Reaction Paper about Communicating Through Nonverbal Behaviors Essay - 1

Reaction Paper about Communicating Through Nonverbal Behaviors - Essay Example ean my cupboard and I had replied with an â€Å"Okay Mum† but I received a thrashing in return and when I inquired as to the reason behind it, my mother said that I shrugged my shoulders and rolled my eyes which exuberated a lot of negativity. That day onwards I became watchful of my body language. A common misconception is that a person’s body language is the only form of non-verbal communication. That is not quite the case, other categories of non-verbal communication include: paralanguage, spatial usage and self-presentation. These encompass the pitch and tone of a person’s voice, the posture and use of space as also the attention a person pays to his/her appearance, even to the point of minute details such as the perfume a person is wearing. The multitude of cues which fall under non-verbal communication have the ability of perplexing people with how to react under different situations. A lot of conscious effort is required if a person wants to communicate a single message through his verbal as well as nonverbal cues. Sometimes, for example in front of elders decency would not permit a person to disagree blatantly with what the elders are saying, so through our verbal message we tend to agree with them, however our non-verbal communication reveals our true in tentions. Therefore, it is important to exercise ample control over our nonverbal communication, since with the progress of time awareness regarding nonverbal communication and its significance is

Drug Treatments and Courts in US Prisons

Drug Treatments and Courts in US Prisons Drugs such as marijuana and cocaine and amphetamines and heroin together with drug-addiction are correlated to crime in a number of ways. Being a criminal offence to use, to be in possession, to produce, or to dispense these drugs, they are categorized as prohibited. The upshots of usage of drugs, including aggression, including robbery to obtain funds to acquire drugs, including aggression against competitor traffickers, affect the society every day and are criminal effects. A number of treatment alternatives are on hand to tackle inmates requirements and conditions in the correctional system. Drug treatment programs in correctional centres most often than not are successful in averting patients going back to unlawful behaviour, but are unsuccessful most often than not if they are not connected to community-centred programs that continue treatment when the patient leaves prison. The most successful drug treatments programs in prison have diminished the re-arrest rate by 25% to 50% ( Belenko 33). The aim of correctional facilities such as prison is twofold; first, it punishes wrongdoers and secondly it rehabilitates criminals and individuals with deviant behaviour. The French philosopher Michel Foucault argued that punishment has changed over a period from instilling discipline in the body to instilling discipline in the soul. The rehabilitation of convicted criminals is an important facet of the contemporary criminal justice system. The criminal justice system nowadays is working to rehabilitate inmates and the prison rehabilitation programs vary in degrees, type, and form from prison to prison. In the past years, rehabilitation was focused straight at reforming the personality of offenders, its aim now is on averting reoffending. Prison program: Drug treatment In a similar fashion, drug Treatment programs in Prison are designed to rehabilitate drug addicts in prison. For instance, the Delaware Model, a continuing examination of wide-ranging treatment methods for prisoners who are addicted to drug abuse illustrates that prison-based treatment programs, work release therapeutic community, community-based aftercare and therapeutic community surroundings included; cuts the chances of re-arrest by 57 percent and cut the odds of relapsing into drugs by 37 percent. One quality essential for successful programs is progressing, wide-ranging aftercare in the society. This decreases the probability that an addict will be detained and found guilty another time (Thomas 16). History of Drug Treatment: Using drug relates to violent crime (statistic) Statistics show that drug addicts are more prone than nonusers to perpetrate crimes, which arrested criminals, are found often to be under the influence at the time they carried out the offence and that drugs breed violence. It is the weighing up the nature and degree of the effects of drugs on criminal activities that necessitate that dependable information about the crime, and the lawbreaker is accessible and meanings of terms be consistent. In the face of challenging data, it is not possible to establish quantitatively the influence of drug addiction on the happening of crime. Drugs are linked to most criminal activities through the outcomes they have on the addicts actions and by breeding violence and other prohibited goings-on associated with drug trafficking. Drug-related crimes and the drug-using way of life play a key part in the U.S. crime issue. More than 50% of arrested criminals in the US test positive for illicit drugs (Thomas 17). According to the same institute, use of and addiction on drug is strongly associated to robbery and assets crime more than it is to violent