What would you do?

I have started watching a TV series on ABC called "What would you do?" The idea is to set up situations and see what people will do in that situation to help another person. They have had women who look abused with an abusive man in a restaurant being yelled at. People have stepped in and tried to help the woman, and then out comes the host to explain what they are really doing. The have set up scenarios where people are being cheated out of money to see if others will step in. It is interesting to watch and I wonder what would I do.

Last nights episode had a young man with Down's Syndrome, who is an actor, sacking groceries at a grocery store. Another actor would come through the line and berate the young man calling him names and stating he was too slow. Also things like, "why do they even let people like that work here?" They used different actors for the customer in line from a woman, to a man and then teenage boys. The majority of the time people did step in and say something to the customer who was berating the sacker. Some people did not, stating they did not know how upset the customer might get and then possibly physcially come after them. This was usually when the customer was the man, a big man, by the way.

As a parent of a special needs child, I think I would step in, but I won't know until it happens and I truly hope it never happens. I hope, we as a society, are better than that. The young actor with Down's Syndrome did a great job and had such a great personality. He even spoke about his disability and advocated for those with Down's Syndrome. I hope I can teach Elijah to advocate for himself as well as this young man did.