Heya!

It's a me, Adventure Van! I'd just like to thank you all for coming and reading my less then good blog. It means a lot to me, so I hope you enjoy!

Sunday, August 7, 2016

The Milgram Experiment

The Milgram Experiment was a experiment that was originally about seeing what was wrong with the Germans when the experimenters discovered something much worse. Want to learn more? Read on.

The Milgram Experiment was a simple test from what you could see. Milgram got a large group of individuals (Suckered in by the stated pay of 4 dollars, a lot for doing basically nothing.) and told them they were going to perform a test for seeing how pain helps people to learn correct ideas. One of the people would be selected to be the 'teacher' and the other would be the 'student'. They'd be given the pay for joining the experiment then, and told they could leave at any time. As the 'student' is told how to get in to the room where he'll answer questions, the 'teacher' is given the equipment and the instructions;
The 'teacher' will ask the 'student' questions, every wrong answer will give an shock, with power ranging from 15 to 450 volts. Each wrong answer will give a worse shock, the last one with a label of XXX and Skulls.

However, both of the random selectors are teachers, and the student is a paid man. The shocks are all fake. The test was really about obedience to authority. Milgram had assumed that the Germans had something wrong with them, otherwise why would they kill hundreds if they didn't want to? He thought that testing it on Americans, who prided themself as 'Never bending to Authority' would be a great control group when he tested the Germans later. However, he never got around to testing the Germans.

Instead, he found out that around 90% of people would go up to the full 450, even after the 'student' was crying in pain, complaining of a heart problem, and then just going silent. Why? The 'Obedience to Authority', or because the 'Doctor' (Milgram or another conspirator) said that the 'teacher' must continue, that he (the 'Doctor') took full responsibility, and that the experiment must continue. The crowd of people were given their pay in advance, so they could leave at any time. Instead, most of them followed, but almost all of those that followed were horrified with themself and were glad to see the 'student' leaving the room.

For those that left, though, Milgram found that around 65% of those who would leave the experiment were either working of former electrical workers, meaning that people familiar with a from of pain wouldn't force others to endure it. The other 35% were normal people who just wouldn't do it, one saying "I'm American, goddammit, and you can't stop me." Milgram would find a totally different result then what he intended to get, but one just as terrifying. Any people, no matter how much they pride themselves on 'freedom', can be forced to do something they don't want to do and don't have to do just by using some choice words.

It's scary, and now I'm going to hide under the bed. 

Adventure Van, out. Wah.


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