Witness to Discrimination: What Would You Do?

[caybee 21]

Certainly I would have said something, and I am a timid person. This is how African-Americans were once treated in my state during my own lifetime! People died for the right to sit at a lunch counter and have a cup of coffee with the other human beings, for heaven's sake. And the fact that people stood by and put up with the separate drinking fountains, the separate restrooms, the "go around back, order your lunch, and stand in the alley to eat it" just because they didn't belong to the affected group is precisely why it went on for so long. I no longer see the kind of racism I saw toward African-Americans as a child, although racism is certainly still alive and well in this country. But a lot of the bigotry has just been transferred to other ethnic groups, and it's somehow accepted. We pat ourselves on the back and say we are more tolerant, more enlightened, but what has changed? This is the Greensboro lunch counter 48 years later. NO different! If we don't stand up for the rights of people unlike us when we see those rights violated, it's the same as if we've violated them ourselves. And who's to say any of us won't belong to the next scapegoated group 20 years from now?

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

An ABC News experiment...

Will bystanders help out a Muslim woman denied service at a Texas shop ?

2/26/2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4349794

[brnidokiegurl 0]

saw that some did some didnt, same will be or has been a couple fighting does it matter the race of the man as to if others will step up

[Alex+R 0]

This was already posted and discussed last week, but I am too lazy to dig up the link.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

This was already posted and discussed last week, but I am too lazy to dig up the link.

Oh I am so sorry -- I didn't see it.

I will ask that topic be closed.

Edited to add -- I am searching for the previous topic posted -- but can't find it. Any hints -- maybe who might have posted it ?

Edited March 10, 2008 by wife_of_mahmoud

[SMOKE 1,426]

video blocked. big brother software at work.

[Jenn! 918]

Original topic was here:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=112969&hl=

[Jason-Sasha 1]

This is just wrong. Period. However, if you were to put an American in a shop in Jordan or Yemen or Palestine or somewhere similar, you'd see the exact same thing....only the other way around. And I'm speaking from experience. But you wont hear or see ABC reporting that. Oh no. They are far too liberal for that. This was an interesting experiement, but being that it was only tested in Texas doesn't really prove that much to me. surely you'd have different results in other states. There's plenty of prejudice against Americans in many other countries, especially middle eastern countries. not trying to stir trouble, but its true. It's disgusting no matter how you look at it, from any angle. I fear it will never end.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

This is just wrong. Period. However, if you were to put an American in a shop in Jordan or Yemen or Palestine or somewhere similar, you'd see the exact same thing....only the other way around. And I'm speaking from experience. But you wont hear or see ABC reporting that. Oh no. They are far too liberal for that. This was an interesting experiement, but being that it was only tested in Texas doesn't really prove that much to me. surely you'd have different results in other states. There's plenty of prejudice against Americans in many other countries, especially middle eastern countries. not trying to stir trouble, but its true. It's disgusting no matter how you look at it, from any angle. I fear it will never end.

I speak from personal experience, as well -- and I *never* went through anything like this in Palestine or Jordan. I spent extended time there, and I was obviously American -- even down to a visible ID badge.

People were, without exception, extremely courteous and helpful.

[Ban Hammer 13,349]

This is just wrong. Period. However, if you were to put an American in a shop in Jordan or Yemen or Palestine or somewhere similar, you'd see the exact same thing....only the other way around. And I'm speaking from experience. But you wont hear or see ABC reporting that. Oh no. They are far too liberal for that. This was an interesting experiement, but being that it was only tested in Texas doesn't really prove that much to me. surely you'd have different results in other states. There's plenty of prejudice against Americans in many other countries, especially middle eastern countries. not trying to stir trouble, but its true. It's disgusting no matter how you look at it, from any angle. I fear it will never end.

I speak from personal experience, as well -- and I *never* went through anything like this in Palestine or Jordan. I spent extended time there, and I was obviously American -- even down to a visible ID badge.

People were, without exception, extremely courteous and helpful.

you had to wear a badge in jordan and palestine?

[Jason-Sasha 1]

I doubt you were wearing a US military uniform. But that doesn't make it ok. The woman in this experiment was no more a terrorist, than I was an intruder. Yet, its how I was made to feel. I left that region in the early 90's with a bad taste in my mouth. But for good reasons. And that's sad. Because I went there very open minded and eager. And when I left, it wasn't fast enough. But still, the woman in this video was wronged and I would have said something if I were standing there. Religious differences aside, she was still an American.

[Niels Bohr 72]

I know it's a few of these incidents, but Texas seem to draw lots of press coverage when it comes to hate crimes.

[LaL 418]

Duplicate topics have been merged

[Niels Bohr 72]

Great! JUST GREAT!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I doubt you were wearing a US military uniform. But that doesn't make it ok. The woman in this experiment was no more a terrorist, than I was an intruder. Yet, its how I was made to feel. I left that region in the early 90's with a bad taste in my mouth. But for good reasons. And that's sad. Because I went there very open minded and eager. And when I left, it wasn't fast enough. But still, the woman in this video was wronged and I would have said something if I were standing there. Religious differences aside, she was still an American.

No, I wasn't wearing a US military uniform. I was wearing an ID badge for the organization I worked with, which identified me as American. On the street, many people would take a double look when they saw it, asking "Are you American?" and then they would often want to stop and talk -- even invite me to the cafe for coffee, or to their homes for dinner, etc. And no one was EVER rude or insulting -- no one was EVER anything but extremely kind and courteous. People would often offer to escort me where I was going, even drive me there in their car -- at no charge. I made many, many friends just because of that ID.

By the way, the woman in the video was not wearing a military uniform, either, so I don't see how that is really an issue in this case.

But I'm very glad to hear that you, and many others, would stand up for what's right !