106 replies to this topic

[Cali805]

http://a.abcnews.com...?...2238&page=1

A show that airs weekly. It started on 20/20 as a segment and took off from there. Different scenarios are given and you watch on a hidden camera the actions of what people would do in certain situations. Last week's episode had an elderly man who needed help finding his car, starting his car and then backing into a parked motorcycle. Several people were shown actually helping this gentleman start his car even after he could not find "reverse" on his driving panel. The other segment featured a segment on a strange man approaching children in the park asking them to help him find his lost puppy.

[IvyDarling]

I liked that they did a segment about babies in locked cars. Every damn summer I'm [unfortunately] bombarded with news stories about babies dying in hot cars. And people don't learn? I'm glad that basically every passer-by had something to say and called the police and whatnot. I'd have done the same thing, no question about it. Then I would have made sure to tell the mom about herself, using a few choice words to boot.

[Cali805]

Oh yes, the babies in the car. Thank you for reminding me of that segment. I have never encountered a baby or child in a hot car, but let me tell you, the day that should ever occur, I too would have a few choice words myself. I may have to be restrained. It was great seeing so many people made a 911 call. It seems when it comes to children in these types of segments, many people tend to do the right thing. Now if only the parents of these children do the right thing and don't leave their kids in the car to begin with!

[soymilk]

What I hate about this show is how it ends up clogging the 911 system with unnecessary calls. It's akin to yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater just to find out, "What Would You Do?" Did I just give the producers an idea?

[Cali805]

They do say in each segment that the local police are fully aware of the tv show filming, which is why the police NEVER show up for whatever is occurring. However I never thought of the fact that maybe 20 people might be calling the police for the same incident. At least the police are aware of the situation. I can't help but think of those "prank" shows such as JACKASS on MTV where you could clearly see the police show up at times for certain instances. Obviously people called the police when they saw a man bleeding or whatever they were reporting. Now that is bad.

[absolutqt]

Did anyone see the segment in which they had a few hispanic actors try to order breakfast in a deli that refused them service becasue they didn't speak English?

Here in Philly, we've had a very public example of this really occurring. A cheesteak place in South Philly put up a sign that reads, "This is America, Order in English!" or something to that effect. Quite frankly, that establishment just made sure that I'll NEVER spend a dime there but it was quite jarring to see how many people agreed with the refusal to serve immigrants that might struggle with the language.

[IvyDarling]

Did anyone see the segment in which they had a few hispanic actors try to order breakfast in a deli that refused them service becasue they didn't speak English?

Here in Philly, we've had a very public example of this really occurring. A cheesteak place in South Philly put up a sign that reads, "This is America, Order in English!" or something to that effect. Quite frankly, that establishment just made sure that I'll NEVER spend a dime there but it was quite jarring to see how many people agreed with the refusal to serve immigrants that might struggle with the language.

I found that segment very interesting. Granted, if I were running an establishment, I'd never think to put up a sign like that (shades of Whites Only come to mind). However, I can somewhat understand the sentiment. During my senior year of high school (01-02), I worked at McDonald's for pocket money. I would get so annoyed when basically being pushed into the role of makeshift translator. It made my job harder to figure out what they wanted--and, in turn, it made me waste time, made my line get longer, and thus led me to have managers on my back for not moving the line.

I think some of the annoyance comes from knowing that there are many people who've been here for 5,10,15+ years and still don't know a lick of English (clearly, the people in the segment wouldn't have known whether or not that was true, but sometimes it is the case from personal experience). I'd never move to another country and not even think to learn the language.

Edited by IvyDarling, Feb 24, 2009 @ 3:27 PM.

[Cali805]

Did anyone see the segment in which they had a few hispanic actors try to order breakfast in a deli that refused them service becasue they didn't speak English?

Yes. Very sad to see those who didn't react.
What is startling about that segment is the mere fact the gentlemen were merely ordering coffee. It wasn't like that was so hard to understand. But that is not the topic of the segment, it was how those around those men were treating them. I was offended by the man who told Mr. Quinones he was sick and tired of people making money HERE and sending it back to Mexico. Now why is he assuming that first of all? Secondly, the men ordering the coffee were going to spend their money HERE, in that deli. Did that man think they get cabs for free? Do those men not ride the buses? Did that man not think they buy groceries and pay bills HERE? Or did those two men have everything given to them for free HERE so they could send all their money back to Mexico? I think that is the kind of mentality that a lot of people use to defend their actions and feelings towards immigrants. Besides not all immigrants are mexican. And not all mexicans are illegals. Overall it was a touching segment.

[IvyDarling]

I was offended by the man who told Mr. Quinones he was sick and tired of people making money HERE and sending it back to Mexico.

