Three brothers ventured onto the streets of New York City to conduct a social experiment in broad daylight, unbeknownst to passersby. They sat a faux homeless boy a few feet away from a homeless veteran in a bid to find out who would receive the most public attention. What happened next left millions of viewers reeling.
While the young homeless boy’s paper cup quickly filled with bills, the homeless vet was subjected to verbal harassment, having food thrown over him, and an altercation with an abusive police officer. But perhaps worst of all, he was largely ignored.
The setup begins as brothers Moe and Ethan introduce their younger brother, Omar, dressed in ragged clothes and carrying a cardboard sign reading: “Please help me, I’m hungry and homeless, God bless.” Omar then quietly approaches a homeless veteran on the street and sits just a few feet away.
Omar refrains from speaking to members of the public but receives attention from numerous passersby. Several women offer to hug him and one even kisses him on the head. Then, a female police officer approaches and drops a bill into the young boy’s cup.
The homeless veteran speaks up: “Officer, spare a little change for me too please? I’m very hungry and I didn’t get a chance to eat yet.”
The officer replies: “What you need to do is go get a job. I get up early every day, every morning.”
“I understand you ma'am,” the veteran says, “but right now I’m just having a little difficulty.” The officer responds by telling him to “open doors or something,” before swiping twice at the peak of his baseball cap.
Some time later, another pedestrian comes along, offers the young boy a bill, then turns to the veteran. In response to the vet’s request for help, and upon hearing that he served his country, the pedestrian tips his polystyrene takeaway container full of food over the homeless man’s head.
The veteran rises slowly, brushes the food from his clothes, and asks the boy to watch his belongings. He returns moments later with something in his hand. It’s a slice of pizza, but it’s not for him. He has bought the slice for his young neighbor from the money in his own pocket.
They also gifted him $200 and thanked him for his unbelievable generosity in the face of adversity. The homeless veteran hugged both brothers through his tears.
Around 63,000 homeless men, women, and children take refuge within the city’s shelter system. But around 4,000 homeless individuals sleep on the streets every night. A small act of kindness can mean a lot more than one might expect.
“People will forget what you said,” the Bradberry brothers shared, as their social experiment came to an end, “people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
