Race Affect in Crisis

[TheBlueBullet]

Does Race Affect Whether People Help in a Crisis?
[Source]

A couple is having a raging fight in public, and it looks as if it could turn violent. Do you intervene or keep walking?

That's the question "Primetime" asked in a hidden-camera experiment last fall, with actors playing the couples. That scenario generated so mcuh interest that "Primetime" decided to pose a different question.Would people act differently based on the couple's race?

A white couple, portrayed by Sarah and Nate, argued in a suburban park in New Jersey. One person after another ignored the woman in distress until a few people finally stepped in.

A black couple, portrayed by Karen and Tom, also argued in a park, but this park was Georgia. In this case, the boyfriend appeared even more aggressive.

At one point Karen screamed, "You're scaring me! Just please, please! Would you let go of me!"

Several people passed by looking concerned, but most insisted it wasn't their business.

"It seemed like they were breaking up," said one woman. "Just a squabble."

Another couple kept walking, saying later that getting involved was too dangerous. A man who appeared clearly shaken said he wanted to call 911 but had no cell phone.

"I wasn't going to intervene in someone's else's fight. 'Cause he, that would potentially escalate him — he was out of control, or was on his way out of control," the man said.

Tom, the actor, said he was shocked that no one helped, considering what he was doing.

"I was shaking her, kicking her in her booty, you know, head locks and choking her neck," Tom said. "I mean, things that you know you wouldn't think that anybody would let slide by in this society right now in 2006."

What Role Did Race Play?

Does race have anything to do with it? Karen has her own theory.

"I think it is 'angry black man' syndrome," she said. "It's an automatic fear."

Yet, of the 58 people who walked by Tom and Karen fighting, 15 of them stopped to intervene or call 911.

In fact, three times as many people stopped for Karen, the black actress, as they did for Sarah, the white actress.

But there was also a difference in the way people got involved. With Sarah, they stepped in and got between her and the abusive boyfriend.

But with Karen, people were more likely to keep their distance, and many simply told the couple it was inappropriate to air their dispute in public.

"There's a time and a place for things," one passer-by said to the couple. "This is not the time — and certainly not the place."

That was something no one said to the white couple fighting in New Jersey.

"It did make me feel bad," Karen said. "I didn't get any sympathy."

Carrie Keating, a professor of psychology at Colgate University, said race did seem to play a role in people's reactions to the black and white couples.

"It seemed there was more empathy for the white victim than the black victim," Keating said. "It may be that you suffer a little bit of double jeopardy if you're female and black."

Deciding to Hold Her Ground

As the experiment with Tom and Karen was about to wrap, one more woman walked by, a woman who was compelled to act.

Approaching Tom and Karen, she said, "Excuse me, do I need to call someone?"

The woman, Tammy Billups, appeared calm and determined, and she looked the "abuser" right in the eye. She insisted she would not leave, even when Tom became confrontational.

Billups asked passers-by for a cell phone to call for help, and she continued to comfort Karen.

"It's OK, they're calling," she said to Karen, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't care."

For four minutes, Billups held her ground. Finally, she escorted Karen away. "I don't want you to be by yourself until he's gone," she told Karen.

When asked why she intervened, Billups said that she was frightened, but she remembered something she saw on TV.

"I've … seen something like this on television before, but where they told you what to do, and they said to call and don't back away and get eye contact," she said. "And so, I thought I have to force myself to do that no matter what, even though I was shaking."

The show Billups had seen was last fall's "What Would You Do?," the first hour of "Primetime's" special series.

"I just thought, in the show it said, 'Stand there and don't leave,' and so I just thought, I have to do that for her," she said.

Karen was moved to tears. "Yes, it was in character, but it was also like, 'Thank you for seeing me as a person in distress.'"

The tv version was alot more detailed. When the black women was in trouble acouple guys came up to the black actor and said you need to do this someplace instead of trying to help the actress. They actually suggested beating her up someplace else.
People feel more comfortable with stepping in with the same color. Mostly the people passing the black actor and actress were infact white. But why do the White people feel this way towards other races? It seems like to me that black people are more aggressive but thats just my opinion and thats what would intimidate me from stepping in.

[TheShrike]

A couple of isolated experiments proves jack squat.

Statistics, my man. Statistics.

[Draconias]

At 3/23/06 10:54 PM, Souta wrote: But why do the White people feel this way towards other races? It seems like to me that black people are more aggressive but thats just my opinion and thats what would intimidate me from stepping in.

Regardless of whether most people acknowledge it openly, there is a singificant cultural barrier between every ethnic group. Particularly in black/white relations, whites will be shut out of black cultural via threats or actual violence. This attitude is implicit in many areas of our popular culture and media.

"Gangsta" culture is intentionally closed to white people. A white kid suddenly break dancing or rapping is considered abnormal and freakish. However, it is considered perfectly normal for a black kid to rap or break dance. A white kid wearing too-big, baggy shirt and pants and a heavy gold chain will be ridiculed as a "poser." A black kid doing the same is just "part of the group."

It's on TV, it's everywhere in the media. Heck, just think of the T-Mobile ads they did recently with the "posermobile" or the All State insurance ad with the two kids in the expensive car driving up to the gang of black guys. It's a form of racism that often goes unacknowledged because it stems from a minority and primarily targets the majority.

[TheShrike]

At 3/23/06 11:29 PM, Draconias wrote: A white kid suddenly break dancing or rapping is considered abnormal and freakish. However, it is considered perfectly normal for a black kid to rap or break dance

When was the last time you saw anyone breakdance? Black or white.

I'm willing to bet never.

[RedSkunk]

At 3/23/06 11:37 PM, TheShrike wrote:

At 3/23/06 11:29 PM, Draconias wrote: A white kid suddenly break dancing or rapping is considered abnormal and freakish. However, it is considered perfectly normal for a black kid to rap or break dance

When was the last time you saw anyone breakdance? Black or white.

I'm willing to bet never.

There are two guys down the street who stand outside their house and rap. It makes the neighborhood friendly and cozy. I'm going to say hi next time I walk by. =]

[Imperator]

Somebody call a white breakdancer? :-)

Oh, and fyi: All the best Breakers are Korean, hands down. Blacks have little smoothness, and white people have no dance rythm. Asians friggin do everything PERFECT, however. ;-)

At least in the Michigan scene......

[Dracul3S]

At 3/23/06 11:20 PM, TheShrike wrote: A couple of isolated experiments proves jack squat.

Statistics, my man. Statistics.

Yes, but that is actually not the first experiement of it's sort. And the results are always the same! I know for sure as I helped with some of them. Any police officer can tell you about the problem, too. What wasn't said is that the intervention rate is very low at white couples as well. Most people just ignore what they do not like to see.

[A-Carrot-By-Dr-Riot]

At 3/23/06 11:37 PM, TheShrike wrote:

At 3/23/06 11:29 PM, Draconias wrote: A white kid suddenly break dancing or rapping is considered abnormal and freakish. However, it is considered perfectly normal for a black kid to rap or break dance

When was the last time you saw anyone breakdance? Black or white.

I'm willing to bet never.

I see people breakdancing all the time. It's really popular in Asia.

[Imperator]

Michigan flava!

Now y'all get to place guesses as to which one is the mighty Imperator......

[Memorize]

At 3/24/06 11:43 AM, Imperator wrote: Michigan flava!

Now y'all get to place guesses as to which one is the mighty Imperator......

I admit your dance moves are impressive...
But WHOA! White people!

[MortifiedPenguins]

At 3/24/06 02:51 AM, Imperator wrote:

At least in the Michigan scene......

Well they did invent Dance Dance Revolution.