Woman Berates Clerk With Down Syndrome

My friend at Mother Jungle posted an insightful video on her blog. You can see it at the bottom of my own post. It shows a woman verbally attacking a grocery bagger who has down syndrome. She and the bagger were paid actors testing the reactions of those around them, seeing if they would stand up for what is right. The outcome was interesting. In the short clip, one woman does not want to get involved, and another confronts the rude behavior. What would you do?

I think there are a growing number of people in this world who simply don’t want to get involved. It is a pity. Standing up for what is right takes courage. It is a risk. My life in Costa Rica has unfortunately included situations when my family has needed people to speak out against what is wrong. We have needed our friends and neighbors to face an aggressor and make a statement to not support it. For reasons based in fear of physical harm, monetary setbacks or even social consequences we have repeatedly observed people around us choose to not rock the boat.

Life is difficult enough without having to take risks on the behalf of others. But what about them anyway? What risk is so great that we cannot eloquently point out to someone that they are acting like an ass? I think collectively we have turned into a bunch of incompetent chicken shits. Correct me if I am wrong. The most vocal advocates are the people who protest war. But even their actions, in essence are obsolete. Take for example the woman in this grocery store video who stood up for the rights of the young man bagging groceries. Imagine if her protest ended in her paying the bill of the rude woman she had spoken out against. Do you catch my drift?

We are so caught up in the preservation of our own little worlds that we don’t even know right from wrong anymore. While I sadly know the feeling of many around me turning a blind eye to the damaging behavior against my family, I also know how it feels to have a solid few see us through dark times. It matters. It does not take a fist fight to stand beside someone and tell their aggressor that they are acting like a lunatic and need to settle down. Imagine how few bullies would be around if we all stood up for justice and how few wars would be waged if we didn’t pay the tab. Just food for thought from one passive self preservationist who should have more courage too.