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Subscribe to RSSRead these personal accounts from kids and one parent on what it was like to be in Dateline NBC's hidden camera report on discrimination, part of the full series 'My Kid Would Never Do That.'
Allison Kempe
Let me start off by saying it was great to work with the many kind people of NBC. During this show, I learned a lot about myself and discrimination in general. I am lucky enough to live in a very diverse community where everyone is accepted equally. In a way, I knew there was discrimination, but I really didn’t think it was that bad, and I definitely didn’t think I would EVER discriminate.
Let me explain that I as a person do not see color when I’m choosing friends. It may sound cheesy but I look for what’s inside. When the amazing Latino young man (Nicholas) began to sing, I was thrilled! I loved the song he was singing and thought he did a great job! Plus even his (fake) accent was awesome! In the beginning , I thought that we were supposed to choose the person we wanted to win, so I immediately chose him! I then realized that we were choosing who we wanted to send home and the others were basing it on his race. I was appalled. I couldn’t believe they thought that way! There is simply no question that he is American. America is known as the melting pot of all cultures and ethnicities and I love it. When I heard all the horrid things they were saying about him I wanted to yell at them! And tell them how wrong they were, but in an attempt to be kind and please everyone, I tried to change how they were voting. I didn’t realize at the time that they were actors I tried to get them to understand, and in the end, I finally gave in because I felt like I had no other choice. We needed to make a decision so they could continue filming. I felt out-numbered and out of options. I gave in but refused to say anything about his race because I didn’t agree with it.
Everything happened so fast. I was chosen to give the verdict and instantly regretted it. When Natalie came out and told us we were on Dateline, on a segment about discrimination, and that two of the participants were actors, my heart broke into a million tiny pieces because I gave in! Even though I am so strongly set in my beliefs and ways, I gave into peer pressure! This made me realize that no one is immune to peer pressure, and it is VERY important to stand up and listen to your heart. If your gut says something is wrong, you need to voice it! Stand up for what you believe.
Instantly, the only thing that would make it any better was to apologize to the actor. He was very kind and understanding and very much the type of person I would be friends with back home. I feel for everyone who has to deal with discrimination on a daily basis and even though I am lucky enough not to have to, it is something that really needs to be addressed. Kids need to understand what they’re really saying when they make these derogatory comments. If everyone could feel even a fraction of the heartbreak I felt or could live a day in the life of the victim, maybe they could understand NO ONE is better than another person regardless of the color of their skin, their language or the religion they practice. We are ALL EQUAL and need to treat each other as such
In the end, this was an amazing experience and I thank Natalie, NBC, MY mom and everyone involved in this project.
Julia Kempe (Allison’s mom)
I was very happy that my daughter was chosen to participate as a judge in the “staged” Teen Singing Competition. I honestly felt certain that she would never let anyone persuade her to discriminate against someone. She is blessed to attend a very diverse school and I often listen to her rant and rave about select students who treat others unkindly or unfairly. She is definitely a proponent of all human rights.
She was most impressed with the young man who she was eventually persuaded to vote off. She felt so highly pressured that she eventually gave in so as to appear professional “on TV” and not come across as argumentative or not a “team player”. She was incredibly heart sick over the situation, but I was extremely proud of how she handled it. She couldn’t forgive herself without apologizing to the young man she had discriminated against and later, sharing a little of who she really is.
I think we both learned a great deal. She learned to be strong no matter what others think and to stand her ground. I learned that peer pressure can undermine who a person truly is. I also realize that having regular conversations with your child, not only about discrimination but about all of the issues that “Dateline: My Kid Would Never Do That” has reported on recently (and more) is the best way to help our kids be strong in difficult situations.
Amaru Cloud
Hey, I'm Amaru Cloud. My experience on Dateline NBC's 'My Kid Would Never Do That', is something that I will never forget for as long as I live. When I stepped into that auditorium and listened to the boy and girl (who turned out to be actors) begin to judge the best singer in the line up by the color of his skin, it immediately reminded me of Martin Luther King Jr's quote, "Judge a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character." When I was put under pressure to vote against someone just because of his ethnicity, I knew I had to stand up for equality. I had to do the right thing, because that could have been me being discriminated against. I think Dateline NBC is doing a great job with this show by teaching people across the country many important lessons.
