What Would You Do?

So, last night I was finally sitting down after a very long day and as I was flipping through the TV channels I heard the words Down Syndrome and instantly stopped to see what they were talking about.  It was a show called "What Would You Do?" on ABC (I think).  I had never watched the show before but had seen advertisements for it so I kind of knew the premise.  If you haven't seen it, the idea of the show is that people are put into situations where they see someone being mistreated or see something bad happening and there are hidden cameras taping them to see their reactions.  The scenarios are always staged and the people involved in them are actors but the bystanders who come across the situation are just everyday people like you and me, who don't know they are being taped. 

Well, right when I caught it last night they were doing a piece on someone with Down Syndrome being mistreated and taping it to see what people would do.  The exact scenario involved a young man with Down Syndrome, probably in his late teens or early twenties who was a bagger at a grocery store and they had actors as the ones insulting him and treating him badly.  The everyday people who didn't know they were being taped were the ones coming through the grocery line.  The actors who were supposed to be treating this young man in a mean way were saying things like, "Oh, I didn't know I was going to end up in the retarded line," or "Come on, can't you go any faster?" or "I didn't know they gave people like you jobs."  They would keep saying these things over and over to this person with Down Syndrome.  My blood pressure was going up, I felt myself getting tense and so very angry.  It was like watching my daughter being mistreated and it was all I could do not to go through the TV and start yelling at the people myself. 

There were all sorts of reactions from the bystanders seeing this happen.  Some people just quietly paid for their groceries and quickly left.  You could tell it was bothering some people, but they didn't say anything about it.  Some people would quietly say things to the actor who was mistreating the young man, but they left it at that.  Then there were some people who just laid into them and I LOVED it!  I was cheering for them, clapping, and talking out loud to the TV.  It was like they were standing up for my daughter.

One woman upon hearing this, stopped what she was doing and said to the actor something like, "Excuse me, you have no right to be talking to him that way.  You should be ashamed of yourself.  The only person in this line who has a problem is you!"  That lady got a big cheer from me!  Then a man, probably around 30, approached the actor and said something along the same lines and was trying to find a manager to ask the man to leave.  I cheered for that guy too!  And, it turned out he had a sister with Down Syndrome.  Another cheer for that!  Then, my favorite lady came.  She was up in the actor's face, with her finger in his face, letting him know how wrong he was.  And she said, "How would you feel if that was your son or daughter?"  That got a big cheer from me!  Because for me, that was my daughter.  And, I was cheering for a woman who decided to stand up for her.  As the segment was going on, the interviewer doing the show pulled one of the women off to the side who had confronted the actor to talk to her and she realized she was being taped.  She said, "I don't normally get that angry, but I saw injustice and when I see something unjust happening, I don't really care what people think of me."  Biggest cheer of the night for that one!

It was surreal to watch it.  It was surreal because as I was watching I knew I had a little girl upstairs in her room peacefully sleeping who had no idea she has entered a world where at times she would be treated differently.  A world where TV shows do segments on people like her.  Also, as I was watching it I was thinking about how if I ever see someone mistreating her or anyone else with special needs, it would be so ugly.  I was yelling just watching the show, I can't imagine it in real life.  There would be a scene...there would be yelling and when it was all said and done, I would probably be the one asked to leave the grocery store.  Because as a mom, we are all mama bears...there is something inside of us, that if one of our children is mistreated, you better watch out.  But, I am not sure if there is anything scarier than a special needs mama bear.  She will take you down. 

I was also thinking of Kyla as I was watching it.  I am sure she will go through a time as she starts to get older and realizes her sister is different that she may be embarrassed by it.  Growing up is hard and kids can be mean.  There are times when we all just want to blend in.  But, my hope and prayer is that as we raise Kyla and point her to Jesus, she will see that having a cookie cutter life that looks just like everybody else is overrated and of no value.  The things that are the most unique about us are the things that God can most use.  I believe that because of Ashlyn, Kyla will, like the lady in the show, have no tolerance for injustice.  And, as much as I see Kyla protecting Ashlyn already, I am pretty sure there is a big sister bear just roaring inside of her.  And, for the record, I was watching this show with Troy, and judging by his reactions, special needs papa bears are nothing to mess with either.

When the show was done, Troy and I both looked at each other with tears in our eyes and shaky voices.  I think it was a mixture of feeling like we just saw our daughter being mistreated and Holy anger.  Troy said to me that it made him think of Micah 6:8 - "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." If you are reading this, I hope that if you ever see someone with special needs being mistreated that you would live out Micah 6:8. Act justly.  Ask yourself how you would feel if that was your son or daughter, because that is someone's son or daughter.  And they are loved by God more than we can even imagine.  And, God is watching to see who will fight for His dear children.  Be a special needs mama bear on their behalf.