Interestingly enough, I read an article recently that said that due to the recession here, immigrants are sending less and less money to their countries. I believe that the article mentioned that the amount of money being sent back to Mexico is lower than it's ever been before (and that some of these immigrants are going back home because they aren't making enough here to send home).

And not all mexicans are illegals.

Some idiot girl actually said this on the Bad Girls Club. And she believed it too!

What is startling about that segment is the mere fact the gentlemen were merely ordering coffee. It wasn't like that was so hard to understand

Yea, I didn't understand that either. Sometimes, once someone hears an accent (especially one that many associate with lower class, lower intelligence), it's all downhill.

Edited by IvyDarling, Feb 24, 2009 @ 9:35 PM.

[Cali805]

Some idiot girl actually said this on the Bad Girls Club. And she believed it too!

Are you serious!? Oh wow. And sadly there are plenty out there like her.

Yea, I didn't understand that either. Sometimes, once someone hears an accent (especially one that many associate with lower class, lower intelligence), it's all downhill.

Very true. Very sad.
If someone were deaf and couldn't speak, would people be so quick to dismiss someone who couldn't tell them what they wanted? People have a low tolerance of minorities.

I was brought to tears when they showed the young, black girl who stood up for those mexican men. Afterwards she was asked why she did what she did. She responded with her reasons but the one that got to me (and obviously to her) was saying, "it's just wrong." She then began to cry and hugged those two men. That got to me. I began to cry. I wish I could tell her mother what a beautiful daughter she raised and what a great job she did at raising her.

Edited by Cali805, Feb 24, 2009 @ 9:46 PM.

[curemode]

It's frankly upsetting that, week after week, the "racist" character is always portrayed by a white male. I'd like to see them switch things up and have the role played also by women and people of other races. This is not only to "make it fair", but also because the reactions to the character from the public could produce wildly different results and would therefore gives additional dimensions to explore.

[absolutqt]

The online dating switchup? That last guy really looked like Adrien Brody. Me likey.

[slipperyslope]

Am I alone in thinking that the entire concept of these segments is totally creepy? A staged moral dilemma with clearly implied "right" and "wrong" responses smacks of the reprehensible Milgram experiments. Moral decisions are rarely as clear cut as this show would indicate. I resent the smug premise and the simplistic concept of what is the right thing to do.

[heirloomtomata]

You're definitely not alone. Some of the premises are tests of friendship, some are tests of relationships, but some set up confrontations with strangers that, frankly, seem to expect people to endanger themselves. And then be judged as morally flawed if they don't want to engage.

Frankly, that is a pretty irresponsible premise for a show. I hope they've got some heavy-duty liability insurance.

[meritas]

Quite frankly I have no issue with it when the moral dilemma presented highlights racism and societal ills like that. There is a "right" and "Wrong" when it comes to racism. Is that really something that is debatable?

[Mindymoo]

I agree about the lack of responsibility on behalf of she show runners. I tried to watch this show, but I couldn't. It made me nervous and frustrated, and was quite often painful to watch. And I don't think the premise is that good to begin with. The idea for the show should have never gotten any further than the drawing board, to be perfectly honest.

[heirloomtomata]

The premise of the show seems to be eavesdropping on people who were deliberately placed in moral dilemmas. Is this supposed to be a teaching exercise? It seems to me like an "I dare you" exercise half the time. Whenever one is given the option of confronting an asshole or not, it's a definitely not just an academic exercise. Judging people who determine that the asshole is an asshole, but they don't want to get a personal beatdown, is a little harsh.

[Harry Tuttle]

You're definitely not alone. Some of the premises are tests of friendship, some are tests of relationships, but some set up confrontations with strangers that, frankly, seem to expect people to endanger themselves. And then be judged as morally flawed if they don't want to engage.

Frankly, that is a pretty irresponsible premise for a show. I hope they've got some heavy-duty liability insurance.

Just like To Catch A Pervert, this twist on Candid Camera is all in good fun until someone gets hurt. Sooner or later, someone will break down, freak out, have a heart attack, get into a physical confrontation, or otherwise do some damage and then ABD will pull the plug on their little ratings "experiment."

I realize that the news divisions have dumbed down considerably, but 60 Minutes had a great piece a few weeks ago on what happens when the FDIC takes over a local bank that was both informative and kinda reassuring. But that's so totally beyond the ability now of most other news magazines that I guess it's just pointless to expect better.

Will people respond uncomfortably to an uncomfortable situation? Find out the shocking answer next as we have a "father" make out with his "daughter"!

[Ahoskie59]

Quite frankly I have no issue with it when the moral dilemma presented highlights racism and societal ills like that. There is a "right" and "Wrong" when it comes to racism. Is that really something that is debatable?

