Something You Should See

A month ago I happened to catch Oprah talking with John Quinones about his show for ABC News. It is called "What Would You Do?" and I think it deserves a lot of attention.

Basically, the show examines situations in which people should speak up. A man putting a mysterious powder into his date's drink while she is in the restroom, a woman in traditional Muslim clothing being refused service at a lunch counter, and two girls verbally abusing a young girl in a park are previous experiments. Each experiment involves actors playing these tough roles as hidden cameras record the reactions of bystanders.

I think the experiments on racism are some of the most powerful examples of how this show succeeds. I have seen two such set-ups in which an angry lunch counter worker discriminates against someone seeking service.

The bystanders who witnessed discrimination against an actress wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, or hijab, reacted to what they thought was actual discrimination. The vast majority of bystanders said nothing, while many even took the side of the belligerent bakery worker.

There were, however, a good number of people who emphatically supported the woman and even cancelled their orders after hearing the argument.

This show both troubles me and gives me hope for America. On one hand, the number of people who said nothing or supported the actor who belittled the Muslim-American woman astounds me. I would love to think that we are better than that as a society.

On the other hand, the brave customers who defended the woman touched my heart. According to an article on the ABC website, one man had this to say when the actor behind the lunch counter called him a "bad American": "I believe I am a good American. My son just came back from serving in the army for over a year in Iraq and that has nothing to do with her rights. I am deeply offended by this."

Not all experiments are this heavy, but they are definitely entertaining. Last week, one segment explored the reaction of Paris locals to the atrociously stereotypical behavior of two American tourists.


"What Would You Do?" can be seen on ABC each Tuesday night at 9:00 PM, and there are many videos on the website.