What Would You Do

What would you do?

Have you seen the ABC Show What Would You Do? It is hosted by John Quinones, and its goal is to put individuals into situations that would be considered ethical dilemmas while a hidden camera films them.

The show tackles issues like: racism, attacks, abuse, drunk driving...etc...etc..

I was sitting with my parents a couple weeks ago and was watching an episode and it was just really fascinating. Every week we talk about how to "attack" an ethical dilemma if we face one, and really in each of the show's situations it was no different.

The episode I was watching had a coach and a young teen in a public park. The coach was verbally harassing the teen, trying to push the teen to insane limits, yelling, screaming, name calling, anything evil you think a coach could say or do, this coach was doing it. The dilemma challenged what would an average citizen who was passing by do?

With What Would You Do, the ABC film crew tapes people as they walk by, and they discuss the actions they see that person, or people take. Individuals are then asked (on the record) to say why they did or did not do something in the situation.

It is so intriguing to witness people's reactions of horrible scenes, and then do nothing. But they usually discuss afterwords the ethical reasoning that took place in their heads.

An example, is that one individual, a male, dismissed the coach and teenager immediately, like he did not even see them. Later, while the camera was rolling, the gentleman said that one reason he did not want to get involved is that there could be counter reactions for the player. He said that he did not want to get involved if the coach could possibly get MORE mad and then take it out on the player at another time. While this individual thought it would be best to ignore the situation another individual, a female, went right over to the teenager and said he was coming with her to call his parents. She said that she did not like what the coach was saying or doing, and that the teen could go with her to escape the situation.

While watching the show I have yet to see two individuals with the exact same reasoning. There is always a slight different between one thought process and another. It is really interesting to watch and learn what does go through the mind of someone else.

As I watch this show and am forced to think about what I would do in the ethical dilemmas it has me using the steps and different options we have learned in class. I consider all the stakeholders, who is involved, and many aspects which I would not have thoroughly considered before I took our ethics class.

My main concern is if I am put into a situation like this, I would have to think fast. After the hours we spend in class pondering one case it seems almost unfathomable that we have to make right vs. right situation decisions in split seconds, maybe even every day. It really makes me worry that I am going to make a "bad" decision if I am forced to make a decision so suddenly. Although I do have to realize that these are supposed to be right vs. right decisions; therefore, maybe I make a decision that I think afterwards is "bad" it does not mean that it was the wrong decision.

Overall, I believe that this show is really interesting and that everyone in our class should watch it, at least once. It makes ethics seems almost more "real" and "daily."