ABC aired an incredibly insulting and condescending hidden camera news special on Tuesday that purported to probe the hidden racism of Americans. It also featured actors hired by the network to go to France and portray "ugly Americans," complete with a "Bush '08" t-shirt that was derided by one German woman as similar to saying "I like Hitler."
The "What Would You Do?" special attempted to see how real people would react to racism or over-the-top behavior. As part of the experiment, host John Quinones introduced "Bob" and "Bonnie," actors sent to Paris to represent obnoxious U.S. citizens. Quinones began the segment by cheerfully explaining, "They're the ugly Americans. And for more than a century, they've been fixtures in American literature and film."
Justifying the U.S.-bashing piece, he added, "So, why have we brought 'What Would You Do?' here to Paris? Well, we all know the stereotype. The loud, clueless American, oblivious to French manners and culture, and the haughty French, who seem to relish putting them in their place." The walking stereotypes were clearly designed to be what members of the media see as Red Staters. At one point, the very loud Bob is decked out in a Dallas Cowboys jersey.
Later, Bob can be seen with his pro-Bush shirt. An almost bemused Quinones narrated, "Apparently, not everyone is amused by our couple's t-shirts or their politics. This woman is German." The unidentified female derided, "This is nearly as if I had a t-shirt, 'I like Hitler,' you know?"
At no point did Quinones stop the woman or challenge her comparison of the democratically elected Bush to a genocidal murderer. This is quite the contrast to how he dealt with a belligerent American earlier in the show. That section featured a fake cashier in a New Jersey deli. With the hidden cameras rolling, the program attempted to see if real people would adopt the prejudice of the actors hired by ABC. A customer repeatedly insulted a pretend illegal alien who was attempting to purchase coffee. (Again, the day laborer and the cashier were network plants.)
Unlike the hateful German, Quinones later berated the customer until he recanted his comments and apologized. The ABC host also lumped together racists, such as the man in the deli, and those who oppose illegal immigration and its effects. Just after featuring the footage of the angry customer, the special cut to a clip of Americans protesting illegal immigration. Quinones lectured, "It's a highly charged, volatile subject with emotions running high on both sides over legal and illegal immigrants and whether they have a right to be here."
The correspondent also highlighted Jack Dovidio, a Yale professor, who continued to make the connection. Responding to a snippet of Quinones dealing with the belligerent deli customer, he explained, "When you're threatened, you think in terms of category. Who's part of my group? Who's not part of my group?"
Finally, 25 minutes into the special, the anchor let slip an admission that completely undermined the whole concept of the show. Regarding the experiment and whether or not people would stand up to the bigoted cashier in the deli, Quinones admitted:
QUINONES: During our experiment, a total of 88 people came into the store. 49 of them didn't get involved at all. Nine sided with the cashier, and most of them were unabashedly forthright about their feelings. But the fact is, 30 customers stood up and spoke out in defense of the day laborers.
So, those Americans who did get involved, stood up and opposed the racism of the cashier? This is the very definition of burying the lede. Apparently Mr. Quinones didn't think this was important enough to mention at the top of the program.
For more on this, including ABC's use of Barack Obama as an example of how to behave properly in Europe, see a NewsBuster posting by D.S. Hube.
ABC previewed the special on Tuesday's "Good Morning America." For more on that, see a previous NewsBusters post.
A partial transcript of the segment, which aired at 10pm on January 6, follows:
DARICK MAXIS (CUSTOMER): I'm not racism. [sic] I'm not a racist.
QUINONES: Just tell us why. Can you just tell us why you said those things about these folks?
MAXIS: What are you? Are you Mexican also?
QUINONES: Yes. Mexican American also.
MAXIS: So what? I just did something racist also?
MAXIS: That's right, because they asked them to leave.
QUINONES: You told them not to look at your money.
MAXIS: Yes, we are angry. We are. We're really angry.
["Bonnie" and "Bob" walking through Paris.]
QUINONES: They've come all the way here from Paris. Paris, Texas, that is. They're loud.
QUINONES: And they don't know the difference between haute cuisine and oatmeal.
["Bob" is wearing a "Bush '08" t-shirt.]
DINER (FEMALE): This is nearly as if I had a t-shirt, 'I like Hitler,' you know? Yeah. Aaah!
QUINONES: They're the ugly Americans. And for more than a century, they've been fixtures in American literature and film. From the novels of Henry James to movies like "National Lampoon's European Vacation."
