I think that this was a great form of propaganda because it appealed to people's competitive sides. It encouraged people to work in factories because it implied that if they did so, the opposition would be easily trampled. It also made people feel like they were directly contributing to the destruction of the enemy because the text was directed at the people. It didn't say "Help the soldiers bowl them over," which would have made the citizens feel more distant. So, overall, this was good propaganda because it got people in a frame of mind that was conducive to helping the war cause in the form of making weapons.

Strength Through Manipulation

I mistakingly chose to watch "The Wave" part 1 video. Yes the dialogue was cheesy (a common theme among 80's movies) and yes the way he got the message across was cheesy as well, however this movie brings up a good point. The point is that Hitler did not brainwash his people, which is the common misconception in my point of view with students studying Hitler's rise to power. Instead, he successfully manipulated the people he ruled over, using his under ranks as tools for popularity, and his speeches for political momentum. I guess, and I wont stand too strong with this claim, that the teacher is similar to Hitler in the way that he used phrases to gain the people's approval. This experiment was a good one in the way that it encapsulated a small part of Hitler's rise to power. However, I do not feel that this video is the best representation of Hitler's beginning of the third reich. It over simplifies an event too complicated for a class experiment. 

Quick Question

After watching the documentary on the Stanford Prison experiment, I was left wondering a couple of things.  First, why didn't the people have the students talk again after so many years?  You would think that the people would have some pretty interesting things to say so many years after it occurred.  Plus, some of the actual reaction might have "worn off," which might mean that they could have a more meaningful conversation.  

Also, why didn't the documentary have any interviews of any of the other participants?  We can probably assume why the other guards didn't stop the main one, but what do the guards have to say for themselves?  

Another question that I have, among the many, is was there ever going to be a prison break or what did the prisoners do right after they were released?  Did they take a day or two to recover, or did they tell anyone about what was going on?  You would have to think that they did something after all that they went through.  Maybe they suffered from almost a Post Traumatic  Stress Syndrome and thought that if they told anyone, they would be taken back to the prison.  This might make sense because at least one person had to be told directly that it wasn't a prison before he would agree to be let go.

Finally, did the experiments have any longerish term affects on any of the participants, guard or prisoner, because you couldn't just think that they could go through all that and then just let it go.