Apparently ABC's news division is not content with reporting the news and spinning it to promote a liberal agenda. It now devotes a whole program to manufacturing fake scenarios in the hopes of pushing a liberal agenda.
Take the program, “What Would You Do?,” (WWYD) which began years ago as an occasional segment on the Primetime newsmagazine program and used actors in hidden camera situations to see how bystanders would react. Just in time for Gay Pride month, for the June 7 edition, WWYD set up a fake situation involving a basketball player coming out to his teammates and coach. Of course, the team and the coach were all actors playing out a skit whereby they bashed their now out-of-the-closet teammate before unsuspecting spectators.
This isn’t the first time the show, which is scripted, has sought to paint Americans in a negative light as intolerant, racist, homophobic, etc. Back when WWYD was simply a recurring feature on Primetime, my NewsBusters colleague Scott Whitlock documented three of the most outrageous examples from the program, which deal with issues ranging from illegal immigration to gay military veterans.
Concerning the immigration example, Whitlock noted that:
The piece featured a cartoonish "security guard" harassing Mexican actors in Tucson, Arizona. Presumably, ABC chose a security guard because impersonating a police officer is illegal. The actor walked into a restaurant and spewed, "I'm just looking to make sure these guys are legal citizens. And if they're not legal citizens, they shouldn't be here. They should be deported. They look Mexican."
Of course, having this man pretend to be a security guard really makes no sense. (A security guard is going to deport people?) Secondly, for journalists that often attack conservative sting operations, it's rather odd to see ABC manipulate such a scenario. When Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed in 2011, ABC decided to test the tolerance waters of a New Jersey diner, with two gay veterans kissing in front of customers:
An actor, "Vince," interrupted the faux soldiers and complained, "Excuse me. We appreciate your service to the country and everything, but you should respect the uniform a little bit more than that."
Many patrons ignored the two, prompting ABC's sting operation to try harder to provoke bigotry. Quinones announced, "Even with that bit of gossip, the other diners don't seem to notice. But then, here comes Vince again."
Later, when some patrons do complain, the host lectured, "In December 2010, an ABC News poll found that 77 percent of Americans are in favor of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. But in our diner, there are plenty of people against it."
Another foray into the ridiculous involved ABC going to France, and placing two actors to portray the “ugly Americans,” with one wearing a Bush ’08 t-shirt, which prompted one German woman to say “this is nearly as if I had a T-shirt, 'I like Hitler,' you know?"
Back to the gay basketball player scenario. It played out at a sneaker store and, surprise, surprise, yielded no politically incorrect results:
SAYVONE (ACTOR) : No gays in our crew, man.
TREMAYNE (ACTOR) : I'm not gonna be on a team with somebody looking at me, come on bro. That's not, it's not...
SAYVONE (ACTOR) :Exactly. We don't know what you're doing behind our backs.
JONATHAN (ACTOR) :Who said I'm looking at you?
JOHN QUINONES (ABC NEWS) (Voiceover): With our hidden cameras in place, it's game time.
ANNOUNCER: Hidden cameras on.
JONATHAN :I actually got something to tell you. I'm gay.
GRAPHICS: 64 PERCENT OF GAY STUDENTS REPORT BEING VERBALLY HARASSED
SAYVONE:Dude, stop playing.
TREMAYNE: You're dead wrong. Stop playing, bro.
SAYVONE: You're gay? G-A-Y?
TREMAYNE: So you really don't like females? You don't like girls?
JONATHAN: No.
JOHN QUINONES (ABC NEWS) (Voiceover): As this mother of three takes notice, our actors ramp up the teasing.
TREMAYNE: You know what we call people that like males, right? Twinkle toes and ballerina.
SAYVONE: I didn't join the cheerleading team.
JOHN QUINONES: She's heard enough and cries foul.
SHOPPER (FEMALE) Y'all wrong. I hear the conversation. Y'all ain't right. That's your friend?
SAYVONE: Was my friend.
SHOPPER (FEMALE): What do you mean, was? That shouldn't stop you from being friends.
SAYVONE: Can't hang out with no gay guy. I can't be seen with a gay dude, they're gonna start thinking I'm gay.
SHOPPER (FEMALE): This is y'all boy. He felt comfortable telling y'all this. That's hard. That's hard as hell to do. If y'all need time to wanna hang with him, I understand that. He probably understand that. But don't be so hard on him. That's y'all boy. You'll be all right. That was strong. That was real. That was strength to do.
JONATHAN: Thank you.
STAFF (MALE) All right, John, you wanna get ready for (inaudible).
JOHN QUINONES: (Voiceover) Time to meet this passionate woman.
JOHN QUINONES: (Off-camera) I'm John Quiñones with "What Would You Do?" the TV show. He's an actor.
SHOPPER (FEMALE): Got me. You got me.
JOHN QUINONES: (Off-camera) Why did you get involved?
SHOPPER (FEMALE): Because I seen them picking on him. That's not right.
[…]
JOHN QUINONES: (Voiceover) What will happen if we substitute the teammates with a coach.
COACH: ACTOR (MALE) :Whoa, that's a lot.
JONATHAN: I said I'm gay.
COACH: What do you mean, you're gay? I need you to be strong, I can't have no, I can't have you confused.
JOHN QUINONES: (Voiceover) What in the world is this man thinking? We don't have to wait long to find out.
COACH: I need you to understand...
JOSEPH (SHOPPER) :I don't mean to be in y'alls business like that. But you shouldn't be talking to him like that. If that's how he is, that's how he is. Either you're gonna accept it or you ain't going to (censored by network) with it. You ain't gonna bash him like that.
COACH: So what should do I?
JOSEPH (SHOPPER) : Keep him on the team and let him keep doing it. And he's gonna decide what he's gonna do after that.
[...]
JOSEPH (SHOPPER): Yeah, you taking this (censored by network) wrong. I don't even think you should be coaching.
COACH: You need a woman? Is that what you need? I can get you a girl.
JOSEPH (SHOPPER): You're still bashing him. That ain't cool. Can you take that (censored by network) outside? Because I don't even wanna hear it.
JOHN QUINONES: (Voiceover) Our coach leaves and it's time for a little one-on-one.
JONATHAN: I thought it was the right time.
JOSEPH (SHOPPER): (Censored by network) like that you can't really tell because people like that is ignorant as hell. Everybody is not open minded. Just go to your guidance counselors and you tell them. If they don't do (censored by network), then go to the Board of Education. If they don't do (censored by network), then go to the (censored by network) press.
JOHN QUINONES: (Voiceover) The press? We're already here.
(Off-camera) My man, how you doing? I'm John Quinones. This is part of a TV show.
JOSEPH (SHOPPER): Oh, come on, man, are you kidding me?
JOHN QUINONES: (Off-camera) "What Would You Do?" Are you cool?
JOSEPH (SHOPPER: These sneakers better be free. I tell you that.
GRAPHICS: SURE. JOSEPH ONE PAIR OF SNEAKERS COURTESY OF WWYD
So, in all, everyone was tolerant and Joseph even got a free pair of shoes out of the deal. But could it be that the media spotlight of late on bullying has informed how people are more likely to speak up in public, regardless if the bullying victim is gay or straight? We may never know, precisely because these situations are completely manufactured events and not actual news.