offences. A majority of addicts carries out crimes to obtain money to purchase drugs. According to the National Institute of Justice, at least 25% of men who carry out acts of domestic violence have drug problems and that drug-addicted women are more prone to suffering abuse (Thomas 18). The 2004 survey of Inmates in State and Federal penitentiaries found out that 32% of State convicts and 26% of Federal prisoners admitted to having committed the crimes they are serving time for under the influence of drugs. In State prisons, drug offenders and property offenders recorded the highest admission rates for being under the drugs influence when committing a crime at 44% and 39% respectively. In Federal penitentiaries, drug offenders (32%) and violent crimes convicts (24%) reported the highest occurrence of being under drugs influence when they committed their crimes. Efforts to prevent drug abuse using retribution systems do not succeed since these attempts do no tackle the multifaceted basis of drug abuse, which start in the milieu of family issues and deviant conduct. Many go to prison. Few reform in prison. Cause Overcrowding in Prison The vicious cycle of arrest, imprisonment, discharge, and re-arrest is very common. As indicated by various nationwide studies, more than half of the prison population test positive for illegal drugs (Taylor et al. 3-4). The U.S. state and federal prisons and jails hold approximately 1.9 million convicts (Beck and Harrison). This means that the major contribution of the high-prison population in the United States is drug abuse. Most of the inmates are finally released from the prisons to go back to the community. However, about six hundred thousand state and federal convicts are nor returning to prison each year. A majority of those returning are drug addicts; therefore, keeping the cycle rolling. Effectively cutting that cycle and related crime is largely dependent on successfully treating drug-abusing criminals. A number of treatment alternatives are on hand to tackle inmates requirements and conditions in the correctional system. One such alternative program is the Drug Courts program. Drug Courts are judicially administered court dockets that deal with cases of nonviolent drug abusing lawbreakers under the juvenile, family, adult, and tribal justice structures. Drug Courts function under a specific mould in which the courts, prosecutors, defence bar, the police, mental health services, community services, and the treatment services work jointly to assist nonviolent lawbreakers find restoration in healing and turn into productive human beings. The essay analyses how the Drugs Courts program can help reduce the number of ex prisoners who are being sent back to prison each year. It also analysis how the program helps reduce the population in the American prisons. The essay su mmarizes the general workings and usefulness of drug courts all over the country and underlines possible concerns and areas where additional study is required. DRUG COURTS In 1989, Florida officials set up the nations pioneer drug court. This unique court was calculated to entrench drug treatment fully into the prison system and the criminal justice system in general. The courts were established for criminals with a past of drug abuse as a measure for their addiction treatment, while concurrently guaranteeing control, and approval when necessary, from the courts. The movement for a different court to rule on drug offenders come about from the swiftly sprouting truth that the nations resolution to tackle drug abuse by employing law enforcement methods would keep on posing considerable problems for the criminal justice system. In 2004, 53% of prisoners incarcerated in state prison were identified as drug addicts or users, but merely 15% were getting professional help (Mumola and Karberg 7). Drug use and addiction linked criminal activities remain an expensive load to the American society, one that most prison drugs treatment programs have failed to halt. In 2001, the bureau of National Drug Control Policy approximated that in 1998 prohibited use of drug cost the exchequer $31.1 billion in criminal justice costs, $30.1 billion in lost output and $2.9 billion in costs connected to property damage and discrimination (Belenko 2). Ever since 1989, drug courts have increased all over the country. Presently, there are more than 1,500 Drug courts functioning in all states. This drug courts are a reflection of the aspiration to change the stress from trying to battle drug crimes by diminishing drugs supply to tackling the demand for drugs by treating drug craving. Drug courts employ the criminal justice system to tackle addiction by the use of an incorporated set of communal and legal services as an alternative to depending on sanctions through imprisonment or probation. In spite of broad signs of drug court efficiency, more than twenty years after the first Drug court a number of questions linger. Since drug courts are planned and ran at the state level, there are deep-seated disparities that make cross-jurisdictional evaluation hard. While the underlying structure may be similar from one program to the next (a diversion program for particular types of low-level defendants who have shown a connection between thei r drug abuse or addiction and criminal acts), protocols for arbitration, detailed selection standards, ways