True. In the "shopping while black" segment, I thought it was interesting to see the people who were very upset by this; a black man and two white women. The white man agreed with the saleswoman when she commented about "those people" and then when confronted, lied and said, "I felt so bad for her." What a tool.

The point of that segment was to see what other people would do when they saw racism right in front of them and sadly, many did nothing, even when the MALE security guard was frisking the black woman.

Edited by Ahoskie59, Mar 27, 2009 @ 3:25 PM.

[Malibu65]

True. In the "shopping while black" segment, I thought it was interesting to see the people who were very upset by this; a black man and two white women. The white man agreed with the saleswoman when she commented about "those people" and then when confronted, lied and said, "I felt so bad for her." What a tool.

I was so happy to see what seemed like all the customers walking out of that store. One doesn't have to confront a racist person to make a point, sometimes just doing something collectively as a group can make a huge impact.

As for the two homosexual guys showing their affection for each other, I wasn't expecting every single person to defend their relationship as I understand people have a hard time facing that there are gay people in this world, but I liked how some of the people stood up to the guy (the actor) who was berating the gay couple and asking him to keep quiet or keep his comments to himself. They may not believe in the gay lifestyle, but they also didn't care for someone who was being an ass.

[Ahoskie59]

I was so happy to see what seemed like all the customers walking out of that store. One doesn't have to confront a racist person to make a point, sometimes just doing something collectively as a group can make a huge impact.

The customers all walked out after the two British ladies confronted the salesperson, plus one of them put her arm around the black woman and told her, "You don't have to take this, you should complain."

[curemode]

I don't think the fact that the show can be smug about itself invalidates the fascinating truths about people that it reveals.

I think most of the experiments end up showing us how good-natured most people are, so in that sense, the show is actually reassuring and quite uplifting.

[always edina]

Well, believe it or not my husband and I were caught in one of their scenarios!!!!!!! We were having breakfast one Sunday morning and the set-up was that a customer was totally abusing a waitress--screaming at her, threatening her, totally beyond the pale.

We are regulars at this diner--we go every Sunday for breakfast. Also, my husband will totally stand up for ther underdog, no matter what. When he saw this poor girl being abused, harassed and insulted by the "customer", he came close to losing his Irish temper. The "waitress" came over to us after being insulted{rather loudly} by the "customer". We told her we would speak to the manager when all of a sudden the "customer" got up and came over to our table intent on giving her a hard time. My husband almost decked the guy--he backed down immediately and all of a sudden John Quinones was stitting at our table wanting to interview us about our reactions {we were the only customers who "got involved"}. They were sticking cameras in our faces and I immediately told them to get the f-ing camera out of my face and refused to sign any release--told them they absolutely couldn't use me. Hey--I wasn't wearing any make-up, had barely combed my hair wa wearing a pair of "sweats" instead of regular clothes.

My husband agreed to be interviewed and spoke to them at length. Quinones also spoke to other tables asking why they didn't intercede. The various producers tried to get me to sign a release but I was adamant.

This segment will air in late Jan., early Feb.

Edited by always edina, Dec 30, 2009 @ 9:23 PM.

[Malibu65]

This segment will air in late Jan., early Feb.

Oh they are bringing back this show? Great to hear. I love this show.

I loved reading your story and personal experience.

I wasn't wearing any make-up, had barely combed my hair was wearing a pair of "sweats" instead of regular clothes.

Can't say I blame you for not wanting to be on camera. I can totally understand why. I wouldn't either. ; ) I would have done the same thing. If I don't look my best, forget it. BTW kudos to your hubby!

Edited by Malibu65, Jan 1, 2010 @ 8:32 PM.

[casinotiger]

always edina, great story! I'll look for your husband when they air the show; thanks for the heads up. (Aaawww, I bet you didn't look that bad.)

[IvyDarling]

So, a new episode premiered last night. Once again, it shows how racist people are in this country (post-racial America, my ass). I wonder if John told all of the people that seriously reacted to the black bike stealer than the reactions between that and the white bike stealer were very much out of proportion.

The men who helped the blond girl steal the bike were idiots, and probably thinking with their little heads.

The drunk girl scenario was interesting. I felt for the mother who lost her daughter from this exact scenario, but IRL. However, I always question the intelligence of people, women in particular, who get pissy drunk without the benefit of a friend who will watch out for them and make sure that something like the segment's scenario does not happen. There's no excuse for a man raping and/or murdering a drunk girl that he's randomly picked up, but I wonder if less of that would happen if more women were aware of their surrounding and used more sense when it comes to alcohol.

