Tonight's picture was taken on Halloween 2008. Mattie and I were headed to the Hospital's Halloween party and Mattie insisted I also wear some sort of costume. So I was a cat! Halloween at the Hospital was an interesting experience. Kids traveled in groups and we went from office to office all over the Hospital collecting candy. Then there was a party in the clinic which included face painting, crafts and food. I wish I could say this was a positive day for us. But Mattie found the whole experience overwhelming and when groups of kids got together this bothered him. He did not like hearing noise or feeling trapped in a crowd.
Quote of the day: Would you rather stand up for a damaged meal or a damaged child? ~ Burger King
Have you seen the new Burger King public service announcement? It is only three minutes long but a fascinating social experiment. Or I should say, a sad commentary on human nature. The PSA is focused on bullying, and it starts off with a fact......30% of students worldwide are bullied each year. To address this issue, Burger King decided to conduct an experiment in one of their restaurants.
In the PSA we observe actual costumers reacting to a bullied hamburger (meaning that it was cooked, but punched and thereby smashed when served) versus actual customers reacting to observing a high school student being bullied by friends. Do keep in mind that the students were acting out a bullying scenario. So it wasn't truly happening, but customers did not know this fact.
Burger King wanted to see customers reactions to both forms of bullying (to a person versus to a burger) and also to assess the percentage of customer complaints. Unfortunately the PSA revealed that while 95% of customers reported the "bullied" burger, only 12% stood up for the high school student being bullied. Naturally this video is supposed to evoke a feeling, to make you want to speak up and say something the next time you see someone bullied.
I get it! I do find it interesting that people feel more comfortable advocating for a bullied burger. This shouldn't be all that surprising, given that we are talking about a thing. A thing that is visually impacted by an action taken by the cook. In addition, this is an object customers wanted and paid for. Intervening when a person is being bullied has vast implications now. First and foremost, I think as a by-stander these days you do need to give some thought to your own personal safety before intervening. As an unstable situation, can lead to an escalation of behavior and violence. So I am not sure I would jump to the conclusion as this PSA implies that customers feel more compelled to speak up and act to rectify a bullied burger versus a person. There maybe many explanations for this discrepancy. However, at the end of the day, it does make you pause.
I attached a link to the PSA below, so you can come to your own conclusions. I think bullying can come in many forms. It doesn't necessarily have to be in a group setting. Can't bullying happen between two people with no witnesses?
The other day, Sunny and I were walking by the water front. Along our journey, I saw a young woman walking. She was in front of us so I could see what was transpiring. Out of no where came a man who appeared to be arguing with her. I wasn't sure what they were arguing about or where he popped up from all of a sudden. To make a long story short, Sunny and I landed up walking passed her and this man. I wasn't going to intervene, but I also wasn't moving that far away in case she needed help. After their argument ended, she continued walking toward me and was about to pass us. But I stopped her. I asked her if she was okay and whether she needed help because I could see this man was still lurking and not moving along. She did explain to me that this was her boyfriend, and he wanted her to get something out of her car for him, but she couldn't because she was already late for work. I listened to her story and we walked together until she got to her workplace.
At the end of the day, I would deem their relationship as a form of bullying and though I did not intervene with their interaction, I did not walk away either. So given the complexity of our world today, we may need to re-evaluate what intervening actually looks like. Because whether it is in the moment or after the moment, the point of the matter is that support is offered. That to me is what ultimately counts.
Burger King PSA on Bullying:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnKPEsbTo9s&feature=youtu.be
1 comment:
Vicki, Good for you, for stay close but not endangering yourself or the woman, more than she was already being bullied. Sometimes, intervening, makes it worse for the person being bullied as well as becoming a danger to ourselves. Staying with her was kind & left her probably feeling more secure. There is bullying everyday, every where. Loud, overt bullying in a group and bullying that occurs between two people when one of the two torments the other person physically or emotionally. We have become a nation of bullies where in many cases the bullies are winning. We are seeing it across the Country! It seems to be the accepted way to get our way. It is a sad commentary on life in 2017!
I think loud, crowded parties are hard when you are well much less when you aren't. Inalso feel some of us are like Mattie. Clearly those settings aren't positive. Your costumes were cute!!
Post a Comment