of control and revocation measures do vary radically. The localism that is the system of drug court design makes efforts to make out best practices very hard. Nonetheless, we can make out explicit elements from diverse drug courts that are significant elements for the success of the program. WORKING OF DRUG COURTS Several elements determine the running of drug courts, albeit with disparity based on setting of the defendant population, legal questions etc. Below are a few elements universal to every drug court. Legal Framework There are commonly two approaches for drug courts i.e. deferred/delayed prosecution and post-adjudication programs. In a delayed prosecution, defendants who that meet some particular eligibility prerequisites are sidetracked to the drug court system before pleading to a charge. Defendants are not obliged to plead guilty, and those who successfully see through the drug court program are not further prosecuted. However, if one does not complete the program, he or she is prosecuted. On the other hand, in the post-adjudication approach, defendants are obliged to plead guilty to their charges but the ruling of their cases is deferred or left pending as they take part in the drug court program. Successful conclusion of the program earns the former user or addict in a waived sentence and occasionally an obliteration of the crime and the charges. However, if one does not successfully meet the standards of the drug court, for example, a routine return of drug abuse or addiction, they will be taken back to the criminal court to face the ruling on the guilty plea. Eligibility Criteria Eligibility standards differ from court to court. However, usually defendants have to be charged with being in possession of drugs or a nonviolent crime and must have positively tested for drugs or have proved drug abuse trouble during arrest (Fluellen and Trone 5). For drug courts that get federal financial support, there is a prerequisite to rule out persons with a present or previous violent crime record. However, this barring, whether by the state or federal rules, has been questioned as to whether it truly serves the interest of public safety as it is claimed to serve. Particularly, the classification of a violent crime at times may refer to merely being in possession of a weapon when one was arrested, even if it was not held, wielded, or put into use. In addition, individuals who are at present facing charges for a drug crime may be disqualified from admission into the drug court program owing to a past crime that is completely unrelated. Programming and Sanctions Programs characteristically run for a period between half and one year. However, some addicts stay longer in the program. Addicts and users must see through the whole program phase to graduate. Successful completion is dependent upon staying free of drugs and arrests for a specific period. Participants have to go to regular status hearings in front of a judge alongside judicial and medical staff who screen the development of every person. Sanctions including more court proceedings, drug tests and short stints in jails are enforced for participants who do not comply at the courts discretion. ADVANTAGES OF DRUG COURTS As noted earlier in this essay, the majority of adults and juveniles who are under arrest for criminal activities test positive for illicit drugs. As such, much of crime is drug or alcohol linked. However, imprisoned drug offenders do not obtain the handling they require, and will probably use drugs yet again and execute another crime once they are out of prison. That is where drug courts need arise. Drug courts present a valuable option that blends justice and drug management. Drug addicts who are taking part in a drug court program undergo rigorous drug abuse management, individual case management, substance testing, administration, and supervision. The participants report to recurrently programmed status hearings in front of a judge who is skilled in the drug court programs. Drug courts offer psychological well being treatment, disturbance and family psychoanalysis, and work skills instruction, which assist in ensuring a long-lasting healing from drug and alcohol dependence. Drug courts programs surpass all other approaches that have been employed with drug-using offenders. Drug abuse and criminal activities are significantly diminished in cases where offenders are put through a drug court program. Since the drug court programs assess offenders for substance abuse frequently, data concerning substance abuse by offenders in a drug court program is accessible on a continual basis. The use of drugs by offenders is reduced considerably or eliminated altogether by drug programs nationally, and this in turns has lowered recidivism amongst graduates. Adult drug court programs considerably decrease crime rates by cutting down re-arrest and conviction rates amongst graduates of drug courts a long time after the programs conclusion. Individuals who have graduated from drug courts are, according to recent appraisals, less expected to be re-arrested than individuals routed through other prison mechanisms. Results from drug court assessments show that involvement in drug courts upshots, in fewer re-arrests and re-convictions, or more extended periods between arrests or relapses. A breakdown of study findings from 76 drug courts established