If you’ve never seen any ‘What Would You Do’ videos on the ABC network, you’re definitely missing out. The purpose of the ‘What Would You Do’ videos is to challenge watchers and make you think about what you would do in a compromising position or in a situation where you have the opportunity to speak up and out against injustice. Every ‘What Would You Do’ scenario is similar to what many people go through everyday. They are essentially experiments that test the bystander effect theory, which states, “The greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses.” Scary isn’t it?! Check out these videos and really think about what you would do if you were in a few of these situations.
Ooooh! Did you see that?! This is one of the 'What Would You Do' videos that makes my blood boil! I wanted to give that girl a piece of my mind! This is a big problem today, especially since some parents don’t like when strangers intervene in their parental duties! Think about it: What would you do if you witnessed this bratty girl disrespecting her mom in the dress shop? Would you confront the girl or would you leave her alone?
These kids are just too cute, but $5 for the lemonade, $5 for the straw, $5 for the napkins, and $5 for the cookies is way too much! I would NEVER buy from them! If they told me that my lemonade was $15, I’d have to give it back and walk away! Would these cute kids scam you?
Wow! Crazy, right?! In the beginning of this video it referred to a past experiment when a White couple fought and only 23 out of 188 bystanders stepped in. When they tried switching it up a bit and seeing how many bystanders would step in for a Black couple, they found that 290 people passed by and only 14 intervened. What would you do? Would you just walk by or would you stand up against that guy? No one wants to get involved with fights and uncomfortable situations, but when it seems someone’s well being is on the line, no matter the ethnicity of that person, it’s important that we take a stand!
How would you respond if you saw one of these parents pushing their children to drink? I’d be astounded! Under-age drinking is illegal and if I witnessed this, I’d probably speak up like the majority of the people in the video. When the father said, “It’s none of your business,” I loved how the red head woman responded! She said, “Every kid in the United States is my business!” Do you think it’s a civil duty to stand up against parents pressuring their kids to drink under age?
Bullying is a huge problem! This video shows 3 girls insulting a girl, and it’s amazing to see the bystanders’ responses. It’s not surprising that women were the ones to step in against this type of bullying. So many people think that words don’t hurt, but they do, and in many cases this type of emotional torment is much worse than physical bullying. What would you do in this situation?
Discrimination is alive and well today. It’s not okay! When the cashier spoke hateful and offensive words to the Muslim woman, a few people agreed with him, but the majority said nothing! Standing up for this kind of injustice is tough, but how would you feel if you were in the woman’s shoes? Would you want others to speak up on your side?
Ehh…so technically, this isn’t a ‘What Would You Do’ video, however it’s one of my favorite videos that really makes me think: what would I do? This video shows a little girl being kidnapped and yelling “Help! He’s not my dad!” It’s scary that it takes HOURS for someone to respond! People see what’s going on, but they don’t say anything. It’s so important that we aren’t bystanders in these situations. For all they knew, a little girl’s life was at stake, yet they didn’t respond. Thankfully, the world isn’t full of bystanders! A few people finally responded to her cry for help, which brought tears to my eyes!
Each of these videos show problems that happen everyday. Unfortunately, many people ignore these injustices and life threatening situations. It’s natural not to want to be involved in these situations, but is it best to just ignore it? I don’t think so. Speak up! If you don’t want to be directly involved or if it’s a dangerous situation, call the police or tell someone! Has watching these videos given you a new perspective on bystanding and how you would react in some of these situations? Think about these videos and ask yourself, “What would I do?” Tell us your responses to a couple of the videos above!