It's been quite the week. Incredibly busy and random and exhausting. I (of course) have over extended myself with work this term. My days start early, and go until late; I thought after "finishing residency" I would be done with all these crazy-ass hours, but apparently I'm hard-wired for punishment.
I know it's old news by now, but Miep Gies died. She was 100. I was moved when I read of her passing; what an incredible and selfless human being she was; I am so glad there are people like her that walk this earth: it gives me hope, and makes me feel completely insignificant at the same time.
In an odd coincidence of sorts (along the lines of Nazism, racism, and several other -isms, I saw a movie that I had seen a few times before and it got me right in my gut, as it has every other time I've seen it.
"The Eye of the Storm: A Class Divided" is a newstory about an elementary school teacher, Jane Elliott, who became an anti-racism activist. She was incredibly forward-thinking for her time (1960s) and place (Riceville, Iowa). She is best known for her blue eye/brown eye experiment following the assasination of Martin Luther King.
If you are unfamiliar with the story, and want more than my uber-simplified synopsis, read her link above.
Mrs. Elliott was an elementary school teacher in a small town in Iowa whose residents were all (described as) Anglo and Christian; all were from socio-economic standings that were pretty much the same. Most of the town's residents hadn't really experienced any sort of diversity; they hadn't expereinced anyone who was vastly different from their own selves. In order to teach the children how incredibly asinine it was to judge someone who was different that one's self, she conducted an experiment, separating her class into the blue eyed children and the brown eyed, and proceeded to tell one group that, solely by virtue of their eye color, were they better than the other group.
The reactions and fall out of the experiment are not only fascinating, but entirely heart-wrenching. To see the look of pain and grief and devaluation in the children's eyes just cuts me deep. It is so incredibly moving, and simultaneously fascinating, the children's responses and behaviours.
Definitely a worthwhile watch; it's a pretty short film; more information can be found through PBS here.
WE WERE TOTALLY SEPARATED AT BIRTH!!!! (I know there are a few years that separate us, but you know what I mean...)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Jane Elliott and that experiment is so amazing and instructive. I was sad to hear about Miep Gies, too. There was a movie (Hilary Swank was in it as a teacher) and they wrote letters to Miep after reading "The Diary of Anne Frank" and she ended up going to visit the students. What an amazing woman.
On a personal note - take good care of yourself. I know the overcommitted game and it is exhausting, even when it is good.