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Visit the website for the full series 'My Kid Would Never Do That'
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I just watched this episode with my 8 and 10 year old children, and it was very well done! Thanks!!
Just watched this with my 8 and 10 year old. I thought it was really well done. Thanks! It made way for a great discussion with my kids, and reminded me that I need to always be discussing with them how to stand up for what is right in any situation.
Amaru Cloud, you made me and a lot of people so proud of you and your mother. Thank you for standing up against racial bias and discrimination.
yea all this liberal nonsense about "racism" and how uncomfortable the kids were in this "mock" sessions, but it's NBC that edited and "made up" the story about Jorge Zimmerman, that didn't exist. the entire 911 phone call was doctored to make him appear racist in the trevon martin incident, this idiot leftists and NBC MSNBC DATELINE, same thing, same crap, they called this Latino man, a "white hispanic" anything to make it look like he was white. guess it makes for more sizzeling a news story since Nothing But Crap can't actually report "real" news it's too boring. so, why not make it up, right u Dateline idiots? not to mention "lightening" up Zimmermans face to make him appear as white as possible, meanwhile he much darker in reality. you NBC leftists should be ashamed of yourselves, but then again why would a obamazombie "in the tank" for the marxist obama care about or have shame, nevermind. and u have the nerve to right ur sanctimonious self-righteous horse when it comes to "teaching" the kids, about anything, u must be kidding, seriously u must be kidding!!
shame on you for this!!
nbc is causing the problems with our world
I thought this was a really good discussion. HOWEVER, while you portrayed different ethnic groups it appeared that the White group was either the ones discriminating OR that they were being discriminated against. It showed a racial bias against the white race. I try very hard not to be racially motivated. I try to look at people as individuals, however to prove your point you should have had one more segment where it showed that all races can discriminate even against the whites. Peer pressure works in most classes of race. So if you're White you associate with whites, if you're Black you associate with blacks, Asian, Middle East, Jewish, Green, Blue or Purple, etc. Don't just leave it with the race that has been paying for the social programs for this country. You are using reverse racism. Look at the young kids who where on your program. All from smart well rounded homes. Let's go to the South and see if you get a different view. Let's go to the Middle of the country and see what kind of view you get. I'll bet it differs in the social class of people you have on your program. Don't take just the well off kids... Take some from the street, take some from gangs, take some with questionable backgrounds and immediately the press/news portrays them differently. The news/press is responsible for a lot of our problems in this area by only portraying the bad in people. If you had 15 minutes of bad news and 15 minutes of good news your ratings would probably be in the toilet so you emphasize the bad. We (HOPEFULLY) have more good people in the United States of America than bad. Therefore, why do you give the bad more press?????
I was thinking along a similar line...I am a white male and Married to a Black(African - America if you prefer) Lady. I can agree all day that there are serious issues with racism but you had a great chance to do something that all other shows dont, be fair across the board and sadly you missed on one topic. If you show a slanted view that mostly white people are racist you are sending a message, and that message is very untrue. We all have been treated with racism at some point and to dismiss white people being treated like they never have racist remarks made at them is so sad and just unrealistic. You should have done your homework and asked a couple of people, I dont mean people who go off on anti Obama rants or Racist that could care less about your show but people who would have and who have tried to help Race relations for the better. There are actally white people out there that do try........
Hey Allison, great job taking resposibility for your actions!! Great job! It was very touching how you took that extra step to apologise to Nicholas and that even made you a hero for a lot us. Life uses Events like these to reveal what is actually in our hearts and even more so what we actually believe and/or don't believe. I just wonder how many adults would pass the same test...just wonder...don't you;)?
To Amaru! All I can say is you raised the bar to a whole new level! You are a one solid teen with some strong inner tissue. I wouldn't be suprised to see you standing up for the weak of this world, the poor, the exploited and a host of groups out their who are looking for a leader to show then the way throught the wilderness of life. I salute you and the parents who brought you in to this world.
It sounded from what his mother said he's only 13...bravo for him!
(i only could watch the partial segments online, missed it on TV)
good idea and all but not really accurate!. It was more about bending to peer pressure. And really.. everyone discriminates naturally, just as animals do in nature. We all take notice of shape form and color in each other. What humans have to learn is to judge ( or make decisions) not based on this, but by behavior alone!. It is quite natural to assume that the behavior patterns that exist in all different cultures, nationalities etc. to be the general norm. ALL cultures have recognizable traits that distinguishes them from each other and have different shared habits and behavior patterns. This is what happens naturally in the whole world. A real racist is the one who goes after anyone of certain color and treats them unfairly simply based on color alone.
