Page 29 - SB-Chocolate Festival

EXERCISE
Two Bears and a Toad: A Role-play
Some of us have a tendency to think irrationally and that is normal. This little exercise is designed to help you learn skills necessary to avoid the irrational thinking that causes prejudice. In this exercise, we use stuffed animals as props: two bears and a toad (or whatever is available). In this exercise, you are to be one bear, your partner the other. The exercise will have two parts. In the first, you (Bear A) are prejudiced toward the Toad and your partner (Bear B) is not prejudiced. In the second part of this exercise, you will reverse the roles.
Set the stage by having the Toad on one desk and the two bears on the desks of each child participating. As Bear A you are to come up with reasons why you don’t like the Toad. The job of Bear B is to ask the “Why” and “What would happen” questions.
For example:
Bear A: “I hate that toad because he hops all the time.” Bear B: “Why is hopping bad?”
Bear A: “It looks stupid.”
Bear B: “What would happen if toads could not hop?”
Bear A: “I guess the things that eat them could catch them.” Bear B: “Why would that be a good thing or a bad thing?” Bear A: “A bad thing because the toad would be eaten.”
Let Bear A come up with the irrational reasons to not like the Toad. Bear B can dispute these reasons. Then reverse the roles. Now discuss with your partner why your rationale for not liking the Toad is Stinky. You want to get into the habit of asking yourselves “Why” and “What would happen” questions.
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