What would you do if you personally saw a Muslim being discriminated against?

[Douglas Carpenter]

Run time: 06:55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1UFEzqOZso   Posted on YouTube: June 23, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: June 24, 2008 By DU Member: Douglas Carpenter Views on DU: 1609

 
This six minute video reports a controlled experiment using actors.

The results are both encouraging and discouraging.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Wonderful video, thank you for posting. n/t

[ihavenobias]

2. I saw this when it first aired...very interesting

And sad in some ways, especially when John tried to talk to the jerk in the parking lot.

[Amy6627]

3. That made me cry! I'm so glad there were more that stood up to rather than

praised the clerk. But as they said at the end, most people did nothing, and that is the scariest part of all.

[whistle]

4. What would John McCain do?

[iaviate1]

7. What would McCain do this week?!? n/t

[roguevalley]

12. what works for me is to go and stand next to the affected person and

not say a word. Just stand there. it freaks jerks out.

[monmouth]

5. I am so relieved this was an experiment. I was so proud of those people who

stood up for that woman, especially the young girls, they would not let it go...

[1monster]

6. I was in a store a month or so ago where a baby was screaming bloody blue murder. The

parent serenely kept walking up and down the ailse with the baby in a baby carrier in a shopping cart.

I leaned over to an obviously Muslim woman (not connected in any way with the screaming baby) and confided that I could NEVER let a baby cry like that, that I would at least pick it up.

She looked at me with a marveling expression and said in slightly accented English, "You are so open with me!"

I know that I looked somewhat bemused and bewildered by her answer because she patted my shoulder and said, "It's okay," and walked away...

After giving it some thought, I have to assume that she is unused to people treating her like a fellow inhabitant of our little world.

How would I react? I'd speak up and loudly with condemnation of the discrimination. And I'd take my money elsewhere.

[DRex]

8. ABC news should do a report on

the discriminatory rhetoric directed at muslims and arabs nightly on the news networks.

"Is Barack Obama a muslim!?"

They ask that question all the time, and the outrage it arouses, if any, is always something like: "how dare you say that about an American/Christian?"

But they never ask this question: so the F what if he was? Is America so ready to accept this kind of racism/prejudice that it can be spouted on the news with no repercussions?

If newsmen are really surprised that this kind of prejudice exists in America they need to take a good long look in the mirror, and see that they are enabling it every day with their talk of 'islamo-fascism' (whatever the hell that means).

I'm sick and tired of this bogus 'war on terror.' What a newspeak crock.

[VermeerLives]

9. Disgraceful

This is not the behavior we as Americans should exhibit toward others.

Someone said that there is never an excuse to be unkind. Regardless of whether or not you share someone else's religion or political views, there is no excuse for this kind of behavior toward another human being. There is never a good reason to engage in name calling. We can be tolerant of people without endorsing their beliefs.

[robinlynne]

10. amazing. I cried too.

[Hatalles]

11. kr.

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. thanks for all the recommends!! Please send this video on to everyone you know!!

[Hatalles]

14. Any idea when this orginally aired?

It seems to have been posted on YT fairly recently.

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. 26 February 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/WhatWouldYouDo/Story?id=4339476&page=1

[Douglas Carpenter]

20. /

[Douglas Carpenter]

27. /

[Douglas Carpenter]

30. /

[Douglas Carpenter]

31. /

[Douglas Carpenter]

32. /

[GaYellowDawg]

16. I've seen it, and I responded emphatically.

This was in 2001. I had made a friend named Mohammed, from Pakistan, and he asked me to accompany him to stores because he was afraid. That alone made me furious, so when I went with him, I was ready to jump all over anyone. He made out a personal check at the grocery store, and the clerk said, "Mohammed?" and someone in the line muttered something about "terrorist." I said loudly, "yeah, Mohammed, and he's with me. Anyone here got a problem with that? Or him? Because before you express a problem to him, you're going to express it to me first." The store manager was within hearing distance, and he came over to see what was going on. When I explained it to him, his first concern was if the cashier had made a remark. When Mohammed said she hadn't, the manager told him that he was welcome in his store, and if he ever had a problem with a cashier to speak to him, and if he ever had a problem with another customer, he'd be happy to have security take care of it. I have shopped there almost exclusively ever since.

On edit: if I'd been in that store, I probably would have ended up yelling at the clerk and calling him a Nazi, and then yelling at anyone else in the store who wasn't yelling at the clerk. Might have even challenged him to a fight. That kind of shit makes me lose it pretty quickly.

[Douglas Carpenter]

18. me too

one of the things that bothers me most is that many people who would seriously and with a straight face declare themselves liberals or progressives don't seem to even recognize even the most blatant and obvious bigotry and racism when the racism and bigotry is directed against Arabs or Muslims. I've heard it in "liberal" circles and have read it on progressive forum, many, many times.

There are even "moderators" on progressive forums who just don't get it ! no matter how blatant, no matter - how obvious!! :eyes:

[1Hippiechick]

17. On the flip side, one of our Subways is Arab-owned and operated. I asked them about 9/11

repercussions. They said that our local police immediately showed up to protect the store, should it have been necessary. I am proud to say that it wasn't necessary.

As far as this movie, I always speak up to mistreatment, so I fully expect to land in jail before it's all said and done.

In this same Subway one day, a really nice couple w/2 small children were in line ordering food. There was a special price for specific sandwiches. When the sale was rung up, the guy started loudly arguing that he had been overcharged. The Arab owner/manager quietly and calmly pointed to the sign and explained the difference in the special and what the customer had ordered. The customer grew louder and uglier--all in front of his quiet wife and 2 small children. I spoke up O8) and said quietly (b/c of the kids) "Do you have to create a scene?" Well, then it was on! He turned on me and told me it was none of my business, blah, blah, blah. And when he completed his :rant: he THREW THE SANDWICH IN THE MANAGER'S FACE and stormed out of the store w/wife and kids in tow. I was caught so off-guard that I didn't do anything. My only regret is that I didn't get the guy's name (and I could have written down his license plate #!!!!) and encourage the manager to file an assault charge.

One thing in the tape that the social psychologist said: "Justice binds us together..." (or something along those lines)

[Douglas Carpenter]

19. one kick for the next shift

[bdamomma]

21. omg, that made me cry.

what has happened to us, hate, arrogance, ignorance, prejudice, all words I wish were wiped out. This is not who we are? What happened with tolerance and respecting other peoples' culture?

[Douglas Carpenter]

22. one more kick

[Douglas Carpenter]

23. and another kick

[Redstone]

24. I didn't watch the video, but my answer is: Kick some ass, that's what I'd do.

I cannot tolerate racism.

Redstone

[jennied]

25. Stuff like this makes me cry... it's touching and sad...

And it shows how far we have come as a country, and how much farther we need to go.

[JI7]

26. the ones who say or do nothing sometimes make me the angriest

they sometimes remind me of the types that say things like "i don't believe in torture but we need to do anything to defend our country" "i don't have anything against gays but i just don't agree with their lifestype" and other similar crap.

[NatBurner]

28. wow... i need to see this sort of thing sometimes

to make me proud of america, and americans

props to every person in this clip that stood up for the rights of a perfect stranger

[AspenRose]

29. NOW do people understand why staying silent is unacceptable?

Please, PLEASE remember this the next time you are within earshot of a racist, sexist, homophobic, or ethnic/religious "joke."

Silence is consent.

This gives me hope.

[Douglas Carpenter]

33. one kick

[Douglas Carpenter]

34. and one more because it is so needed