What’s so worthwhile about ABC’s What Would You Do?, where actors play a gay family with kids, and an intolerant waiter who refuses them service at a Brooklyn restaurant, is the very brief message added to introduce the segment: Across America, in dozens of states it remains legal to refuse service to patrons because of their sexuality.
And across America, in every state, strangers refuse to stand up on their behalf.
Such emotional porn!
s_b
Ugh, this is sitting on my DVR and I haven’t been able to watch it. It just sounds awful.
tazz602
Your headline is backwards – the best thing about this isn’t that people were willing to allow the bigotry to happen – but that there are those few – those shining examples, young and old, of people willing to stand up for what is right even if everyone around them is not. And once they do, then others join in. Those are the str8 allies we need in our camp and we so often ignore.
Cheryl Wright = ZZZ's (John From England)
@tazz602:
Yeah it was the foreign blonde women who wouldn’t be allowed not in Arizona and the interacial couple.
See! Not all blacks are homophobics!
Black Pegasus
I watched the second video and I was please
with the guy “Ethan” and the older guy “Ben”. They were very upset at the waiter’s homophobia.
I’m encouraged by what I saw here.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
Wow, the second video was so dramatically different from the first. It’s sad that most people won’t say anything, but I’m gladdened to see folks who will.
Blah
Fucking cowards. I can’t believe people sat by and let that go. I’m glad that some people had the human decency and courage to stand up against this kind of disgusting behavior.
Lanjier
That woman born in Ukraine was wonderful. She understood what it means to be American better than most of the people born here.
nikko
LANJIER, what??! That stupid bigot who laughed at the lesbians being harrassed??! You idiot.
drums
The man who stood up against the homophobic bullying because his parents were Holocaust survivors nearly made me cry.
Devon
This really isn’t surprising considering half the country hates us.
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
@nikko:
No, Nikko, the woman in the first video, the thin blond with the American hubby who supported the lesbians and not the waiter. Watch both vids, buddy. She was an ally, the older brunette in the second video was the one laughing about the sitch.
CHIP1218
Wow, it’s the Jews and Ukrainians that stood up for the most part. Makes me proud of my heritage!
@ Nikko, Lanjier is talking about the Ukrainian blonde woman in the first video who was with her husband, and started yelling at the waiter for how he was treating the family. That heavy brunette woman was Eastern European, but I guess you missed one of the heroes in the first video.
scott ny'er
@drums: The dude who was going to start trading punches and possibly use his knife, he and the dude you refer to brought tears to my eyes.
Caleb
I live in Sheepshead Bay where this was filmed and I’m not surprised that so few people spoke up. Sheepshead Bay, along with a few other nabes in Brooklyn like Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst still have have an old school racist and homophobic mentality.
The guy in the end though was great, I definitely teared up during that segment.
Cam
No. 12 · CHIP1218
Wow, it’s the Jews and Ukrainians that stood up for the most part. Makes me proud of my heritage!
——-
The Jews, the Ukrainians, an African American man, a white woman, and a random kid from Brooklyn. You never know where you’re going to find bravery, but I agree with the poster up there who said that the good thing is that even in Sheepshead Bay over 10% of the Patrons were willing to confront the waiter publicly. Thanks for posting the video!
edgyguy1426
Now Nikko, isn’t there something you’d like to say to Lanjier?
ewe
We need ABC to attack the legislation that allows discrimination against homosexual dining in half of these United States more than this sappy counter chat in sheepshead bay. It is like using a bucket to stop an open damn. And even worse, just last night ABC through their show Nightline is pushing EHarmony which is an openly anti gay homophobic corporation. These networks need to disguise the actors on themselves and their producers.
nikko
Oh, I get it guys. I missed that clip with the Ukranian lady. Kudos to her! I was referring to the big Russian(?) lady with the darker hair that seemed to be laughing at the lesbian couple for having children. Sorry.
OrchidIslander
@drums: He DID make me cry…..
NickadooLA
That lovable mook Ethan rocks!
blackjack44
its sad that so many people sat silently, I would have totally stood up for both of those couples with no problem just like the last guy in vid 2. However the fruit cup for the two fruit cups line was hilarious.
B
I guess someone could have told the waiter (loud enough for everyone else in the restaurant to hear) that if he’s going to spoil everyone’s meal by acting like a jerk, there is no reason to leave a tip no matter which waiter you have. Then all the other waiters would be on his case as well: it’s America, where the official state religion is to worship the Almighty Dollar.
Brian Miller
This sort of thing would be less acceptable in “blue collar Philadelphia” than it is in “progressive, leading-edge New York City.”