. What I did not see in this show is Other races being discriminatory towards whites because that is very much true in the real world!! Why are whites the only race accused of discrimination? (that in it self is discrimination)! This is NEVER addressed!!.
Scandinavians sometimes have a tendency to be wary of Germans because of previous experience of some of the negative historical behavior. It is natural, but what is not right, is to not learn to see the best quality in everyone. It is justifiable that people are wary of other cultures, especially
if it is negative..
If i live in a neighborhood of a certain race, where many are litterbugs, and there is a lot of gangs, then there is more tendency for me to think.. so and so are unclean and there is a lot of crime , so I think I have a right to not be part of it. We cannot be in-discriminate,, we have to see and make decisions through out our lives. But We should always give everyone the benefit of the doubt and treat ALL with kindness and fairness and non violence (including all animals). THIS GOES FOR EVERYONE!! IT is called good judgement! We all share this beautiful planet, the sky, air the sun and oceans. Great injustice and harm has been done to this planet by people of all races. The Skin disease of social discrimination exists because most people identify with the body as the self, instead of the being the eternal spirit soul inside of a temporary material body. Behavior is the test of real knowledge. But quite frankly I think many are just way too racially sensitive! EVERYTHING is a racial slur!!!.. don't take your self so seriously!!. I have come to believe that many are accused of being racist when in fact they are not.
BTW These young people all behaved very nicely and laughing among the young is totally natural when they are nervous. Most of them just really want to be excepted and blend in.
answer
one on one, anti-white descrimination/bias exists
but, in our culture White is the dominant one. In ANY culture, any descrimination or bias BY the dominant groups against not dominant groups feels worse and can change their life experience overall negatively in a way that individual anti-white bias (White being the dominant group) does not.
I am White but was born into a non-Christian, ie nonDominant, religion and am not a man. I find that I viscerely understand what descrimination by Whites against nonWhites might feel like better than some other Whites--especially MEN (women, though equal or dominant in numbers, have not been dominant in power so descrimination from men feels like a power-over just as if they were a true numerical minority).
Well said Chuck-2160770 and Jubilanti1....of course if you're looking for shame and blame you'll find it. If you're looking for American citizens care and support (past prejudices, which we ALL have) you'll find it. I find NBC and Dateline, lately more focused on trying to create 'drama and trauma' and problems, perhaps that's due to the Comcast purchase, or the 'ticker statistics' that say, everyone IS watching when we create drama! Get back to professional journalism Dateline journalists and NBC; the rest of us can twitter and facebook, but you're paid far too much for this slanted, setup reporting; of course it wasn't reporting.
Shame on you Dateline journalists for such a very slanted, set up program, and doing what you set up teens to do, like the rest of us. Create fear, pressure, and expect a different outcome. You let go of what you each know is important, being journalists vs judges; you're degreed to be journalists, and don't have law degrees to be judges. I assume Dateline journalists are degreed, in professional journalism, and you I suspect let your own corporate pressure allow you to slant such a program, just as the teens feared, so get back to your own convictions vs. social media setups, and set an example as professionals vs. setup our American teens! Your pay scale not only allows but demands it!
In the meantime, I encourage fellow posters to watch PBS....much more curious and professional journalists IMO overall....not always, but far more than NBC journalists are caving into demands, the past 6 months.
And OBTW, my East Indian daughter is bullied every day for not hanging out with her 'own' kind, not by European descendant Americans, but rather Americans of Asian decent. Go figure! And I say to her, "we're scared and draw to our comfort zone, and we're encouraged to bully the bullies! So let it go, and explain to others why you choose the friends you do, and it's not about culture, it's about who welcomes you and common interests OBTW"
And that's NOT the next documentary, it's encouraging journalists to get back to their profession rather than creating 'drama trauma' to breed more fear and anger on our wonderful country, to PROTECT YOURSELVES FROM YOUR OWN FEARS!
Shame on your Dateline journalists and NBC. Looking forward to seeing you get back to professional journalism, vs 'twitter kids"
Tigger from Denver