After viewing the segments from 20/20 with the kids vandalizing cars in a park in Ridgewood, NJ what are your general feelings on the study? What elements made the people react the way they did? What could have changed their opinions? What should people who view this special take away from it?
22 December 2010
What Would You Do Part I...
After viewing the segments from 20/20 with the kids vandalizing cars in a park in Ridgewood, NJ what are your general feelings on the study? What elements made the people react the way they did? What could have changed their opinions? What should people who view this special take away from it?
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I think most people were afraid of the teenagers because they thought that these teenagers might have some sort of weapon with them. They could not approach them alone. I also think that because these teenagers were white, many people did not do anything about their act of vandalism. But when this scenario was repeated with some black teenagers, many people called 911. People should call for help or call the police if someone else is damaging a person’s property or harming a person.
I think this segment is a very good example of disrimination today in America. When the caucasian kids were vandalizing the car, not many people stopped to say something. The people who did stop though, didn't really seem to be afraid of the kids, just angry... and only a couple people dialed 911. When the act was repeated with black teenagers, many people called 911.. even someone called before they started the study. A lot of people stayed away and said it was because they felt the teenagers may have a gun, or other type of weapon on them. I think that because of the area, and probably the way the people were raised, they think that black people are or can be dangerous and are people to stay away from. I think this should definitely be a lesson to people viewing, and they should not discriminate based on race.
After watching most of the "What Would You Do" episodes, I was just discusted. I was amazed how the color of someones skin played such a big role in the number of 911 phone calls got dialed. When the white kids were vandalizing barely anyone said something, and their were calls sent in about African Americans sleeping in a car who were actually doing nothing wrong. Even if you're scared to go up to the kids and tell them to knock it off, you should atleast call the police no matter what the race. I also agree with Kelly, and I think people reacted the way they did because of the area they were in. Their opinions about the situation may have changed if either groups of kids didnt have weapons, but still, dialing a phone isnt that difficult. Finally, i think that people watching these episodes should realize that people are still discriminating, and if they happen to be in a situation such as this, they should do something about it. Even the littlest things help.
I was shocked that the number of 911 calls was so much greater just when the color of the skin of the teenagers was changed. The thing that surprised me so much was the fact that the people in the car that were black that were sleeping were reported more than the kids that were vandalizing. I also think that the age of the people had a factor. People tend to always think that teenagers are up to no good and people are more willing to say something to them and get involved. I think that even if you don’t want to do something yourself about the situation because you are too scared to I don’t think that it is too much of a burden to call 911 regardless of the race of the people committing the crime. I also think that this is a situation where you would want other people to call the police and step in if that was your car being vandalized so you should do the same for others.
After watching the segments from 20/20 i fell like it was a really good experiment to conduct and that it should be conducted in many different ways. It made me realize how racist some people really are and what a terrible thing it is. When there were white kids beating on a car in the park they only got a few phone calls to the cops and not too many people really spoke up and said anything to them, and in the meantime there were people calling the cops because there were black boys SLEEPING in a car, i mean thats rediculous. seriously. then when the black kids started to beat up on the car, so many people called the cops that it reaced double digets. I think the whole situation was just crazy, and it showed that people are more recist toward blacks. I think that anyone who views this special should really see the problem that racism really is and should then try and do something about it.
I feel that the study was a perfect example of the prejudice in our society. When the white teenagers were vandalizing the car people who viewed it mostly just stared, with only a few people calling 911. Also there were more people who said something to their faces, not afraid that they were dangerous or had weapons. When the test was done with the black teenagers there were many more people who called the police and they were also more careful of getting too close. Race most defiantly played a role in the way people reacted the way they did. The people passing by seemed more comfortable with the white teenagers being there then the black teenagers. I don’t think any factor would change their opinions without changing the races. They could have dressed the teenagers in both scenarios the exact same way to see if that changed the outcome slightly. People who view this special should take away the knowledge of how others perceive certain races. People should be more aware of how their actions make them look, and they should realize their prejudices so they can better themselves.
I felt this was an excellent experiment to see if people are still racist or not in this country. I thought that the number of 911 calls on the white teenagers verses the black teenagers was ridiculous. Race should not have a factor in whether or not someone is doing something bad or good, or should get a consequence. I couldn’t believe only one 911 phone call was made on the white teenagers, more people should have reported them, they were doing something illegal. By having only one report is proving that the color of your skin determines a degree of punishment, which isn’t right. If this really happened, they black teenagers would be getting arrested right now, and the white boys probably wouldn’t be. The actions of that states, white people can do illegal things and get away with it but black people can’t, that’s not ethical. I believe the stereotypical portrayal of the white and black kids had an effect on people’s reaction. The white kids wore jeans and hoodies, which is normal, but so did the black kids, the only difference, was the black kids were wearing doo-rags. Once element might have been there were more white kids, than black kids in that area of the state, but it doesn’t excuse the absence of police calls on the white kids. Honestly I’m not sure what could have changed the pedestrians’ opinion, maybe by the clothes they wear? If the black and white kids switched wardrobes it might have some difference in calls, but I’m not sure. I believe people should realize that racism in this country is still an ongoing fight. Some people may believe it is over, but it is far from it, that’s why it is up to you to try and make a difference and hopeful help persuade others to change their negative view on people.
In my opinion, I feel like the study was a good study because it shows that some people still think that certain races do certain things. People think that African Americans are the ones vandalizing cars and etc. But when Caucasians do its looked at in a different way, like its not a norm. This episode proved that there are people in the world that still think that, this episode was a good episode.
Seeing this video and seeing how people discriminated was shocking to me. The thing that really shocked me was when somebody called the police on black teenagers who were only sleeping in the car. People reacted the way they did because some were angry. They were asking the teenagers why they would do that to somebody's car. Some people didn't confront them and called the police, while others just watched and walked by. The idea that the teenagers have a gun, or the fact that they are out numbered might have changed their opinions about confronting them. People who view this should learn that they should help anybody or stand up for anyone no matter who the person committing the crime may be.
I feel that if both sets of teenagers had their hoods up and gloves on, disguising themselves would help the study by not revealing the vandals races. If the people watching them didn’t know what race the vandals were, they would have called the police much sooner with more frequent calls. The race of the vandals, I feel, definitely affected the response of the public. If that one factor was taken out, there would have been different results. By watching this, people should learn that when they witness something wrong they should step up and say something or report it and have an authoritative figure handle the situation, regardless of whose committing the act, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, or any other race. Also, I feel that the study proved how stereotypical we really are still and how foolish we are for doing that. When the two calls on the black group sleeping in the car came in really shocked me. Either the callers were paranoid by what the media portrays or they were only taking precautions, it still shocked me to see how a group of sleeping black men got more notice than a group of vandalizing white boys.
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