It will only take a minute of your time: Why do we do this?
This short video will only take a minute of your time, but I hope it will make you write your opinion.
Why do we react like this? Why is a big black guy more frightening than a big white guy? Or would this mother have reacted the same way if he had been white?
I really wonder.....
36 Answers
Lovely film. It goes beyond colour racism as well, this kind of stuff happens wherever there is ignorance and insecurity. It doesn't just happen to black guys but, yeah they get the thin end of it. Ignorant and fearful people are, perhaps, unwittingly responsible for a lot of the suffering in the world which, ironically frightens them. goonight 
I don't know about skin color, but there is clearly something wrong with that guy. Anyone who free climbs a 75-foot tall light pole, just to retrieve a 10¢ balloon, is definitely not working with a full deck.
In any case, I did not really see anything intimidating or fear-inducing about the guy....Although, come to think of it, it was a bit strange that he lived alone, in an apartment full of helium-filled balloons. I mean, isn't that a little bit odd? Why does he have so many balloons in his apartment. Very suspicious indeed....
Don't get me started either Heidi.
The video was a "put up" job and we don't all react like that.
I don't think racism is simply between blacks and whites. Often times i feel like immigrants (in the U.S.) can have the least tolerance for other races.
Not to mention I witness and hear a lot of racism amongst Latinos. Have you ever heard someone from Colombia talk about someone from Bolivia? And God forbid a Latino look and speak like Evo Morales and dare to call himself Latino....
And what about what goes on in Brazil?
Side note: That video did not seem like an American point of view for a number of reasons. Just a hunch, but mainly because that kind of racism (if interpreted to be racism) is not the most prevalent form of racism in America in the 21 century.
If I didn't know the context, that a man (regardless of color) had just climbed up a pole, a tall pole, to get a child her balloon:
I think in this day and age, yes, a mother or guardian would react to a stranger handing a balloon to a child, possibly speaking to the child, and get her away from possible danger. I believe in today's world regardless of color it's a matter of a stranger dealing with a child, that caused her to react as she did. Could she have reacted differently, sure, but in that moment, that particular lady was in protection mode.
I, too, went wow, when I saw so many balloons on the man's wall. I think anyone wanting to help, might have looked around for the child's guardian first, let them know why they want to interact with a child and then there would be less balloons on the wall. Also, by speaking with the parent directly there would have been less fear involved, too
I'm not saying this is right or wrong; but it is today's world we live in. Acceptance and knowing boundaries and how to cross boundaries is part of the society we people live in.
I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with Billygoat and Izanoni here. I didn't see color necessarily involved in that either.
This is a bit more explicit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrOSL85ZMck
Don't get me started with this.
The video was just plain sad; I was almost overwhelmed with tears. And what's worse is that... this happens simply because you are seen as being "different".
The saddest part was when I saw all of the balloons at the end. How many times has this happened? How long will this keep happening? When can we put this behind us?
There is a lot more I would like to say, but I'm just glad that there are a lot of people in this kind, loving world who really don't think that way.
Times have changed, but for a long while the races were segregated in the U.S. You weren't familiar with people of different races, religions, cultures, customs, etc. Modern communications has eradicated much of that fear, suspicion, as now through TV, music,etc. we invite peoples of all types into our living room every night.
All kidding aside (hopefully, at least some recognized it for what it was), I just wanted to briefly comment on this statement. My own opinion is that modern media has been more of a mixed blessing in this regard in the fact that, while it certainly has helped in some ways, many of the images that we are bombarded with are typically either (1) completely watered down, white-washed and neutered versions of reality or (2) severely stereotyped (often in a negative, belittling or all too predictable way). From this perspective, it is often a bit disconcerting to me, to look around and see so many examples of life imitating "art" rather than art imitating life.
Have I missed the point here? Is it anything at all to do with the guy's skin colour? 
A mother sees her young daughter crying loudly and a big man is standing over her trying to give her a balloon.
I dont see colour in this.
xenophobia...we all fear what is strange or unknown to us.
Fortunately, in my life, when I was a child, I was the only "white" girl in neighborhood, besides my sister. I am thankful for this background because from an early age, I never really thought much about the color of anyone's skin. All of my friends were black and varying shades of brown.
When I was a bit older, it shocked me that there were people in this world who felt differently. I am past the shock, but it really angers me when a person is judged on the basis of his skin color. Thankfully, my kids have also chosen friends based on personality rather than race. We regularly have people of all colors visiting us and sleeping over our house. People who interact with only those of their own ethnicity live a very small life.
This video made me cry. It is amazing how much was said without one word being spoken. Thanks for the reminder Heidi! 
Wow. That made me tear up. 
I find it disgusting when people are racist. I, too, can't understand why some people just can't look past skin color.
We are all people...it doesn't matter what race/religion we are. It's really time that some people [like the woman in that video] change their attitudes. It's 2011, people!
I saw a protective but narrow-minded mother taking an instinctive action to "protect" her child.
I hope I'm not offending anyone, but in this video I saw a mother from Japan, Korea, or other society with a large percentage of xenophobic people. Some members of my wife's family (and mine) are very much like this, so I'm quite familiar with this perspective.
Far from being "bad" people, these people are victims of their society, and of their culture. It took about 20 years for my mother (Hungarian) to wholly accept my wife (she's Chinese). My mother hasn't learned a broader lesson, though. The xenophobic instincts are very deeply-seated. If I couldn't change my mother's phobia, what chance of success does public education and media exposure have?
It just goes to show how children, unspoiled by prejudice, can see equality in everything. She too will eventually be tainted by society and will probably grow up to be like her Dad.
The yellow balloon :(
many of the images that we are bombarded with are typically either (1) completely watered down, white-washed and neutered versions of reality or (2) severely stereotyped (often in a negative, belittling or all too predictable way). From this perspective, it is often a bit disconcerting to me, to look around and see so many examples of life imitating "art" rather than art imitating life.
What else can I say? This time I completely agree with Izanoni, who expressed my thoughts better than I did 
Wow! The man seemed unintimadating to me. Of course this was scripted to make a point. In reality, if the woman had lost track of her daughter long enough for the whole thing to take place she would have been freaked out when she found her, but not necessarily scared of the guy.