that there is a 10% decline in re-arrest, with pre-adjudication courts occasioning a 13% drop in re-arrest (Aos, Miller and Drake 4) Drug courts are very cost efficient. Several fresh studies have demonstrated that saved costs vary from $3,000 to $12,000 per offender (Belenko, 2005, 45). According to Fluellen and Trone (1), depending on the magnitude of a drug court program, the cost saved in some states goes beyond $7 million annually. Many courts are using the drug court mould to repeal driving under the influence and driving while intoxicated cases. This is being done either by employing selected driving while intoxicated courts or by accommodating offenders into conventional grown-up drug courts. Driving under the influence courts are holding offenders responsible for their actions at the same time as treating the fundamental drug abuse issues and stimulating behavioural transformation. Drug courts have also been very useful to juvenile offenders. Lastly, the drugs courts, in addition to saving cost, frees up the justice system and enables their departments resourcefully apportion criminal justice funds. Personnel and services, hitherto used up by the minor and less severe but prolonged drug cases which are now taken care by the drug court programs, are presently concentrated to other serious cases and to criminals who pose bigger threats to the society security and well being. The caseloads taken up by the drug court programs allow more docket time for the justice systems judges and are therefore, on hand for other criminal and civil matters in various jurisdictions. Previously, these serious criminal and civil cases were relegated to inferior precedence owing to drug related caseload. The programs have also freed jail space, and it is now being used to accommodate serious and dangerous criminals or to guarantee they serve their times. After more than two decades of drug courts operation, various studies show that many drug courts reduce recidivism and save the taxpayers funds. Figures from many studies carried out in more than ninety-five courts expose that former offenders who have graduated from drug courts program are re-arrested less than other prison program groups (Belenko, 44). The decline in re-arrest rates is the main contributor to cost-savings reported for most drug courts (Belenko, 44). CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS Studies up to date have been consistently reporting that that drug courts are accomplishing significant benefits. However, there practices, though mostly unfamiliar, which cause accomplishment or breakdown of a drug court. Of huge interest is the argument that drug courts might be escalating the quantity of individuals under arrest for drug crimes, rather than decrease, in the long term, the quantity of individuals who go through the criminal justice system. Studies have not yet zeroed in on the establishment of whether individuals who are taken through drug courts would have ended up in the criminal justice system and consequently into the conventional prison programs if not for the drug court. The use of drug courts should be used in a large scale to solve the twin problem of drugs and crime and that of overpopulation in our prison system.

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest :: Essays Papers

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest Cuckoos Nest There is much strength associated with both speech and silence. One can use either to their advantage in a power struggle. In the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Randle Patrick McMurphy and Nurse Ratched employ the power of speech and Chief Bromden uses the power of silence until the end of the novel when he gains the power of speech. These cases prove that the greatest power is not held in speech or silence alone, but in the effective combination of the two. Many people believe verbal communication to be a very powerful way of expressing oneself. Words gain there power when the volume is raised and lowered alternatively to make a point. Additionally, the influence of speech can manifest itself in a number of ways. It can be used to humiliate, to intimidate, to flirt and to threaten, all of which are integral and pragmatic strategies to win a power struggle. McMurphy uses his power of speech to rally his fellow patients against Nurse Ratched who is constantly revoking their privileges. He also uses it furtively to acquire all that he desires, by conning the other patients. Throughout the novel he is very loud and is known for his unwavering ability to speak his mind and confront those that oppose him. Nurse Ratched uses her voice throughout the novel to intimidate the patients. She is the antagonist of the novel. The patients obsequiously follow Ratched’s command, until McMurphy comes along. They all fear that she will send them for shock therapy if they don’t obey her. Nurse Ratched is the most daunting persona of the novel, due in large part to the use of her voice. Throughout the novel both McMurphy and Nurse Ratched are continually trying to pull each other down. Nurse Ratched using her dominant speaking skills tries to prove to the patients that McMurphy is conning them with his vocalizations, â€Å"Look at some of these gifts, as devoted fans of his might call them. First, there was the gift of the tub room. Was that actually his to give?

