The Push is a British reality film, which is essentially a social experiment by Derren Brown performed to determine if humans can be manipulated to commit murder. In the movie, Derren works with a special effects artist, a stunt coordinator, and a team of 70 professional actors. They organize a fake youth charity and hire unsuspecting subjects. The events slowly unfold while the hidden cameras record the actors attempting the subject to take part in things they usually wouldn’t do. Derren monitors how the subject responds from a different room. Over time, the subject finds themselves in a dilemma; they are made to decide whether or not they should comply with the group’s demands to push a person from the building to their death (Brown).
The film acts as insightful research. According to Derren, the experiment showcases the psychological secrets of social compliance and obedience. He explains that when confronted with authority, our instincts fall back to obeying without question. The act can be so extreme that moral people can commit bad things just because they are told to do so. In addition, the participants were in a controlled environment. There was an oversight to minimize potential harm; ultimately, no participant was harmed or injured in the experiment. Moreover, some participants gave informed consent. The 70 actors who participated gave informed consent for the experiment (Bronwen).
The experiment revolved around deception. First, only 70 actors gave informed consent for the experiment; the subjects didn’t know what was happening; they just followed along. Subjects were led and convinced to do things they wouldn’t normally do, which is extreme manipulation and violating the principle of transparency and honesty. Secondly, I believe the subjects suffered psychological harm. Being manipulated to participate in extreme events, especially things you are not comfortable doing causes emotional stress. Lastly, there was a violation of autonomy. Autonomy is an experimental principle where people exercise their right to decide whether to participate in an experiment. The Push did not inform the subjects about their participation nor educate them about the facts of the experiment. Thus, they were simply coerced to take part and did not make genuine voluntary participation.
Moreover, there was no confidentiality in the experiment. The experiment involved psychological manipulation, and most outcomes were not appealing, especially to the participants. No single person would agree to be exposed to such an act. Nonetheless, their identity was still exposed in the film. This was against some of the participant’s wishes since they did not make genuine voluntary participation. Despite many ethical concerns, the experiment ensured no participant was harmed.
To sum up, The Push seeks to expose the dark psychological impulses of humans. Morally, it is difficult to justify the experiment. While Brown emphasizes that the film’s purpose is to illustrate the dangers of social compliance, he achieves this by manipulating people to comply. In The Push, Brown forces us to reflect on punishment, criminality, ethics, morality, manipulation, and reality. This, in turn, causes us to ask complex questions. Is it OK for media companies to allow such reality shows?
Works Cited
Bronwen. “Derren Brown’s the Push – Will It Change You?” B**P, 5 Mar. 2018, www.nebeep.com/derren-browns-the-push-will-change-you/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2024.
Brown, Derren. Pushed to the Edge. 2018, www.dailymotion.com/video/x8gxbf6.
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