from Christian Concern (Image: Unsplash)
Isabel Jackson reviews Channel 4’s The Experiment and the implications of killing off the weakest members of a society
The new Channel 4 documentary The Experiment asks a disturbing question – can ordinary people be persuaded to accept Nazi-era ideas about disabled people if they were presented as compassionate, progressive and cost effective? The results should make us take a good look at how society values disabled people today, particularly as the motivation for assisted suicide remains prominent in Britain.
What happens when cruelty is presented as kindness? When discrimination is described as care, and the devaluing of human life is presented as a practical solution to society’s problems?
These are the questions at the centre of Channel 4’s The Experiment: Would you recognise cruelty if it was dressed up as care?, a chilling documentary exploring whether the British public could be persuaded to accept ideas drawn from Nazi ideology.
The programme is an uncomfortable viewing. But its message is not one we should ignore.
A sinister experiment
The documentary places members of the public inside a fictional residential facility called SegriLife House. On the surface, it appears to offer a new approach to supporting disabled people, promising safety, community and a more cost-effective model of care.