Dakota Cameron
Gold Member
- Points
- 26
So a two years ago in class we did this social experiment (which has been the subject of controversy in the past).
As soon as we walked into the lecture theatre, all blue eyed people were yelled at and made to sit at the back of the theatre. They weren’t allowed to talk, weren’t allowed to eat or drink and were absolutely verbally bashed if they were asked a question.
Hazel eyed people were welcomed into the room, applauded for ridiculous questions and statements and encouraged to openly discriminate against the blue eyed people.
Meanwhile, as the only brown eyed person - i was forced to choose which side i would take. I could either join the glory of the hazel eyed group, or to join the less dominant blue eyed group. Strangely this resonated so strongly with me. While the point of the experiment was more closely aligned with racial discrimination than other types, the lecture itself spoke about many different types of groups that are discriminated against on a regular basis in Australian society, included ‘working ladies’. Sadly, someone flatly denied that ladies in the adult entertainment industry are discriminated against (funnily enough it came from the same person who gave me a hard time in a different unit)
My point is: here i was a brown eyed person stuck between two figurative worlds. Here i am, in real life, stuck between normality and the adult entertainment industry. There have been many times when i have been made to feel like i have to choose between the two, i could either live my life to conform to the typical ‘norm’ of what society considers to be acceptable and hide my job as a sex worker.
In this figurative world, and in this real world, i decided to neither choose the dominant group, nor the the minority group. Because the fact of the matter is, that i am already a part of both of these worlds. I know that i can be a good person regardless of my job choice and i know that i can still be a part of society and love each individual.
Maslow said that authenticity was the key to self-actualism. Well here i am to test that out. The many different values and beliefs that i hold, make me who i am. No matter what other people do or say. I will not take the easy road. I will be authentic and i will be ‘thewholeme’.
***Obviously by the mid-way point of the lecture, we were all told what was going on. Everyone was okay… i don’t think there was any lasting psychological damage
.
As soon as we walked into the lecture theatre, all blue eyed people were yelled at and made to sit at the back of the theatre. They weren’t allowed to talk, weren’t allowed to eat or drink and were absolutely verbally bashed if they were asked a question.
Hazel eyed people were welcomed into the room, applauded for ridiculous questions and statements and encouraged to openly discriminate against the blue eyed people.
Meanwhile, as the only brown eyed person - i was forced to choose which side i would take. I could either join the glory of the hazel eyed group, or to join the less dominant blue eyed group. Strangely this resonated so strongly with me. While the point of the experiment was more closely aligned with racial discrimination than other types, the lecture itself spoke about many different types of groups that are discriminated against on a regular basis in Australian society, included ‘working ladies’. Sadly, someone flatly denied that ladies in the adult entertainment industry are discriminated against (funnily enough it came from the same person who gave me a hard time in a different unit)
My point is: here i was a brown eyed person stuck between two figurative worlds. Here i am, in real life, stuck between normality and the adult entertainment industry. There have been many times when i have been made to feel like i have to choose between the two, i could either live my life to conform to the typical ‘norm’ of what society considers to be acceptable and hide my job as a sex worker.
In this figurative world, and in this real world, i decided to neither choose the dominant group, nor the the minority group. Because the fact of the matter is, that i am already a part of both of these worlds. I know that i can be a good person regardless of my job choice and i know that i can still be a part of society and love each individual.
Maslow said that authenticity was the key to self-actualism. Well here i am to test that out. The many different values and beliefs that i hold, make me who i am. No matter what other people do or say. I will not take the easy road. I will be authentic and i will be ‘thewholeme’.
***Obviously by the mid-way point of the lecture, we were all told what was going on. Everyone was okay… i don’t think there was any lasting psychological damage
.
