How do I love thee, oh, ABC news show, "What Would You Do?" Let me count the ways:
1) John Quinones as Host. Clearly, a nice human being. Warm. Concerned. Dignified. Latino!
2) Voyeurism for a Good Cause. This show combines audiences' love of reality t.v. with hidden camera fascination. Does the end justify the means? Yes, because its implicit message to viewers is:
3) You too could Make the World a Better Place for Someone. Most of us probably watch with disgust as real people ignore the plight of others in these moments caught on tape. We cheer for those rare human beings who do the right thing even when it means risking their own safety. As a professor of Social Psychology, my educated guess is that while watching these televised incidents, most of us not only cheer for the hero, but actually identify with him or her. In other words, we'd all like to believe, "*I* would have done the right thing too." Whether this is an accurate belief or not is irrelevant. What is important, is that this show has the potential power to change our actions by making us more conscientious as we each increasingly learn to love our neighbor as ourselves.
