Elle goes editorial
With the recent harassment and violence on the increase in the states, we have felt the heart ache and trauma from Melbourne Australia. This month we want to talk about kindness.
In 1971, Philip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford prison, which was a social psychology experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers. Volunteers were selected carefully and assigned randomly to be either prisoners or guards in a mock prison setup. The experiment was expected to last for two weeks but was terminated after six days because what was happening was frightening. The participants were not able to clearly differentiate between role-playing and their real self. Many of the guards became drunk with power and cruel, the prisoners became docile and self preserving, and even the good guards helped sustain the status quo. In only four days, human values were suspended, self concepts were challenged, and pathological behaviours surfaced.
Being unkind to others is made easier with distancing and anonymity. Many of us believe that we are essentially fair, just, humane, caring, and understanding. We believe that we wouldn't cause harm to others intentionally. The Milgram experiment is another famous psychological study on obedience in which more than 60 percent of the participants delivered what they thought to be a series of painful and dangerous electric shocks to another person. This experiment made it clear that by making one feel anonymous, removed from the subject of their actions, and with specific social expectations, people can do horrible things. This is the root problem with online social spaces where bullying another can happen without seeing the effects of our words and behaviour on the other person, without seeing their pain caused by our words. Online bullying is such a thing that WikiHow has a guide on how to stop bullying on Facebook.
It can also be seen in physical spaces with the debate around whether police officers should display their names on their uniforms. In 2015, the government permitted NSW police to only show badge numbers instead. Their police association holds that this protects the officers from harassment and violence. Opponents of the move worry that numbers are less memorable and more anonymous - giving the police less accountability. At least in Australia, police must provide their identification details when asked while on official duty (although this may not be the case for undercover officers.) That isn't true in every country.
A Hidden Brain episode from 2017, Prisons of Our Own Making, talks about healthy people's behaviours, the effects of solitary confinement, and the importance of social interaction. This week's readings and an email from our local yoga place made me think of this topic. Melissa from Assembly Yoga says:
It’s easy to be a good person when things are going well. To be grateful when the going is good and loving towards people we like. But who are we in the tough times and to the people who challenge us? When we practice our good habits (meditation, relaxation, self-compassion) and reinforce our better qualities (patience, kindness, curiosity) consistently over time, we have the resources to call on them when they are truly required.
In this TV series episode 3, Ted Lasso says to the journalist Trent Crimm that for him "success is not about the wins and losses. It's about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field." Lasso's coaching and leadership style depicts empathy and kindness, and so inspirational that there are numerous articles about his approach.
Kindness is crucial to our emotional wellbeing and society. We see it everyday and in many forms. From mowing the neighbour’s nature’s strip when they’re unwell, telling the mother wrangling a screaming child out of the supermarket that she is doing a great job, or looking at someone in the eye with a smile saying “thank you”. We are all capable of it and we should do it more often to take care of our communities, and learn to intervene when we see harassment. As COVID-19 vaccinations are rolling out and we emerge from all the lockdowns, remember to practice kindness towards ourselves and others.