The Obedience Experiment: A shocking truth

Would you electrocute someone if asked? WorkSafe conducted a 'street experiment' to find out (adapted from Milgram's infamous experiments from the 60's). Join the conversation on http://www.facebook.com/worksafevictoria and Twitter #ObedienceTest.

(We moderate comments on this video based on relevance and appropriate language - please keep it on topic and clean).

• Category

  Education

[Daniel Kerr]

The concept is interesting but the execution is terrible. They were asked to help out. When they chose to accept, they were instructed on how to handle the cable safely and informed of the risks. How does this have anything to do with willfully electrocuting someone?

[Hugh Moodie]

hey that's me!



[JumpingPuddlez]

I think it would be more effective if you did this experiment with new worker instead of strangers on the street. You'd be able to set up a real life scenerio as this wasn't really reaslistic, but I got the point. Good job.

[Devyn Brugge]

Common sense tells us not to handle live cables. The correct reaction for the bystander to take into this workplace encounter would be to ask the question, "Is this safe?".

[actorschecklist]

Cute!

[lumyingluo]

nice xD

[pineapplefortheteach]

People will take risks if you ask them, SO DON'T ASK THEM.

Risks are not just those things that can result in physical harm;  risks also include those things that can cause psychological harm and criminality.

[pineapplefortheteach]

The horrifying truth is that "Obedience to Authority" is not simply about physical harm. The original experiments were developed to explore why people were led to commit atrocities such as the extermination of the Jews under the Nazi regime.

These very same concepts can be used to explain the normalisation of modern day misconduct such as Police Corruption, Workplace Bullying and even the bad behaviour of our Sporting Stars.

by A Pineapple For The Teacher

[ZEROCOMPLACENCY]

This is a wonderful Video regarding Complacency!

[NOCOMPLACENCYCOM]

hilarious! And, sad, but, true; Complacency is rampant among most people...

[leor shapiro]

interesting and scary

[Ay Bee]

Man...are you ad guys able to come up with anything original these days??? Woeful!!! and what's with that music at the end?? A Kazoo and whistling? why? because you consider the rest of us (or consumers as you often refer to them) to be plodding, lazy, brainless schmucks!?