What Would You Do...If You Hit A Parked Car?

Earlier this week I watched a show Primetime: What Would You Do? on ABC. The show tackled the issue of how bystanders or third-parties would react when observing unethical or unjust situations . Among several interesting segments was one about what people would do if they saw someone hit another person's car while parallel parking. The actor or actress playing the driver would ask the people who saw the hit to not say anything, then run their errand and later try to leave without acknowledging the situation. Bystander reactions ranged from ignoring that they saw the incident to some even calling the police when the driver left the scene.

The reason I brought up the segment of this show was not so much about the bystander reactions but more about the driver's. Unfortunately, there are many people nowadays who don't give a second thought to 'tapping' someone's car and then either not say anything or drive away. With that in mind, what I observed this morning, in a perfect world shouldn't have surprised me, but did.

Earlier this morning I was at Panera Bread adding some Splenda to my coffee when a woman approached me and asked "Do you happen to drive a white Jeep?" I replied that I didn't and asked if something was wrong. She stated that she had 'tapped it' while parking and didn't want to leave without saying anything. I was shocked, not that she had hit a car, but that she was actively trying to find the person who owned the car she hit. All I could say was "Wow, that's really good of you." Like I said...I shouldn't have been surprised, but it really is rare to see someone (especially someone who looked to be maybe in her early-20s) take responsibility not because they have to but because they know it is the right thing to do.

I sat back down at my table, which happened to be by a window facing the parking lot, and soon heard an announcement over the PA system asking for the owner of a white Jeep to come to the front counter. Again, a big surprise. About a minute later, I saw the woman and a man (who I assumed to be the Jeep's owner) out in the parking lot looking a the bumper of the Jeep. Very soon after, they both came back into Panera smiling and laughing.

I wonder, if she hadn't persisted in finding the car's owner, would both individuals have been smiling later on? I know if I had been the driver I would have felt insanely guilty and if I was the Jeep's owner, I would've been angry as hell.

Anyway, it's sad to be so surprised by an individual taking responsibility for their actions. But, on the flipside, it's nice to see that on this cold Leap Day morning in a Richmond suburb, honesty and integrity can still make an appearance. Hopefully, it won't be only once every four years.

Don't Forget the Angry White Man...

This is a very interesting opinion piece from the Apen Times Weekly (found via the Boortz website). I've been thinking this for quite a while. The segmenting of society during this election season is worse than ever. But, I think there will be the backlash of the 'Angry White Man'...moreso against Hillary than Obama. Hell, if it helps her NOT get into office, then more power to 'em.

Here's the Article: In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man