to create community alliances of prosocial systemic engagement
ENGAGING SYSTEMS! “SYSTEMIC ENGAGEMENT” – This happens through the lens of caring attention, compassion and thoughtfulness. A SYSTEMS ENGAGED person is attentive to their surroundings, focused on helping others and is passionate about the wellbeing of their community. A SYSTEMS ENGAGED person is passionate to learn about the inner workings of their own mind, as well as the interpersonal dynamics of groups and systems. In order to be capable of effectively ENGAGING SYSTEMS such a person needs to be resilient, supported by a commitment to practicing self-care, as well as other-care. Effective SYSTEMS ENGAGEMENT works best when we contribute to the development of communities of care; in such communitys conditions to safely give and receive compassion are created. INSPIRING HEROES TO ENGAGE SYSTEMS! ▸ Heroes are usually Ordinary, Everyday people whose Actions in challenging situations are EXTRAORDINARY ▸ Heroism creates a positive Ripple Effect on others, and then it spreads throughout the world ▸ Listen to BARAK OBAMA’S views ON HEROES AND SYSTEMIC ENGAGEMENT
REAL LIFE HEROES ENGAGE SYSTEMS REAL LIFE HEROES ENGAGE SYSTEMS ROSA PARKS Seamstress in Atlanta Georgia; worked for white ladies. Fi First Lady of Civil Rights in in the Unit ited States. Refused to give up her bus seat to a white man, arrested, protested. She became Sh She helped st start th the civi ci vil rights mo moveme ment of prisoner of the state de desegregation of buses #7053 an and trai ains in in Americ ica. (N (Nov. 195 5 )
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