I think the independent variable of the prison experiment should be the nature of people in the natural environment, such as being easy-going, tolerant, kind, etc. The questioning of the candidates at the beginning of the film shows that these candidates are normal people, and they are all people around us. Then, the power and identity differences given to the experiment should be the dependent variables. The conclusion of the experiment should be that the difference in power status will distort human nature and stifle human kindness and tolerance.
If this research result is true, then society, especially the history since the founding of North Korea, is carrying out endless similar prison experiments. A casual statement from a leader or superior, like random empowerment by the experimental designer, can change people's nature and expected life trajectory. The expected trajectory here should be the psychology reflected in the sentence "Is it necessary to be so serious?" said by the first guy who came in.
An idea of the leader, or an idea of the leader figured out by the executor according to his own wishes, is picked up by the executor who has the advantage in the hierarchy. At the end of the film, after the experiment, I agree with the sentence the prisoners said when they exchanged their thoughts with the prison guards: "Even if it is your duty, I think you are a little creative. If it was me, you might not be able to do it." The word "xinyi" expresses the vulnerable groups' understanding of the behavior of the enforcers of order, which may be the reason for the translation. I feel that in my heart, what the prisoners want to say is "perversion", the perversion caused by power.
This vague expression due to translation fits our current context well. Many leaders, especially new ones who want to be promoted, are exaggerating the responsibilities of maintaining the normal operation of the society assigned to them by their superiors. They exaggerate and use them to the extreme. It's a perverted execution. The behavior of many leaders is not to promote the normal operation of society and the integration of all walks of life, but to highlight their own authority and existence, set up obstacles, create sensational events, and provoke and intensify social conflicts.
Many prisoners or civilians see insignificant or normal affairs, and supervisors want to operate in a way that shows their authority. Imagine how much our society and life are changed just because of a random idea of the leader. The three antis and five antis, the first year and the second public, the crackdown, etc., all kinds of social movements that deviate from common sense, human nature, and the rule of law are obviously the recurrence of prison experiments time and time again. Just flipping through the news, a certain place in Gansu crushed the wheat that farmers had harvested in a few days in order to demolish it; someone would be detained, beaten, or detained just because of onlookers or a rebuke or a few comments on the Internet. harm.
In the prison experiment reviews, the most cited is the military training of college and high school students, which is simply a copy of the original version of the Stanford prison experiment in our country. , the various perversions of the instructors, the obedience and confrontation between the students and the instructors, the psychological changes of the students, and the negative news of the military training in the past few years under Baidu.
In addition to the prisoner's unacceptable expression of perverted behavior caused by power, the police actor's defense of his behavior at the end of the film is also representative. It's all arranged by the superiors, and it's also my responsibility. I want to test your patience. Didn't many officials use the same excuse afterwards? I don't know if the director copied us or if we imported Western values.
Although it was only a six-day experiment, and the professor said it was terminated, I felt that the emotional touch and personality changes brought to the experimenter could have lifelong effects. But if society is like this, who will stop it? When will we be able to get rid of the distortion of power, and participants at all levels will sit down like a normal person and exchange their views on social management?
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