The Stanford Prison Experiment & The Psychology of Evil
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Date: 2023-08-20
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Comments and reviews: 25
Vt
Although I don't want to disregard the experiment, nor the findings of a learned psychologist, I can't help but notice a big flaw in the experiment: from my personal experience, people that are generally good are more submissive and prone to adapt their behaviour to their bolder peers. At school, there is often just one bully, but many bystanders who say nothing, either because they are scared of becoming a target, or join their side to keep themselves separated from the victim. That means that there's a high chance that if the participants were picked only from the students that were more submissive and less prone to wanting power, the outcome would probably be different. For example, many of my classmates from high school were good people at their core but would be willing to fight, argue or create drama just for the fun of it, while most of the more quiet and reserved students were generally those who would often offer help without being asked for it, genuinely care for others and never willingly hurt people. Although it would be dangerous to repeat the experiment, I believe that if these precautions were followed, the outcome would be different. At the very least, the people would take much longer than the original few days to turn like this. That's why there are psychological evaluations for prison guards.
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Although I don't want to disregard the experiment, nor the findings of a learned psychologist, I can't help but notice a big flaw in the experiment: from my personal experience, people that are generally good are more submissive and prone to adapt their behaviour to their bolder peers. At school, there is often just one bully, but many bystanders who say nothing, either because they are scared of becoming a target, or join their side to keep themselves separated from the victim. That means that there's a high chance that if the participants were picked only from the students that were more submissive and less prone to wanting power, the outcome would probably be different. For example, many of my classmates from high school were good people at their core but would be willing to fight, argue or create drama just for the fun of it, while most of the more quiet and reserved students were generally those who would often offer help without being asked for it, genuinely care for others and never willingly hurt people. Although it would be dangerous to repeat the experiment, I believe that if these precautions were followed, the outcome would be different. At the very least, the people would take much longer than the original few days to turn like this. That's why there are psychological evaluations for prison guards.
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Matt
Something I've come to understand is what's called the bystander effect. Sometimes, a situation can be so shocking, that even people with good intention can see something so shocking that they're put into a psychological loop of Is this actually happening? and they stand there and watch the event unfold, frozen in a state of shock. It's important to understand this when keeping good situational awareness along with a readiness and willingness to intervene in a situation and help those in need.
My Dad was in a meeting once, and the man giving a presentation went into a seizure due to the stress of stage-fright! Everyone else sat in there seats doing nothing but gawking, while my Dad and one other coworker of his ran up to hold the man down and not let him hurt himself and called 911. Crazy how a mundane situation can do a complete 180 and become a dangerous situation and catch people off their guard like that.
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Something I've come to understand is what's called the bystander effect. Sometimes, a situation can be so shocking, that even people with good intention can see something so shocking that they're put into a psychological loop of Is this actually happening? and they stand there and watch the event unfold, frozen in a state of shock. It's important to understand this when keeping good situational awareness along with a readiness and willingness to intervene in a situation and help those in need.
My Dad was in a meeting once, and the man giving a presentation went into a seizure due to the stress of stage-fright! Everyone else sat in there seats doing nothing but gawking, while my Dad and one other coworker of his ran up to hold the man down and not let him hurt himself and called 911. Crazy how a mundane situation can do a complete 180 and become a dangerous situation and catch people off their guard like that.
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The
It is quite funny to me how much of this shaped my entire life. When I was a kid I wasnt into superheroes or anything like that, and I always found it odd how many of my friends wanted to be heroes. A hero is nothing without a good villain was the way I saw it, and I ended up willingly playing the villain in a lot of scenarios in my life. The strange thing is that I was saved by both the concept of the antihero(which definitely helped because I struggled with both autism and depression, which made the antihero a far more relatable place to start, and the simple thinking that doing the right things without reason can help you FIND reason. I just started acting the way I figured an antihero would. Then I reached a point where I began to dig myself out. And like any character that gets a redemption arc, I just followed the path I saw.
