The TV show What Would YouDo? recently conducted a social experiment to see how people would react when they see a child with Tourette syndrome being bullied.
The result, as captured in the video, was stunning. Many strangers delivered a standing-ovation worthy speech to the bullies. The young actress who played the victim, Jillian, actually grew up with Tourette and has personally experienced this type of bullying.
It was hard to watch the bullies mocking and verbally assaulting a helpless kid. Many kind Samaritans got very upset; in fact, one of them even started tearing up. They all tried to educate the bullies about sympathy towards other human beings and Tourette’s.
When the bullies called her weird, one stranger responded, “We’re all weird. We’re human beings. Don’t make fun of her.” Jillian found this to be such kind, amazing words. The same man also told the bullies, “I don’t like it when people bully people or demean them for something they are not educated about.”
Some gently advised the bullies to learn about the condition. All of them sternly told the bullies to leave Jillian alone and tried to comfort Jillian.
This video was similar to the Burger King commercial/anti-bullying PSA back in 2017. In that commercial, however, most customers remained silent. So the Burger employees tried to teach those customers a lesson using their Whoppers.
What is Tourette Syndrome?
Tourette syndrome is a lifelong neurological disorder, which most often begins between the ages of 2 and 21. Not all who have this condition swear involuntarily. Only about 10% does. About 1 in 162 children (0.6%) have diagnosed or undiagnosed Tourette. In addition, most children diagnosed with Tourette reportedly also have at least one other mental or developmental disorder.
How Bad is Bullying in the US?
A kid gets bullied every 7 minutes in the US. And only 4 in 100 adults will intervene. According to a CDC report, 19% of high schoolers were recently bullied on school property and 14% have been cyber-bullied.
Besides the psychological and physical toll on the victims, bullying has profound impact on socioeconomic construct. Studies show that both bullies and bullying victims are more likely to experience poverty and professional failure their adulthood. They are also more likely to commit crimes and suffer from substance addictions.
Louisiana ranked #1 as the state with the worst bullying problems, followed by Arkansas and Missouri. See the full list here.
How Do We Stop Bullying?
Adults can reduce bullying by responding consistently and quickly when they witness such acts in their community. In fact, this is the only way to eliminate bullying behavior long-term.
Some suggestions for what to do when you see youth bullying:
- Question the bullying behavior
- Redirect the conversation using humor
- Take a walk with the target of bullying to help diffuse the situation
- Intervene as a group with other bystanders
- Reach out to the victim privately later to check in
