Why do you say "never test human nature"? Because the fragility of human nature is far beyond your imagination.
Human nature is not only fragile in many cases, but also easily loses its mind and becomes crazy.
The following example is a real historical event:
In 1967, Ron Jones, a history teacher in California, talked about how the Nazis of World War II were accepted by the German people.
He found that students simply could not understand why the Germans would accept a series of Nazi actions, and it was difficult to explain in words. The teacher had a genius idea:
Over the course of five days, Ron Jones decided to simulate Nazi behavior in class:
On the first day, he formulated that students must sit in the prescribed seats, emphasized strict classroom discipline, established their own authority, and greatly improved the efficiency of the class: for example, students must sit down before the second ring of the class bell, answer questions and questions must stand up, each question and answer can not exceed three words, and each time they speak, they must add "Mr. Jones".
Stills from "The Wave"
The next day, he transformed his history class into a highly disciplined organization, named "The Third Wave," and Jones designed a salute ceremony for the Third Wave that was very similar to the Nazi salute, and he ordered the class members to salute each other when they met, even outside the class, and the students obeyed this rule.
On the third day, the number of students in the class was expanded from 30 to 43, and the ability and initiative of the students were greatly improved, each student had a membership card and accepted special tasks, such as designing banners for the third wave, preventing non-members from entering the classroom, and so on. Jones also mentors students to develop new memberships, and by the end of the day, the sport has more than 200 participants. What Jones didn't expect was that whistleblowers appeared among the students: because someone didn't follow the rules, some students took the initiative to report to him.
On the fourth day, Jones decided to stop the movement because the whole thing looked out of control and more and more fanatical students got involved. He persuaded the students to attend a rally the next day and claimed the opportunity would be televised across the country.
On the fifth day, the students gathered, but nothing was on the TELEVISION. It took a few minutes for Jones to tell everyone the truth: they were involved in an experiment with fascism, and they had become Nazi-like people. Then he put on a documentary about the Nazis, and the experiment ended.
When students think back on these few days, they can't help but be afraid: Why did they become irrational extremists in just five days?
After the experiment, Jones said: "Like the Germans, it is difficult for you to admit that you have done so much, you will not be willing to admit that you have been manipulated, you will not be willing to admit that you participated in this farce." ”
The experiment was later adapted by a number of film and television dramas, most notably the 2008 Film Wave by German director Dennis Gansel. The film's teacher, Reiner Wenger, likewise organized an experiment, giving fanatical speeches like Hitler and developing strict systems until they spiraled out of control. Later, Wenger even felt the supreme satisfaction of power in the "wave", and the incident gradually got out of control, and after learning the truth of the experiment, a crazy student tried to shoot Wenger and eventually committed suicide.
The students in the film say: "The 'wave' gave our lives meaning again and gave us an ideal to fight for. ”
The Tide poster
This illusory ideal distorts the most basic concept of right and wrong, and the most frightening thing is that all this does not require a long period of brainwashing, "You are only five days away from the Nazis." ”
Another famous event occurred in the performance art of Marlena Abramovich, the mother of performance art, when she completely unleashed the demons of human nature.
Abramovich's performance art often pushes himself and his audience to unbearable limits. She once spent 12 days in a box in a gallery without eating, talking, reading, writing, drinking water, bathing, urinating, sleeping, compressing the state of life to extreme emptiness and simplification;
In her performance of "Rest Energy" with her lover Ulay, the two people stand face to face, Abramović holding a bow, while Ulay holds an open bow string and a poisonous arrow facing Abramović's heart, the poison arrow may shoot at her heart at any time, and the audience can hear the heartbeat of the two people through the megaphone...
Although Abramovich's art can always make people feel painful, she believes that "pain is never part of the performance". She hopes to be able to think about the relationship between people and people in her works.
Still, she had moments of collapse. In her 1974 performance Rhythm 0, she set up a table of props, including dangerous items such as guns, bullets, kitchen knives, and whips.
The audience can use any item on the table and do whatever they want to her.
At first the audience scribbled on her face with lipstick, some people cut her clothes with scissors, some people painted on her body, someone helped her rinse, someone scratched her skin...
Slowly, the viewer discovers that the artist does not make any rebellious movements. So it became bolder and bolder, until one person held her head with a loaded pistol.
Abramovich's eyes filled with tears and he finally cried out. But she still stood still.
Fortunately, this crazy audience was stopped by others. After a long six hours, she stood up and walked toward the audience. Fearing reprisals, all the people began to scatter and flee.
Abramovich said: "This experience made me realize that once you give the decision to the public, you are not far from being killed. ”
People who maintain humanity and rationality in their daily lives, under the guidance of the artist, release the demons in their hearts...
Perhaps we should be thankful that human reason has triumphed over madness. But it also shows how swaying and unreliable human nature is!