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It is quite funny to me how much of this shaped my entire life. When I was a kid I wasnt into superheroes or anything like that, and I always found it odd how many of my friends wanted to be heroes. A hero is nothing without a good villain was the way I saw it, and I ended up willingly playing the villain in a lot of scenarios in my life. The strange thing is that I was saved by both the concept of the antihero(which definitely helped because I struggled with both autism and depression, which made the antihero a far more relatable place to start, and the simple thinking that doing the right things without reason can help you FIND reason. I just started acting the way I figured an antihero would. Then I reached a point where I began to dig myself out. And like any character that gets a redemption arc, I just followed the path I saw.
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BogoEN
This experiment was largely discredited since its initial acceptance. Zimbardo was unhappy with the outcome of the first few hours of the experiment (prisoners and guards largely getting along, guards even expressing a desire to conduct themselves with the rights of prisoners in mind) and intervened to encourage the guards to be more cruel (because he wasnt getting the results he wanted. Some guards refused, others went along thinking it was for the sake of an unbiased (read: scientific) experiment. Then prisoners were encouraged to rebel by those with knowledge of the desired outcome.
While the general message P2G is promoting at the end of this video is commendable, giving voice to a discredited social experiment carries the consequence of giving credence to bad science.
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This experiment was largely discredited since its initial acceptance. Zimbardo was unhappy with the outcome of the first few hours of the experiment (prisoners and guards largely getting along, guards even expressing a desire to conduct themselves with the rights of prisoners in mind) and intervened to encourage the guards to be more cruel (because he wasnt getting the results he wanted. Some guards refused, others went along thinking it was for the sake of an unbiased (read: scientific) experiment. Then prisoners were encouraged to rebel by those with knowledge of the desired outcome.
While the general message P2G is promoting at the end of this video is commendable, giving voice to a discredited social experiment carries the consequence of giving credence to bad science.
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Hoodie
Despite inspiring other research, the standfort prison experiment was debunked. It has been proven that zimbardo influenced the behavior of the participants to get the desired result. His ads seeking participants were written in such a way that they were more likely to attract aggressive individuals. Many of the torturous things done to the prisoners were introduced to the guards by himself, and many other things made the experiment unreliable. The experiment was also performed again without the influence of zimbardo and in this second experiment the guards and prisoners both behaved very humanely and nothing really interesting happened. Unfortunately, the standfort prison experiment is much more well known than the fact that the findings were unreliable and unscientific.
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Despite inspiring other research, the standfort prison experiment was debunked. It has been proven that zimbardo influenced the behavior of the participants to get the desired result. His ads seeking participants were written in such a way that they were more likely to attract aggressive individuals. Many of the torturous things done to the prisoners were introduced to the guards by himself, and many other things made the experiment unreliable. The experiment was also performed again without the influence of zimbardo and in this second experiment the guards and prisoners both behaved very humanely and nothing really interesting happened. Unfortunately, the standfort prison experiment is much more well known than the fact that the findings were unreliable and unscientific.
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SpicyMcG
Me in a bad relation
Them: I put 2 combative species together in a cage to let the xyz kill the abc
Me: Ahh, that was back in the day, you wouldnt have known unless you tried it, right.
(I wasnt prepd to dig into the Redflags yet)
/we had just started our walk/
Them: No, youre sweet but I did it intentionally
So its a fun power trip thats entertaining. theyre worthless, uninterested and inept at being content on their own grasping at everything besides themselves suffering, or sharing suffering. to feel more alive existent.
Theyre blind to whats good. yet want it. but love to create chaos. Theyd rather hurt their prey than work to get what they want If only they cared differently, they wouldnt be the devil.
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Me in a bad relation
Them: I put 2 combative species together in a cage to let the xyz kill the abc
Me: Ahh, that was back in the day, you wouldnt have known unless you tried it, right.
(I wasnt prepd to dig into the Redflags yet)
/we had just started our walk/
Them: No, youre sweet but I did it intentionally
So its a fun power trip thats entertaining. theyre worthless, uninterested and inept at being content on their own grasping at everything besides themselves suffering, or sharing suffering. to feel more alive existent.
Theyre blind to whats good. yet want it. but love to create chaos. Theyd rather hurt their prey than work to get what they want If only they cared differently, they wouldnt be the devil.
