Friday: 'Primetime: What Would You Do' seeing a shoplifter use their child

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What would you do if you saw someone not only shoplifting, but using their child as an accomplice? And in these tough times, will strangers help someone begging not for money – but for gas? Using hidden cameras, “Primetime: What Would You Do?” sets up everyday scenarios and then captures people’s reactions. Whether people are compelled to act or mind their own business, John Quiñones reports on their split-second and often surprising decision-making process, on “Primetime: What Would You Do?,” FRIDAY, JULY 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (OAD: 2/24/2009)


people speculate on how they might act in a difficult situation, but this series shows what they actually do in the face of everyday dilemmas that test character and values. Friday’s scenarios include:

 BEGGING FOR GAS: With high gasoline prices and a falling economy, how will people react to someone who approaches them begging not for money, but for a few gallons of gasoline? Will the unsuspecting motorists react differently to female and male beggars? And what if one of the women asking for help is trying to fill up her expensive SUV?

One of the young men who does help is an immigrant who has very little money himself. So “What Would You Do” decided to see what would happen if he posed as the man begging for gas.

SHOPLIFTING PARENTS WITH KIDS IN TOW: In a story taken from the headlines, a mother shoplifts clothing and accessories from a trendy store and uses her daughter as an accomplice, placing the stolen items in her child’s backpack. Will fellow shoppers step in and confront the mother in front of the child – or mind their own business? And will the reaction from those who witness the shoplifting be different if the person stealing is a nanny instead of a parent?

TEENAGE VANDALISM: It’s one of “WWYD’s” most electrifying scenarios: Will anyone in the neighborhood intervene when they witness teenagers trashing a parked car? And will the reactions differ if the vandals are black?

THE CELL PHONE CALLER FROM HELL: Almost everyone has experienced it — the obnoxious person in a restaurant talking so loudly on his cell phone that there is no escape; everyone must hear every word. How will the frustrated diners react? But when an attractive woman plays the part, does it change everything?

(source: ABC)