Dr Jack Perry Motivation case Essay

This case revolves around Dr. Jack Perry, the protagonist, is proprietary dentist clinic. Dr. Perry is a successful dentist in a small town of Cromwell in Canada. He had purchased the practice from a retiring dentist and has been successful in his practice considerably. However, he now faces a management problem of motivating his employees who are suffering from low morale and do not seem to be working as hard as they could to help increase the revenue of the clinic. Dr. Perry, had attended a dental conference in Chicago in 2005, and recalled two approaches to profit sharing which would help in motivating the employees. He now faces the dilemma as to which one of the two pay structures would be best suited for his practice as selecting a wrong pay structure could lead to further de-motivation of his employees. BACKGROUND OF THE CASE Dr. Jack Perry has managed to run a thriving dentistry practice in Cromwell which had a population of only 3000 and served an additional 7000 people from the surrounding areas. He had little competition in the form of 3 other dentists. Dr. Perry has sound financials and is witnessing a growth rate of 15 % annually. In conformance with industry norms Dr. Perry employs three categories of employees namely, receptionists, hygienists and assistants. At present he employs two part time receptionists, two full time hygienists, one full time assistant and one part time assistant. His employees were paid their wages at competitive hourly rates prevalent in the market. In addition to their hourly wages, they were given an Annual cash bonus of $400 during Christmas which was well appreciated by his employees. Dr. Jack Perry was quite involved with his staff by regularly discussing their work and salary on an informal basis. He allowed his employees 3 weeks holidays in a year. As a result Dr. Perry had virtually no staff turnover. Despite the his easy going manner, competitive salary and a pleasant work environment, Sandi the receptionist, had concluded that the morale was low among the staff, an observation Dr. Perry had made himself. OBJECTIVES To study the benefits and drawbacks of the two pay structures , its financial impact on the employees and how they would help him resolve the issue of low morale in the organization. To suggest the best suited pay-structure for Dr. Perry’s practice which would help him increase his collections by motivating his employees. CHARACTER SKETCH OF DR.PERRY Dr. Jack Perry is a dentist who has completed his graduation from an Ontario University dental school in 2011. He was a sole practitioner dentist in Cromwell, Ontario. Becoming a dentist in Canada was a rigorous process which required a lot of hard work and which included three years of study at the undergraduate level, followed by four years at an accredited dental school. Perry was happy with his work as he was giving competition to other three dentists in Cromwell. He was doing far better than his competitors and was proud of the financial success which came along with it. His business was now growing at 15 per cent annually. Perry had created a comfortable and easy going environment at the workplace. He used to have informal meetings with the staff annually to discuss the work and salary. His staffs were given three weeks of holiday per year. Not only this, but he also allowed his staff to take further unpaid vacation time as long as they can provide him with another staff member to handle their shifts. This gave the flexibility to the staff members as this thing made easier for them to spend some time with their families. All the team plans and organize the Christmas party before Christmas holidays. He used to give cash bonus for their hard work throughout the year. He was a benevolent boss. CASE ANALYSIS 1. The main reason for the decaying employee morale was the quick growth of the business. Dr. Perry’s employees were well compensated at competitive market rates and enjoyed a pleasant working environment. The annual growth of the business (15%) meant that his employees were making relatively less money than Dr. Perry himself. The current pay structure did not have any provision for any category of employees to earn a proportion of the profits. Every employee has a fixed hourly salary. Thus, a bigger business meant that they felt like slave labourers since they were aware of the increase in the practice’s revenues and number of patients. 2. Dr. Perry’s revenues largely depended on the hygienists who generated about 40% of the revenues. Even the receptionists played a vital role in adding to the revenue by filling in cancelled appointments. His assistants too contributed by playing the role of nurses by comforting the patients which further helped in patient retention. Thus it would seem only fair that a part of the profits must be shared with the employees in the form of a variable pay structure. 