What Would You Do?

The ABC News "What Would You Do?" series tests human nature through hidden camera scenarios. John Quiñones is the host of the series that place normal people in ethical dilemmas. These scenarios include issues that deal with gender, ethnicity, age, disabilities, religion, and other controversial and provocative situations which examine many aspects of humanity. If and only when people are placed in similar or identical situations will they discover if they will stand up against injustice or just ignore it.

In this episode, there are three white teenage boys that try to break into a car and begin to vandalize it. The car is in a public park where many people are walking, running, or just passing by. There are only a few people that stand up against the vandalizers. 

 

In the second part of the episode, they exchange the three white teenagers with three black teenagers. The results and reactions of the people in the park are surprising and distinctively different.

 

After watching these two movie clips, I began to think and analyze the two scenarios and how the teenagers' "race" is the only factor that impacts what people will and will not do.The reactions are unjust because the two groups of teenagers are not treated in the same manner even though they were both vandalizing a car. It was shocking to know that there were 911 emergency phone calls to report two African American young men sleeping rather than reporting the white teenage vandals. 

It is easy to say one is going to do the right thing or stand up against injustice.The difficult part is actually taking action. I want to challenge you to think through these scenarios and really think about what would you have done if you witnessed either scenario.