Blue Eyed, Brown Eyed

Essay - �Blue eyed, Brown eyed’

The act in which one treats one another different purely on the basis of their; eye colour, skin colour, nationality or the nationality of their guardian or ancestors is known solely as �discrimination’. Jane Elliot, exposed to the harsh waves of discrimination, tries to change the world through her methods.

Discrimination once practiced upon an individual, can scar or change a person for the remainder of his or her life. It can also change ones views on discrimination. Jane Elliot, a white American women shunned by society on the basis of her anti-racial views towards not only African Americans but any form of racism or discrimination. Elliot’s views, that no-one should attack one another, mentally or physically on the accusation of them being different in anyway, how everyone should be treated equally and that racial discrimination should stop.

Elliot’s methods gathers a large group of participants, divides them into two groups, one group called the brown eyed group (thought they have blue eyes) and the blue eyed group (brown eyed). The blue eyed group get given all the privileges and the brown eyed group get to be picked on. The brown eyed group has to pretend that they are black African Americans, blue eyed are the “white folks” who will be discriminating against the brown eyed group. Further into the documentary the brown eyed group break down one by one, discriminated against and shouted at.

Eventually one of the participants has an emotional break down and gives in, sheds tears after trying to rebel against Elliot, he remains quiet and indifferent as Elliot continues to break him and everyone else down, to show that this happens on a day-to-day basis, that its happening now, this is then witness by the rest of the participants, the use of “boy”