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Orion
_Your chance of success rises by making friends, not enemies. Alone you are limited, but together you are limitless, because there is no greater power than that of alliance_
_Cruelty is a poor and unwise long-term investment, because compassion costs nothing and means everything to many a soul. A little kindness goes a long way_
_What is fear in the faces of trusted friends and allies who stand in unison? What is hate to a downtrodden soul exposed to an act of heartfelt altruism? _
_Are they the shadows of courage and valiance, or their source? Does one beget the other, thus proving they arent as mutually exclusive as some may believe? _
_Or are they allegories of human nature? _
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_Your chance of success rises by making friends, not enemies. Alone you are limited, but together you are limitless, because there is no greater power than that of alliance_
_Cruelty is a poor and unwise long-term investment, because compassion costs nothing and means everything to many a soul. A little kindness goes a long way_
_What is fear in the faces of trusted friends and allies who stand in unison? What is hate to a downtrodden soul exposed to an act of heartfelt altruism? _
_Are they the shadows of courage and valiance, or their source? Does one beget the other, thus proving they arent as mutually exclusive as some may believe? _
_Or are they allegories of human nature? _
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Daniel
Jeremiah 17: 9 the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Romans 3: 10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
We are all wicked from birth and choose to rebel against God and go our own way because of our pride. It is only by God's grace that we can be changed and desire Him instead of sin. He has the power to change even the hardest of hearts and repair our broken relationship with both Him and each other.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
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Jeremiah 17: 9 the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Romans 3: 10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
We are all wicked from birth and choose to rebel against God and go our own way because of our pride. It is only by God's grace that we can be changed and desire Him instead of sin. He has the power to change even the hardest of hearts and repair our broken relationship with both Him and each other.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
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John
I know it's not the intent of the videos but if you understand what is going on with bullies and why they do what they do. Your knowledge can become a weapon. Taking them down with mere words, striking at their very core. If they get even more hostile. That's just them not willing to admit that maybe there is something wrong with what their doing. Physical violence heals (unless killed which proves even further that said bully has a conflict that they are not willing to resolve. A mental wound can only heal if it's being accepted and being treated.
Or I could be talking out of my behind to which no one needs heed what I just wrote.
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I know it's not the intent of the videos but if you understand what is going on with bullies and why they do what they do. Your knowledge can become a weapon. Taking them down with mere words, striking at their very core. If they get even more hostile. That's just them not willing to admit that maybe there is something wrong with what their doing. Physical violence heals (unless killed which proves even further that said bully has a conflict that they are not willing to resolve. A mental wound can only heal if it's being accepted and being treated.
Or I could be talking out of my behind to which no one needs heed what I just wrote.
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Joe
My father went to school with a bully. This guy became a security guard at the Camp Hill prison in Pennsylvania. In 1989, during the prison riot, this bully was one of 69 staff members who received the karma he deserved. What you give is what you get. It's only the narrsassists that want power and control over you. It feeds their ego to control others. Naturally, yes, you have the desire to control or manipulate. I've spoken to a licensed therapist, and we both agreed that it's the degree in which you pursue it. Are you doing it for healthy boundaries, or are your reasons more nefarious and devious?
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My father went to school with a bully. This guy became a security guard at the Camp Hill prison in Pennsylvania. In 1989, during the prison riot, this bully was one of 69 staff members who received the karma he deserved. What you give is what you get. It's only the narrsassists that want power and control over you. It feeds their ego to control others. Naturally, yes, you have the desire to control or manipulate. I've spoken to a licensed therapist, and we both agreed that it's the degree in which you pursue it. Are you doing it for healthy boundaries, or are your reasons more nefarious and devious?
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Hendrik
The Stanford Prison Experiment is. difficult
The Problem is, that Zimbardo manipulated a great portion of this experiment. He told the guards to be more aggressive, he and his team tried to influence the results by creating the drama etc. He wanted to have success with this experiment, he wanted to shock the public for his reputation as a psychologist.
There is still some truth to be found in this experiment, but FAR FAR less, than the actuall results try to imply.
If you want, The Stanford Prison experiment is nothing more but a big hoax with an interesting idea to its base.
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The Stanford Prison Experiment is. difficult
The Problem is, that Zimbardo manipulated a great portion of this experiment. He told the guards to be more aggressive, he and his team tried to influence the results by creating the drama etc. He wanted to have success with this experiment, he wanted to shock the public for his reputation as a psychologist.
