12 Angry Men and Asking

In the film, 12 Angry Men, a jury of men must decide the fate of a boy convicted of murder in the first degree. While the narrative and sophistication of the crime suffice to compensate for the cost of the movie rental, the role of power within the film adds an extra layer of analyze that pushes beyond the scope of the court trial and provides a framework for looking at various struggles of power.

In the film, elven of the twelve men of the jury believe the defendant to be "guilty". And for good reason: the abundant evidence seems to prove a guilty motive and flimsy motive. Yet, the one maverick asks an important question: "How are we sure?" There always exists a possibility, however improbable, that the young boy hasn't committed the crime given the circumstantial evidence. This question the one man asks is critical: by questioning the norm of acquiescence, he stimulates conversation and real debate regarding the trial. In psychology, this norm exemplifies a social phenomenon all groups face-- group think. According to social psychology, group think is the progression of a group into a more polarized ideology of one point of view instead of included more diverse opinions.

Losing voices in group discussion seems counterintuitive-- as it should. In our curriculum, students learn to break away from "groupthink" by refusing to accept ideas as facts and instead thinking of them as working models for a solution. One of weeks, cooperation and teamwork, students gain exposure to the driving force of "groupthink" by trying to solve a problem together. Immediately, the teachers noted the conversations moving towards a solidified idea or initial concepts. Although this signals progress, the teachers emphasized the need to ask more questions and be critical about the reasoning used to justify the propositions offered. While slower, this investigative discussion ensures that great ideas are set free-- and weaker ones are found guilt of groupthink.

Your Social Outreach Team!

[FDM]