The shopping while black segment wasn't a surprise. It's happened to me, it's happened to my friend (and this friend has money--she's said that the white salespeople would profile her at first, then try to kiss her ass when they realize that she's really about to drop some change), etc. And, it's just so dumb. While these fools are profiling blacks and other suspicious looking people, random all American white people can just roll up and steal--because they aren't the ones expected to do so. SMH.

[Kara6891]

I've been looking everywhere for a thread on this show. So glad I found it. This is definitely one of my guilty pleasures. I love "social experiments" and how people will/won't react.

Ivy, I totally agree. There is (and I doubt there will ever be) no such thing as a "post racial" America. I wasn't at all surprised that more people reacted strongly to the black guy stealing the bike than the white guy. I'm sure the simple fact that he was there, in the nice little park would have been enough for some of those people to cast a suspicious eye. And as for those men actually helping the blonde girl steal the bike....well, not surprised by that either. Men become absolute blubbering fools when they see a pretty face and nice boobs.

There's no excuse for a man raping and/or murdering a drunk girl that he's randomly picked up, but I wonder if less of that would happen if more women were aware of their surrounding and used more sense when it comes to alcohol.

Once again I agree. I too felt bad for the RL mom who talked about her daughter being dragged out of the bar and murdered. And not to in any way cast blame on the victims, but I think women need to take responsibility for themselves. And I'm not even talking about making sure a friend is there with you. I'm talking about women not putting themselves in a situation where they are so drunk they don't know which way is up (especially if you're in public). If I want to get plastered, I go to a friend's house and we throw a little party with a couple other people. That way, I don't have to worry about 1.) driving home and 2.) having some stranger possibly take advantage of me or anyone else. It's also a lot cheaper considering the prices some of these bars/clubs charge for a watered down drink versus just buying your own bottle at a liquor store.

What made me pissed were those two men who were laughing and joking about it. I think they were the ones the psychologist said were trying to live vicariously through the actor. I wonder if either of them have daughters and how they would feel if some random man was about to take advantage of her? And once again, girl power to the rescue. It was mostly women who stepped up to help the first drunk girl. It reminded me of a segment from last season where they had these girls picking on and being really abusive to this other girl at a park. It was all women who stepped up.


I was absolutely shocked by the shopping while black segment. I can't definitively say its happened to me, mostly because I have NEVER come across salespeople who were so brazen and blunt about their profiling. My mouth dropped to the floor when the lady said something like "I know how your type of people are"...or something to that effect.

And personally I loved the lottery segment too. I'm an avid player and I would be totally irate if a cashier tried to steal my money. Its one of the reasons why I check the numbers online.

[always edina]

Once again I agree. I too felt bad for the RL mom who talked about her daughter being dragged out of the bar and murdered. And not to in any way cast blame on the victims, but I think women need to take responsibility for themselves. And I'm not even talking about making sure a friend is there with you

I am in TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH YOU. I used to live in NYC and did my fair share of bar hopping with friends. We ALWAYS watched out for each other. Jane Velez Mitchell can scream all she wants to about the "War on Women", but we have to take responsibility for oursevles. It is criminal to take advantage of a drunk woman, but it is criminally stupid for a woman to put herself in that kind of position. Yes, in an ideal world we should be able to get publically drunk or wear extremely suggestive clothing in the middle of the night while walking down an unknown street but the reality is we CAN'T. There are very sick, sadistic people out there and we have to look out not only for ourselves, but each other.

We are stil waiting to hear when "our" episode will air!!!

[neversk]

I am so disappointed no one commented on last night's show.

Young AA couple in a local restaurant. Young male dressed in nice looking sweater and slacks. Young woman dressed in somewhat short, sleeveless dress, low cut (she was pretty thin, no much cleavage there). Young woman looked obviously beaten up. Male was being very abussive, upset about how she was dressed, pulling at her, standing up and pulling at her hair, telling her she was stupid for wearing those clothes to meet his parents...... get the picture...

There were lot's of reactions, none too pretty, all too predictable. But best of show went to : Middle Age White Lunching Woman*- who kept an ongoing dialogue with her friend......According to what MAWLW saw ---the couple had to be a prostitute/pimp with the young woman working for him for extra cash. When John Quijones ;-0 asked her about her assumptions, she denied them......

*Who I would guess saw herself as an expert on these matters ( if not THESE PEOPLE) from watching years of Law & Order on re-runs.

[nannerbadnanner]

When John Quijones ;-0 asked her about her assumptions, she denied them......

I don't remember her denying what she said. She didn't seem embarrassed at all to me.

I didn't like that set-up because you risk getting hurt or killed when you jump in a situation like that. It appeared that several people quietly called the police or went to get someone in authority which I think was entirely appropriate.