Philip Zimbardo The Ted Talk Analysis

607 Words2 Pages

The TED talk by Philip Zimbardo was very thought provoking. He was a witness of the Abu Ghraib jail prisoner harassments during the Iraq war. He shared graphic images of what occurred in those torture chambers and it really made me doubt humanity and it’s morality. He believes the military police were put in a position by the interrogators to perform evil acts against the prisoners as an intimidation tactic. He also conducted the Stanford prison experiment where he sort of mirrored the events that took place at Abu Ghraib jail. He asked for volunteers and made sure they were mentally fit. He made half of them the officers and half the prisoners. The prisoners were humiliated and abused, he actually had to end the experiment early because several of the volunteers had mental breakdowns. Phillip made a point during the speech that the system creates a situation …show more content…

I think that reigns true. Everyone thinks evil thoughts, but with no situational pressures and all the personal responsibility, we refrain from them. But, with the lack of ownership for these actions and someone directing us, anyone could act in this way if they were weak minded enough to follow it. The strong minded, independent individuals who do not follow authority when it is negatively impacting someone else are standing up for what’s right even if they stand by themselves. Just like the whistleblower of the Abu Ghraib jail events, he was ostracized and had to go into hiding. Everyone else was following the evil in their heart and he wasn’t going to sit by and let these torturous acts continue. It is all personal choice, it is up to us which half of our heart we choose to act upon. Yes, there may be strong influences, but that does not mean we can do whatever our evil half says or what the leader says and not feel personally accountable for the negative

Show More
Related

  • TED Talk Rhetorical Analysis

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    A TED Talk video is spreading ideas in a speech that takes about eighteen minutes or less.In a TED Video, the speaker uses Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, to persuade their audience to believe them.Ethos is an ethical appeal (credibility), convincing the audience that the speaker is someone worth them listening to.Pathos is when the speaker uses emotions to persuade their audience.Logos is when the speaker uses reasoning and common sense to get to their audience.

    Read More

  • Lance Lowry in the Criminal Justice System

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    My interview with Lance Lowry has really opened my eyes to our prison system. I have always believed our prison system was there to reform and change inmates, and rehabilitate them back into law abiding citizens. That is definitely not the case. It makes me affirm my decision in criminal defense, and make sure everyone has a chance for reform and change.

    Read More

  • Comparative Analysis Of The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    The power of blind obedience taints individuals’ ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in terms of obedience, or disobedience, to an unjust superior. In the article “The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism,” Marianne Szegedy-Maszak discusses the unwarranted murder of innocent individuals due to vague orders that did not survive with certainty. Szegedy-Maszak utilizes the tactics of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization, respectively, to attempt to justify the soldiers’ heinous actions (Szegedy-Maszak 76-77). In addition, “Just Do What the Pilot Tells You” by Theodore Dalrymple distinguishes between blind disobedience and blind obedience to authority and stating that neither is superior;

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Perils Of Obedience By Stanley Milgram

    1022 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stanley Milgram, author of "The Perils of Obedience," conducted an experiment at Yale University to see if average citizens would partake in a study revolving around obedience to authority (Milgram 78). In said experiment, a professor from Yale would give an ordinary individual the authority to shock another person. If the ordinary individual asked to stop, the professor would coax them to continue and remind them they hold no responsibility (78). Not only did Milgram 's study revolve around obedience to authority, it also stressed the point of every person could be capable of torture and doing so without feeling responsible. In the article, "The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism," author Marianne Szegedy-Maszak states, anyone can

    Read More

  • The Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Implications of the Stanford Prison Experiment In 1971 Dr Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment in the basement of Stanford University. This involved imprisoning nine volunteers in a mock up of Stanford prison, which was policed by nine guards (more volunteers). These guards had complete control over the prisoners. They could do anything to the prisoners, but use physical violence.

    Read More

  • Authority In V For Vendetta And The Stanford Prison Experiment

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Authority can only become an issue once the rights of the individual are being impinged, a concept represented in both V for Vendetta and the Stanford Prison Experiment. These two texts, along with the study of the concept of authority and the individual, have expanded my understanding of myself, individuals and the world. It has especially broadened my knowledge on the crossover of the concept, the ability for the individual to have authority and the ability for both sides to be perceived as good or bad and the power of a person’s individuality. “The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.”