There is still some truth to be found in this experiment, but FAR FAR less, than the actuall results try to imply.
If you want, The Stanford Prison experiment is nothing more but a big hoax with an interesting idea to its base.
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Mike
These people are trying to help us. They want to help us have a better life, a more healthy and happy life. A way to fight back against the things thay hurt us, not an excuse for a victim party. Yes, things hurt and other people are out of our control byt your thoughts and reactions are not. Apply this everywhere, oick the RIGHT thing, the GOOD thing. Like the lady said, it isnt easy, but it gets easier and something i can add myself, its SO WORTH it when you do! So go be a more heroic you!
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These people are trying to help us. They want to help us have a better life, a more healthy and happy life. A way to fight back against the things thay hurt us, not an excuse for a victim party. Yes, things hurt and other people are out of our control byt your thoughts and reactions are not. Apply this everywhere, oick the RIGHT thing, the GOOD thing. Like the lady said, it isnt easy, but it gets easier and something i can add myself, its SO WORTH it when you do! So go be a more heroic you!
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DennisLaursen89
I think the Stanford Prison Experiment has been exposed as a partial hoax.
At least according to the book Humankind by the Dutch historian and author Rutger Bregman. For example, Zimbardo has pre-selected who should be guards, and has pre-instructed the guards to be extra tough.
Humankind is, by the way, a book worth reading on the whole. Rutger Bregman also debunks the Lord of the Flies theory, and comes up with an example of a real world Lord of the Flies.
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I think the Stanford Prison Experiment has been exposed as a partial hoax.
At least according to the book Humankind by the Dutch historian and author Rutger Bregman. For example, Zimbardo has pre-selected who should be guards, and has pre-instructed the guards to be extra tough.
Humankind is, by the way, a book worth reading on the whole. Rutger Bregman also debunks the Lord of the Flies theory, and comes up with an example of a real world Lord of the Flies.
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Scruffbucket
I would push back a bit, it's common to have people who can tick all of the boxes and still choose to be good or evil. For example, my parents and my friends parents, both equally have the same amount of power over us but mine acted in their own self interests whilst other parents haven't.
When they get called out for their problems, there are some who choose to atone and some who don't, despite having the same amount of power as those that do, to those that don't.
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I would push back a bit, it's common to have people who can tick all of the boxes and still choose to be good or evil. For example, my parents and my friends parents, both equally have the same amount of power over us but mine acted in their own self interests whilst other parents haven't.
When they get called out for their problems, there are some who choose to atone and some who don't, despite having the same amount of power as those that do, to those that don't.
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Jake
Brilliant video as always!
Ive heard talk of people having a Hero Complex or of people accusing others of having such a complex, i. e. wanting to help out a lot.
Do we think that this video concludes that a Hero Complex is better than no heroic tendancies at all? (i. e. wanting to help a lot would be better than always being a bystander. That picturing yourself as a hero in waiting may help to reduce evil tendancies?
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Brilliant video as always!
Ive heard talk of people having a Hero Complex or of people accusing others of having such a complex, i. e. wanting to help out a lot.
Do we think that this video concludes that a Hero Complex is better than no heroic tendancies at all? (i. e. wanting to help a lot would be better than always being a bystander. That picturing yourself as a hero in waiting may help to reduce evil tendancies?
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maxi
This is very well explained and understandable even for simple minds as my own.
I wonder if there has ever been research of _heroic addiction_ (for lack of a better) reverse effect. There seems to be situations where repressed personalities stand up to a bully and then _become_ the bully. It cascades into a vendetta that burglarizes their justice sensibilities. It's surely how at least _some_ of the bullies are created.
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This is very well explained and understandable even for simple minds as my own.
I wonder if there has ever been research of _heroic addiction_ (for lack of a better) reverse effect. There seems to be situations where repressed personalities stand up to a bully and then _become_ the bully. It cascades into a vendetta that burglarizes their justice sensibilities. It's surely how at least _some_ of the bullies are created.