3. As per the conference which Dr. Perry had attended, the first approach of remunerating the employees focused on the contribution of the hygienists only. As per this approach, the hygienists would be paid purely on a commission basis of around 40% of the total earnings. The main advantages of this system are: It recognises the direct effect of the hygienists’ efforts on the revenues of the practice and rewards them for the same. A 40% commission would be financially more beneficial to the hygienists assuming the current level of collections. Also it is forecasted that such a pay structure would result in an increase in the billings by about 13%. The major drawback of this system is that it simply does not completely recognize the contribution of the receptionists and the assistants in the revenue generation of the firm. The pay structure does not clearly define how commission would be linked to the total earning of the receptionists and the assistants. Also, by making the earnings of the hygienists completely dependent on the revenue, it may lead to dissatisfaction of the hygienists of the collections did not increase. 4. The second approach states that the employees should be given a share of the profits at a pre established percentage over and above their hourly wage rates. This method ensured that : Some parts of the profits were distributed to all the categories of employees. At the same time since the employees would receive their hourly rates in any case, it would give them a sense of security and eventually help in maintaining the pleasant work atmosphere. However, this method did not distinguish between the categories of employees who contributed more to the revenues than those who contributed comparatively less. This could lead to de-motivation of the hygienists who had a direct impact on the revenues of the companies. Solutions/Suggestions For Hygienist : 1. Perry’s Clinic should recognise best skilled hygienists. Perry should conduct special trainings for the underperformers and bring them to the same level. 2. Targets of hygienists need to be on a similar alignment as that of the firm. 3. Teamwork needs to be motivated through annual bonus. 4. Incentives can be introduced to keep the results persistent. 5. The firm should control the cost through effective pay strategy. The above decisions could have the following effect on the hygienists – their income would increase; the effort put in by an individual would benefit him/her i.e. every individual is responsible for his/her incentives. Thirdly they would get an opportunity to work with an efficient peer group thereby nurturing each other. For Assistants & Receptionists: 1. The firm should encourage wage earners to spend time on highly skilled tasks. 2. Decrease interoffice concern about peer pay. Pay should be based on training level. 3. The weekly payroll should be known. 4. Annual bonus would motivate team work and coordination. By implementing these they would have stable pay, little daily pressure to up sell services. Their pay easily calculated each week. It would allow them to take time off providing high quality of work. CONCLUSIONS In the scenario where Dr. Perry business is growing at a healthy rate it is important to continuously monitor pay structure of the firm and revise it from time to time since remuneration is directly related to the motivation level of the employees. Dr. Perry must change the pay structure to accommodate profit sharing with the employees in the form of a bonus which would be a percentage of the total profits of the practice, in the case of increased revenues for that particular year. This method is better for the business at this stage because the practice is still in a growth stage. The profits can be divided among the different categories of employees in a number of ways. A drastic change in the pay structure from fixed to completely variable is not recommended because in case of lower collections in any particular year, it may lead to lower earnings for the employees. This pay structure can be further revised in the future to increase the profit sharing element in the remuneration of the employees as the firm grows bigger. MANAGERIAL LEARNINGS 1. Monetary benefits motivate people to perform better in most cases. It is important for managers to understand the link between the pay structure and the motivation levels of employees. Merely high wage rates may not be sufficient to motivate the employees and they must given a fair share of the profits earned by the firm. 2. Performance linked Variable Pay (PLVP) is a salary component present in most of the MNCs. This keeps the employees motivated to continuously increase their productivity rather than a fixed salary which may lead to a laid back style of working thereby impacting the performance negatively. 3. It is important for mangers to know the contribution of individual employees and different categories of employees and must frame the pay structure in accordance with the same. This would ensure that employees are rewarded sufficiently for better performances. 4. Keeping the market standards in mind, pay – structures must be constantly monitored and should be revised along with the growth of the firm in terms of revenue earned and the volume of business for employees of all levels. 5. Firms disclose their revenue generated through Quarterly/Semi Annual Meets. Managers must make sure that the employees understand not only the revenue aspect of a growing firm but also the increased costs associated with them and therefore emphasise on the need for higher productivity from the employees.