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of TED Talks By Sir Kenneth Robinson

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    “The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they're valued” (Ken Robinson). From the vast and varying array of “TED Talks,” situated on multiple topics, Kenneth Robinson’s speech explores and questions an argument understandable to students in an everyday educational environment. More in depth, English author, speaker, and advisor on education, Sir Kenneth Robinson confronts and challenges the modern day academic school system killing creativity. Robinson argues that; hence, “We are educating people out of their creativity” (Ken Robinson). Kenneth questions whether students, or in other words, future leaders and world changers are being subject to guidelines and rules put in

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Verna Myers's 'Ted Talk'

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is only human to be biased. However, the problem begins when we allow our bigotry to manifest into an obstacle that hinders us from genuinely getting to know people. Long time diversity advocate, Verna Myers, in her 2014 Ted Talk, “How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them” discusses the implicit biases we may obtain when it comes to race, specifically black men and women. Myers purpose is quite like the cliché phrase “Face your fears.” Her goal is to impress upon us that we all have biases (conscious or unconscious). We just have to be aware of them and face them head on, so that problems such as racism, can be resolved. Throughout the Ted Talk, Verna Myers utilizes an admonishing yet entertaining tone in order to grasp our attention

    Read More

  • The Power of Force: Human Behavior Under Pressure

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    People will do some of the craziest things when any level of force is placed upon them. People will succumb to the pressure of doing things they had never imagined they could do. Just recently people can look at the events of the revolts in Northern Africa and the extremes the people did to over throw their governments, events at Abu Ghraib, and the recent riots in Missouri. When mass hysteria or force from others is involved people will succumb to the situation and may do things they would normally deem immoral.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Dan Pallotta's TED Talk

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Dan Pallotta’s TED Talk he argues that the discrimination against nonprofits is limiting their ability to change the world. He believes that nonprofits operate under one rule book, while for-profits operate under another. And the book for-profits are encouraged to operate under, allows them to attract the best talent, spend money to make money, take risks, pay dividends, and take their time returning profits to investors.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis On Ted Talk

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today there are many defects acquiring as well as up rising in the academic field as teachers and parents alike teach a student and aid the needs these students need. The entire Ted talk is presented by RSA animation an interesting format not at all the usual Ted presentation. As well as not the only Ted presentation, Sir Ken Robinson has presented. As Sir Robinson conveys his thoughts and studies his words guide the animation in a very impressive visual. Sir Robinson will be conversing about three troubling trends: rising drop-out rates, schools' dwindling stake in the arts, and ADHD. RSA animation successfully presented a visual presentation simple and complicated at the same time that vividly guides the viewer on a journey with Sir Ken Robinson as the tour guide.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Good And Evil Analysis

    220 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other” (Eric Burdon). People do not think they are doing good or evil, they just think that they are doing the right thing. Evil comes from within each one of us. You just need to something to bring it out.

    Read More

  • The Ethics of the Stanford Prison Experiment

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    After only six days the Stanford Prison Experiment was stopped, after they originally planned it to last for two weeks. This was not because Zimbardo thought it should be, of the guards out of line behavior, or because outsiders thought so. The experiment finally stopped because of a graduate student was helping Zimbardo told him that it was out of control. I am very surprised from the results of the experiment. The power of situations was shown to be much more powerful than I ever would have thought. Because of the way the prisoners were treated, I do not think there will ever be another experiment like this ever again, even though a lot of valuable information was attained for conducting it.

    Read More

  • The Genocidal Killer in the Mirror” by Crispin Sartwell and Erich Fromm’s Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the pursuit of safety, acceptance, and the public good, many atrocities have been committed in places such as Abu Ghraib and My Lai, where simple, generally harmless people became the wiling torturers and murderers of innocent people. Many claim to have just been following orders, which illustrates a disturbing trend in both the modern military and modern societies as a whole; when forced into an obedient mindset, many normal and everyday people can become tools of destruction and sorrow, uncaringly inflicting pain and death upon the innocent.

    Read More

  • Role Of Evil In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Evil will triumph because when there is no opposition towards evil, over time even the ethical people will become corrupt. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death states that Alex Steiner, a German citizen who is a member of the Nazi party, “[had] an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it.” (60). Before World War II, Alex Steiner was a man who lived by good morals, however after the rise of Nazism he became corrupted by the Nazi propaganda. The “itch in his heart” reveals that he knows deep inside that his decision to support Hitler, is morally incorrect, however he is so corrupted, that he decides to ignore his subconscious (60). According to an article from The Huffington Post called “Do Good People Turn Evil?” by Adam Grant, it states, “ordinary men would inflict severe pain on others simply because they were asked to do so by an authority figure in an experiment” (Grant). Ordinary people who lived by good morals suddenly decide to cause others pain because someone is instructing them to. When principled people listen to others and let them corrupt their point of view, they make the wrong decision. In the article from The Atlantic called, “When Good People Do Nothing: The Appalling Story of South Carolina's

    Read More

More about Philip Zimbardo The Ted Talk Analysis

Open Document