Given how much discussion we had around here last week about the “responsibility” of white people when it comes to restoring racial justice, I thought it would be good for us to watch a short video that I think is indicative of how racially progressive we really are these days.
A while back, ABC’s What Would You Do? did an undercover experiment showing how people in a store would react if they saw a white salesclerk openly discriminating against a black shopper.
When I first saw this, I was optimistic. I really did expect the other shoppers to say something or at least to leave the store on principle. As the video progresses, there are a few people who do the right thing, but for the most part (80% of the time), bystanders are complicit in the crime.
There are examples in the clip of white allies who not only defend the shopper against accusation, but choose to use their obvious and unjustified advantage in the situation to walk out with the shopper in overt opposition to the supremacist behavior of the clerk. The title of the ABC series prompts me to ask all of our readers, and my sister bloggers, “What would you do?”
Thanks for sharing. I love that show.. and this brought tears to my eyes.
This is what I hope I’d do: Once I got over my disbelief that it was happening, I would leave and take as many people with me as I could. I’d file a complaint with upper management about the clerk, but if I found out that upper management is a-okay with it, I’d pretty quickly spread around town to never shop there .. and let management know I was doing it. :P
Although, I’ve learned that there is a huge gap from what people would say they would do and what they would actually do when faced with the situation. I hope I’d hold up to my values.
I know what you mean, Amanda, about the difference between what people hope they would do and what they might actually do. There have definitely been times when I found myself so dumbfounded in the moment that I wasn’t as articulate or forceful as I really wanted to be.
If you appreciated this video, be sure to check out the one I called “Suspicious Behavior?“
Wow – I remember seeing another one of these, with one of the actors playing the staff member of a fast food place, who purposely spoke Spanish to coworkers, and the other actor being a customer who yelled at him, telling him to “go back to Mexico.” Fewer than 20% of people said anything in that situation. I fear that, in a situation like that (incidentally, it was two men, which may have made me feel unsafe), I might not speak up.
In this case, however, I feel certain that I would say something, if not to the store employee than absolutely to the victim. I would definitely not purchase anything. I’ve walked out of stores for lesser behavior (uh, such as selling thongs in little girls’ sizes).
Jillian-Can you provide a link or the name of that video? It might be a good one to feature here.
And I’m with you on the baby thongs. I also hate the baby tank tops with visible BRA STRAPS sewn in!?! Note to designers: babies don’t wear bras!! Certainly not faux diamond-studded ones.
Cayce – I just tried googling it and was unable to find that specific one (I saw it on TV) but the one on Muslims in America was also really interesting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQs-qPeONEg&feature=related.
I think this is it, no?
This also looks interesting/frightening.
Yes! I guess I remembered it a little differently than how it was…that said, it’s even MORE frightening than I remembered!
In the hate crime one, a woman stops to not only help the man, but to pray over him. Wow. That IS the behavior of the Good Samaritan! Would it be that we all would have the same response to someone so obviously in need of justice.
I seem to remember – though i’ve proven my memory to be poor – reading that this series was John Quinones’ idea. Can I just say that he is kind of my favorite media person ever?