I’ve recently come across this video via Facebook, and I shared it immediately because it reminded of snap judgments, micro-aggressions, and stereotypes. The video is documenting a social experiment in Denmark where different walks of lives are being asked personal questions– “Who’s the class clown?”, “Who are Step-Parents?”, etc. The narrator humanizes every individual through commonalities that human beings have. Also, through his diction instead of using pronouns including “I” or “They” the narrator uses “We”, which makes a world of a difference because he involves the viewer to join on in the commonalities demonstrated in the video.
Stereotypes are built around different kinds of people solely on their appearance, which may reveal their socio-economic status, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, origins (immigrant or native), or livelihood. The narrator of the video dissects the entire social experiment and begins by saying, “It is easy to put people in boxes, There’s us and there’s them”. The narrator uses colloquial language for the average person to understand through a medium that is easily accessible through the internet. This video has been shared over 50 thousand times and has received nearly 100 thousand likes around the globe. The significance of this video is to promote inclusion and diversity especially in areas that are struggling to do so.
The music playing in the background sets the tone throughout the video. For instance when the narrator is explaining the flaws of human discrimination the music is rather melancholic compared to the empowering music when individuals from different backgrounds find commonalities. The narrator’s targeting anyone who exhibits prejudices on stereotypes, because that is ultimately hindering their ability to relate to another fellow human being.