ABC's 'What Would You Do?'

[Hampshire]

I caught a few of these shows last year and have been seeing promos for the most recent one airing Friday.

If you haven’t seen them before the premise is to stage a situation ala candid camera where a person is in need of help or being verbally abused by someone and film the reactions of random strangers.

Of course they always seem to belittle the people that choose to do nothing and make heros out of the people who confront the situation.

Of course when I was a single bachelor I could see myself stepping into many of the situations to put people in their place. But in this day and age and with a wife and kid at home should I really be belittled if I choose to not get involved?
Not with the ones like helping a guy in a wheelchair who tipped over but ones where some jerk is ranting about illegal immigrants at the deli.

It feels pretty heroic to step in and call out someone for being a loud mouth biggot in public but in reality some of these loud mouth biggots are just waiting for a fight and who knows if they’re carrying a knife or a gun?
Yeah, maybe daddy did stand up to a bully, but he got shot in the process leaving behind his wife and kid.
So is “doing nothing” a valid response in the interest of personal safety?

[SteveG1]

@Hampshire

Of course when I was a single bachelor I could see myself stepping into many of the situations to put people in their place. But in this day and age and with a wife and kid at home should I really be belittled if I choose to not get involved?.. So is “doing nothing” a valid response in the interest of personal safety?

Short answer? Now that you are responsible for your wife and children, I’d cut you more slack… It’s not just about you anymore. If you get “whacked”, they feel the consequences too. However, that doesn’t stop you from getting a safe distance away and then calling the cops either (if the situation warrants it).

[Magiver]

It’s a judgment call. The last time I intervened was when I was at company next to a car wash and some young adults/teenagers were smacking one of their friends in a car door. It looked like something out of a cheesy cop show. I and another adult walked over and intervened. They said they were just goofing around with their friend.:rolleyes:. Yah, that’s what it looked like.

As I get older I’m less and less inclined to involve myself unless someone is in eminent danger.