ABC Program That Plots to Expose American Bigotry Returns for the Summer

An ABC program that aims to expose the secret bigotry of ordinary Americans returned to the airwaves on May 23. Would You Do? Is a hidden-camera show hosted by John Quinones and focusing on contrived situations of Americans discriminating against gays, Muslims and illegals immigrants, to name a few. 

In a June 14, 2013 episode, an actor portrayed a white man wearing an American flag t-shirt. An Arab man (another actor) entered the restaurant where ABC had set up hidden cameras. The white actor began a tirade, screaming, "Since when are they hiring Muslims around here?...Bet you go home and learn how to make bombs....I don't want a terrorist touching my food or taking my order." [See video below.]

The official concept of each episode is to see how people will react. [To see the top five worst examples of ABC sliming Americans as racists, go here.]

In this scenario, as in almost every other episodes, many of the unwitting participants stepped up to decry the constructed bigotry. In an interview with TV Newser, Quinones exclaimed, "My faith in humanity is restored in every one of our scenarios." 

Yet, each episode, Quinones and his ABC crew seem to learn nothing. They go on looking for more bigots. One segment in 2009 featured actors playing "ugly Americans." The What Would You Do? crew flew them to France to disrupt Paris customers at a restaurant and act obnoxious. Quinones cheered that the French "seem to relish putting them [the actors] in their place." 

What does it say about ABC News and Quinones that some of the reactions on the show "restored" his faith in Americans? What low expectations he must have had. Look for the new season to hunt for more racism.