In the Youtube video Brené Brown on Empathy, Brené Brown explores empathy, the ability to identify with another personʼs feelings through personal experience. As mentioned in the video, the four steps of empathy are perspective taking, remaining judgement free, connecting with the personʼs feelings and finally communicating with them. In Brownʼs words, “empathy is feeling with people.” But empathy can be easily deprived. When an environment is devoid of empathy, those with more power will perceive themselves as superior, and they will often choose not to empathize because they distance themselves from those they perceive as inferior and unworthy. On the other hand, when a person has had experiences similar to those of others, their ability to empathize will increase as they can put themselves in someone elseʼs shoes.

Empathy is one of the most important human qualities. However, environments with an imbalance of power lack this quality. When one holds more power than others, they become prejudiced and have a sense of superiority that causes them to treat others as inferior human beings that are lesser than themselves. An example of this was demonstrated brought up in a 2013 Ted Talk by Paul Piff titled "Does Money Make You Mean?”. A psychological experiment was conducted on the UC Berkeley campus in which one in two volunteers was randomly selected and given the privileges to become the rich player in a rigged game of Monopoly. They got two times as much money, collected twice as much salary, and got to roll two dice instead of one. It was observed that the rich players were are[sic] “more demonstrative of their … success” as they tend to “nonverbal[ly] display [their] power, [... by moving] around the board louder, smacking the board with [their] piece” (Paul Piff). They were “ruder, less sensitive to the plight of the poor… players” and also saidy[sic] things along the lines of “I have money for everything,” “Iʼm pretty much untouchable,” and “youʼre going to lose all your money soon.” Even though the rich players did not earn their power, they still feel entitled to look down on others. This imbalance of power encouraged a sense of superiority and "dominance" by the rich player over the other player. Another experiment conducted by Paul Piff and his team established similar results. The team monitored and recorded the types of cars that did not stop for an actor who posed as a pedestrian waiting to cross at a crosswalk. Alarmingly, as “the expensiveness of a car increased, the driverʼs tendencies to break the law increased.” Despite knowing that “in California, it is the law to stop for a pedestrian,” the drivers continued driving (Paul Piff). It also demonstrates their willingness to usurp someone elseʼs privilege or rights. This further proves that when there is an imbalance of power, the wealthier you are, or the more power you have, the easier and more likely you are to pursue personal interest to the detriment of those around you. In both experiments, the power that the rich wields is what causes them to see themselves as superior, or in other words, to be biased against other people. When weʼre unable to withhold judgement, we lose the ability to empathize. Ultimately, the rich players in Monopoly, as well as the drivers of expensive cars, became indifferent to about[sic] those around them as their power and biases blinded them from having empathy towards others.

In the previous experiments, a biased and socially unequal environment was created which deprived people of empathy, driving them apart. While having to experience a biased and discriminatory environment can be detrimental, one can use this experience to connect and empathize with others who have had a similar experience. Shared experiences allow us to see things from othersʼ perspectives and empathize with them. This is exemplified in the documentary Frontline: “A Class Divided.” Jane Elliott, a third-grade teacher in the all-white Iowa town, Riceville. Fragment[sic] She conducted an experiment that allowed her students experience discrimination firsthand. Elliott divided the class by eye color, creating a “microcosm of society,” an environment of inequity and discrimination. On the first day, she deemed the blue-eyed students to be superior, giving them positive encouragement and privileges such as more recess time and the ability to go to lunch first. In contrast, brown-eyed students were made to feel inferior through restrictive means, including having to wear a collar, being forced upon the idea that their eye color determines their intelligence and that they are therefore lesser than the blue-eyed students. The next day, the roles were reversed - the brown-eyed students became the privileged one. By the end of the experiement, the students were aware of the dangers of discrimination. They were able to use those experiences to empathize with others. Fast forward in time, 30 years later a reunion of the students was held. They were asked how the experience had impacted their perspectives. One of the students, Verla, described how she felt when she witnessed people being racist: it was “a burning sensation… you just want to let it out and put them through what we went through to find out; theyʼre not any different.” Another student who had a similar experience said that she wanted to “whip out the collar” and put it onto the people who discriminate so that they could know what it was like to be discriminated against and hopefully learn the lesson. The students all knew what it was like to be discriminated against so theyʼre able to connect themselves to the victims of discrimination and empathize with them through the experience. A woman said that the experiment taught her to be non-judgmental. “Sometimes when [she] see[s] [ethnic minorities] together [and] see[s] how they act… the different colors is what hit [her] first.” But “[she didnʼt] even finish that thought” because she “remembered back” to the eye color experiment, what “[she] was like” when she was in their shoes. From the experiment, She learned how to consider things from the perspective of others and became aware of the harm that judgement can cause. Ms. Elliottʼs experiment allowed her students to experience discrimination -- an learning opportunity they otherwise may not have been given. This experience allowed them to see the world with more empathy; they were able to put themselves in the shoes of others and empathize with them because they know what it was like to be hated, teased, and discriminated against.

Experience is a valuable thing; it enables you to see the world from othersʼ perspectives. Our environment is what shapes our perspective. The lack or abundance of empathy the environment possesses determines how we see ourselves and the world around us. The rich Monopoly players, the drivers of expensive cars, the children who finally understood other peopleʼs pain; their actions and beliefs were ultimately shaped and easily manipulated by their environment. While a lack of empathy drives disconnection, an abundance of empathy fosters connection. If we want to live in a caring society, we must embrace the differences and put ourselves in other peopleʼs shoes. Empathy is the only key that enables this path.