Milgram's+Experiment+Eng.12

Meagan Blanchette November 7, 2011 Zenion = Enough is Enough =

A personal ethical perspective may derive from the events each individual endured. A majority says they know the line between ethical and unethical decisions. In a test recently done by Yale University many civilians proceeded to make unethical decisions due to the positive reinforcement provided by the study coordinator. Individuals make decisions that do not stray far from stupidity; instances in Florida and within the walls of a prison carry stories of shock. How far will they go? Americans today are desensitized to violence and feel that it’s inevitable. Humanity tests on humans are morally unjust, (insert thesis here! J )

The investigation room left the teacher to stare at the wall with the voltage meter conveniently located in front of their persons. The teacher would proceed to read a series of words; the catch is only one can be correct. A correct answer results in the student’s safety. On the other hand if the alarm sounds the student receives a voltage shock of a new unbearable level. The teacher hears a prerecorded ear-piercing scream. The experiment ensured the students safety just as the teachers became reassured they continued to pull the lever. On the voltage meter there was a note, //DANGER, HARMFUL LEVEL OF VOLATGE!// This was aligned with the one hundred and fifty voltage lever. Dr. Berger recognized a noticeable shift in body language, many broke down, and few followed through. The teachers consisted of twenty-two women and eighteen men.

She sat anxiously teetering in her chair the cue to begin had arrived. The back of her head faced the camera. The lens became filled with an abundance of grays and large flowers on her shirt that took on a life all their own. A woman of medium build reads each question to her //student// in a monotone voice. Not phased each time the voltage increased the stoic expression painted on her face remained still. She is a Yon Yonson. Chris, a seventh grade English teacher claimed her ability to differentiate agony and laziness. Chris then preceded to state the //students// shrill of pain was the same noise her seventh grade English class made when they received the prompt to write a five-paragraph essay. Chris endangered her //student// in the study by making unethical decisions, why did she proceed so far into the experiment? Chris stated simply it is the vulnerability you have for the situation.

Originally in the nineteen sixties Milgram’s experiment only tested male Government Infantries( G.I’s). The overall message of his theory broke down obedience to authority and personal consequence. Milgram paired two boys together they were cast as the teachers, curious to see when their morale would surface. To date back Milgram’s experiment expressed legality.

In today’s society there are restrictions in the work place and many other locations that regard ethical issues. In Florida, a McDonalds employee becomes shamefully stripped and sexually taken advantage of by the instruction a males voice spoken through a telephone. The anonymous male declared himself a cop. The McDonalds received this call during rush hour, meaning every employee played an important role in the efficient handoff of orders. Donna Summers, the manager took this call very seriously. The male claimed that //a cute brown haired girl in a McDonalds uniform allegedly stole his wallet, and he wanted her to be searched under the order of the police.// Summers followed direction, she then pulled the only girl who fit the description, and a seventeen year old high school senior was taken into the office. The voice stated that the worker must be strip searched and complete a series of jumping jacks. The girl was sacred, naked, and defenseless. When the male on the telephone became bored he asked if a male could fill Summers’ place so she could continue on the line during rush hour. Summers’ fiancé entered the room to the sight of a vulnerable girl who remained in the corner of the room. The voice administered that the male must slap her and she must perform oral sex. Now the anonymous voice was content with the destruction of the workers self worth. He hung up.

On the wall in the far left corner held a video camera, it contained the footage of the female worker. This story from start to finish all caught on tape for proof of unethical decisions. Oddly enough on the video the young worker never tried to escape the office once. She expressed **authority over obedience**, which in many cases defies all levels of morals. All parties involved faced jail time to the injustice of a seventeen year old girl.

In the Stanford prison college males proceed in a line as they wore nothing but loose smocks, no under garments and a nylon sock to resemble that of a prisoner. The students were meticulously placed behind a backboard that displayed the height of each convict. In the beginning of this test there was no abrupt movement, one guard turned this trial into a living hell for most. He stated “its all up to you.” All of the other prison guards followed him like the Hitler youth followed Hitler. The guard’s first acted upon prisoners being awoken during the middle of the night to exercise. The prisoner’s formed a rebellion. Quickly the guard’s took their **authority** to an extremity. Bicycle chains suffocated the prisoner’s ankles and left them unable to walk. Prisoners crowded the floor with their bare naked bodies, the floor had been their bed and toilet. The prisoner’s were humiliated in every imaginable way. Guards played an important role in this prison trial they caused pain, suffering, and prompted mental illness for many of the college prisoners. The students received fifteen dollars for each day. How much pain will you let your body endure for a dollar?

The aftermath of the Stanford Prisoner Experiment received the title of the most unethical survey. The select few doing observation never question or attempted to end this experiment. Why is that? The collection of data is more important that a human beings life? Human trials were banned for forty-five years. Two men who role played as guards spend their days in jail. The unethical decisions they made connect to Milgram’s theory of **authority** to obedience and personal consequence, actions become amplified in a group. They must reflect on their decisions everyday they look at their prison guard and hope that they do not get put through the same amount of pain as they put their prisoner through.

How far would I last? If I were to judge my personal morale, I think I would make it as far as the invitation. I feel that no amount of money could be put forth and I would immediately condone my time to harm another human being. Personally, I do not wish harm on anyone. The recently completed study led by Dr. Berger provided shocking results, seventy three percent of woman and sixty five percent of the men continued beyond the one hundred and fifty voltage meter. Many inquired questions to justify if anything happened to the subject that they were not at fault. This differed the responsibility to the study coordinator showing **authority** over obedience. Milgram’s theory proves that in many instances when listening to authority it may harm you and others around you completing the same tasks.