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long
One thing i know that can change a person into evil or become a whole different person is power if you hold more power you become more confident, be the ones who hunt. If you hold less power you become a prey. Thats just most of it in the sociaity. So some become bads, some become goods and some become nobody just to avoid all of this. Everybody does something for a reason. I couldnt hate anyone cuz of that fact
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One thing i know that can change a person into evil or become a whole different person is power if you hold more power you become more confident, be the ones who hunt. If you hold less power you become a prey. Thats just most of it in the sociaity. So some become bads, some become goods and some become nobody just to avoid all of this. Everybody does something for a reason. I couldnt hate anyone cuz of that fact
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Nin
I cant tell if this coordinates with the video but someone anyone should do a study country to country I've noticed in America they always brand that they have issues there struggling school education is too much on them but in other countries children get beat cry a little and then go back to normal. They dont make dirty jokes or racist jokes there normal. They work they do homework.
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I cant tell if this coordinates with the video but someone anyone should do a study country to country I've noticed in America they always brand that they have issues there struggling school education is too much on them but in other countries children get beat cry a little and then go back to normal. They dont make dirty jokes or racist jokes there normal. They work they do homework.
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Dfd_Free_Speech
Why was there not any mention in the video that the Stanford Prison Experiment violated so many scientific standards that its findings are highly questionable and generally NOT accepted by the scientific community?
For example the experiment leader constantly encouraged the guards to be more harsh to the prisoners?
Do you purposely want to mislead your audience?
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Why was there not any mention in the video that the Stanford Prison Experiment violated so many scientific standards that its findings are highly questionable and generally NOT accepted by the scientific community?
For example the experiment leader constantly encouraged the guards to be more harsh to the prisoners?
Do you purposely want to mislead your audience?
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FreeloaderLoser
I have a compassionate nature but traumatic events over time changed me. My base personality is still there but how my trauma has effected me is like a shadow or layer over my personality. Sometimes they conflict each other but my trauma based self basically has priority over the other
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I have a compassionate nature but traumatic events over time changed me. My base personality is still there but how my trauma has effected me is like a shadow or layer over my personality. Sometimes they conflict each other but my trauma based self basically has priority over the other
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Beatitudo
That phenomenon seems to allign with the marxist worldview, people's ideals are shaped by their material conditions, and their material conditions are changed by those very ideals. It is really spooky how such useful philosophical ideas can be overlooked because of politics and propaganda.
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That phenomenon seems to allign with the marxist worldview, people's ideals are shaped by their material conditions, and their material conditions are changed by those very ideals. It is really spooky how such useful philosophical ideas can be overlooked because of politics and propaganda.
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Muhammad
I get your point but there is another lesson in this experiment and that is
All Humans are equal and if one start to think
He /she is upper or lower than the other he /she will suffer. We all have different rolls to perfome but same value and equal chance to show our talent.
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I get your point but there is another lesson in this experiment and that is
All Humans are equal and if one start to think
He /she is upper or lower than the other he /she will suffer. We all have different rolls to perfome but same value and equal chance to show our talent.
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shadowdagger2
This study was a fraud. Or at least to my understanding. The main Dr. Actively encouraged the guards to be aggressive and treat the prisoners badly. This is a super famous study. It's had tons of peer review that hasn't come to the same conclusions. The NIH talks about it.
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This study was a fraud. Or at least to my understanding. The main Dr. Actively encouraged the guards to be aggressive and treat the prisoners badly. This is a super famous study. It's had tons of peer review that hasn't come to the same conclusions. The NIH talks about it.
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Hosu
Butt! Butt Bowser is a great father's and, come one he is charming. And Kirby. well are you ready? Are you ready to enter to the other side of madnes and power of the universe itself? Kirby is. Kirby is so good that can be bad and out of the compression of the human mind.
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Butt! Butt Bowser is a great father's and, come one he is charming. And Kirby. well are you ready? Are you ready to enter to the other side of madnes and power of the universe itself? Kirby is. Kirby is so good that can be bad and out of the compression of the human mind.
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Viera
The experiment itself is kinda if-y, as in this should not be done today or not ever in the first place even though it showed some interesting results. I have heard of this experiment but does it go into detail about the type of person who would refuse to follow orders?
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The experiment itself is kinda if-y, as in this should not be done today or not ever in the first place even though it showed some interesting results. I have heard of this experiment but does it go into detail about the type of person who would refuse to follow orders?
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