Discrimination: a Class Divided

The PBS video, A Class Divided, has brought to light a sensitive subject that has plagued societies for hundreds, even thousands of years. I have learned a lot about discrimination by watching this video. I was not aware that discrimination is a learned behavior. It seems that anytime there is a situation in which someone is viewed in a critical way, called out on those facts, and an opinion on those facts is expressed, it is a potential for discrimination. It only takes the views of one person to alter another persons perception of the world around them. There are several scenes from the video that has left a lasting impression in my mind. One of the most impressionable events was on the second day of the experiment. On this particular day, Jane Elliot called the children together to discuss what had been happening for the past two days. Once the children were discussing how it made them feel and how wrong it was to treat people that way, I thought that it was amazing that third graders could relate the experiment to real life discrimination. I feel that these children really learned what is was like to discriminate against someone and to be discriminated against. Another scene that left a lasting impression on me, was the last scene of the program, when Jane Elliott was debriefing the adults from the correctional facility. That experiment, even in such a short time, proved how easy it was to break down the barriers of what is right or wrong. Even hough the adults were less tolerant of the ridicule and demeaning accusations, most did not say anything, and the ones that did just gave the discriminators more ammunition. The things that surprised me the most was how easy it was to turn the children against each other. It seemed so easy for the first group of children â€Å"on top† to find things to blame on the inferior group. It was almost automatic that the children in the inferior group to be offended or feel badly when called â€Å"brown eyes. † I didn't think they would react quite so quickly and feel so b ad right away. The blue-eyed children were mean and found lots of ways to discriminate against the brown eyed children. However once the brown eyed children were â€Å"on top† the terrible feeling about themselves seemed to diminish rather quickly, and I think since they knew how it felt to be on the inferior side they were not as mean and the first group of children that were â€Å"on top. † The children that participated in the experience learned a very valuable lesson and were able to carry these values with them through adulthood. It was amazing to me to see how stating facts like the color of someone's eyes and adding an opinion to them, like they are smarter or better, can trigger such negative feelings. The names they used were not necessary derogatory, but were perceived as derogatory because stereotypes and discrimination attached to them. The children learned that just because they perceive something as being acceptable or normal it may cause someone else to feel bad or be hurt. The children also learned that teasing is hurtful and mean. By setting distinct divisions, such as, giving the blue-eyed children five extra minutes at recess or not allowing them to play on the playground equipment the next day enforced the segregation and gave the children sense of hopelessness . Not allowing the children to play together made them feel as if their friends had just been taken away and that they were not as good or smart as the other group. Overall, what the children learned, is to except each other. Even though there are physical differences, human beings deserve to be treated equally and fair no matter what color their eyes or skin may be. I think that this experiment runs parallel to the Sioux prayer â€Å" Help me not judge a person until I have walked in his shoes. † This activity teaches us that we can not fully understand how it would feel to be the minority and to be discriminated against unless put into a situation of such. Nor would we able to judge someone harshly for who or what they are until you have experienced it first hand and literally walked in their shoes.