Shocking film just isn’t

Image supplied by: By Adam Zunder

In one of the most controversial studies of the 1960s, Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram showed that authority figures can often override an individual’s moral beliefs, even leading them to kill a complete stranger.

Milgram’s experiment put test subjects in a position where they were ordered, by a phony researcher, to administer increasingly strong electrical shocks to a stranger.

The majority of subjects agreed—even when the shocks were of a lethal strength. Milgram’s study is the inspiration for a French documentary entitled Le jeu de la mort, currently playing in Quebec.

The film reenacts the obedience experiment by putting participants in a fake game show with the same premise, delivering shocks to another person while an audience watches. If a participant becomes reluctant, the audience eggs them on from the sidelines.

The vast majority of participants administered lethal shocks, even though the show offered no cash prize for participating.

The film’s creators meant to expose the dangers of television. They allege that contestants were so enraptured by the thought of being on television, and so overwhelmed by the glamour of the game show set, that they were willing to commit murder. The general public takes television for granted, unaware of its deadly potential.

It’s important to note the form the filmmakers chose to test their theory: the so-called “reality” TV show.

While seeing Milgram’s study reenacted in a modern setting is interesting, it’s far from hard science. The film’s creators aren’t scientists and it’s likely they had an outcome in mind when they started their project.

Reality TV bears the faintest possible similarity to real life. Imagining that it is in some way representative of how things work in the “real” world is pretty far-fetched.

The most interesting “conclusion” offered in the film—that members of visible minority groups are least susceptible to mass pressure—borders on stereotyping.

In any case, what is the viewer supposed to take from this conclusion? The simple act of watching television doesn’t place us in control over life and death, nor is it likely an unscrupulous broadcaster will suddenly attempt to incite a riot using high-pressure programming.

Concluding that television can make us kill doesn’t really fit the picture.

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content