Racism — prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. Racism to many people means so much more than that of a simple definition. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there was an uphill battle to be fought in the struggle for equality. Although some laws were passed to make African Americans less subservient to their white counterparts, the ideals of hatred ultimately prevailed. Jane Elliott, a schoolteacher deeply impacted by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., took it upon herself to fight this uphill battle as well. As a schoolteacher, she developed her brown vs. blue eyed experiment, to bully and antagonize the blue-eyed people based on a something seemingly as arbitrary as eye color. This was to prove that to discriminate based on skin color was equally as arbitrary. She still to this day proves that racism and stereotypes are an engrained and learned behavior in our society.

Jane Elliott’s experiment to me at least is clever. Does it truly help to tear down the barriers of our subtle, secret racist attitudes? To be honest, I am no expert. Jane Elliott is an expert, and even then people she performs the experiment on still do not fundamentally understand the purpose for her exercise. However, Jane Elliott’s genius idea to show arbitrary standards are a ridiculous and bigoted way to treat and act toward people with a different skin color or any other type of characteristic. The next question to answer would be, are her tactics considered bullying? Or do the ends justify the means. I have two counterpoints to any argument that would suggest Jane Elliott is a mean-spirited bully.

First off, racism or racist beliefs are an impenetrable wall for those with an ignorant mind. Walls, being the thick colossal structures they are, need to be broken down with force. Knocking on the door won’t do it, nor will sending gifts or playing nice. The people behind this wall need to be shaken and knocked out of their comfort zone, just as any given person of color feels when they are being antagonized. Something I feel people of ignorance in any case lack is true empathy. In that case, as a society, we need to pull off their shoes and put on those of oppressed people. And don’t forget to add the piano on their back, the taunting, the bigotry and the belief felt by their eyes that they are substantially inferior due to something as arbitrary as their skin color.

So yes, the blue-eyed (volunteers in this experiment), I mean bullied persons are made to feel uncomfortable. But here’s the thing, they’re most likely white. They leave, go home, eat dinner, go to bed and wake up the next feeling all refreshed, safe and secure. Oh and white. Some people of color in certain areas would leave said experiment be stared at, taunted and just discriminated against. I think people can handle three hours of “feeling uncomfortable” for the purpose of the greater good. If not, then we as a society has failed them which should push us to further fight the uphill battle. Race will never cease to exist; in some ways, it makes us who we are; however, that is no excuse for racism. I believe Jane Elliott’s life work has been crucial to fight the more modern day subtle racism that occurs at this very minute.