A social experiment undertaken on the streets of New York City is offering a remarkable commentary on the way people treat each other based on their physical appearances. The culmination of the experiment has millions of viewers reeling in shock.
Persin’s question for the general public was simple: If each man fell, would their outer appearance affect whether or not pedestrians on the streets of New York City would help them back to their feet?
As the video begins, the professional-looking man slips on the sidewalk a number of times in different locations. Each and every time, members of the public flock to his aid, helping him to his feet and asking him if he is alright.
Next up, the homeless man. Similarly, he falls repeatedly in different locations, but not once is he assisted. Pedestrians give him a wide berth, looking toward and then past him with apparent disdain.
That is, until he falls in front of a man sitting on the sidewalk with a paper cup by his side. The onlooker, himself homeless, watches as Barbosa tumbles to the ground; he springs up immediately and helps the actor to his feet, even going so far as to support him while he realigns his crutches.
It took a homeless man to help a homeless man; nobody else would spare the fallen man a second of their time. Persin and Barbosa shared their sober conclusion at the end of the video.
“So today we were outside for almost two hours, and the sad truth about it all? I felt invisible,” Barbosa explained. “People heard me fall, people saw me fall, and still they would just stare at me and make me feel less of a human.
“It’s sad that people would rather help a man that seems to have it all than to help a man that has nothing at all,” he reflected.
“This is something that a lot of you guys should think about,” the pair implored, “because if you can’t change yourself, then this world is only going to get worse.”
Comments flooded in from viewers who had been deeply affected by the experiment. “It actually breaks my heart to see this with the ‘homeless guy,’” one person wrote.
“I really, really hope they gave the actual poor man either food or at least a little of money to help him,” another added, echoing the concerns of many.
One viewer actively vowed to change their ways. “I’m laughing but I would sadly do the same thing,” they wrote. “After watching this, I will try to change my actions.”
“Meanwhile, when dealing with a homeless person, particularly in New York City, you are often confronted by unbalanced or mentally ill individuals,” the blogger continued. “I don’t believe [the general public] are bad people, but they are concerned about their safety.”
If anything is able to dispel the misconception that the homeless community in its entirety is a threat to public safety, it is surely this evidence: a homeless man rushing from the sidewalk to help an injured stranger. He helped when nobody else did.
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