Not many people can claim to have a YouTube fanbase of 3 million, but that is the case for Coby Persin. The 23-year-old vlogger has a devoted following. His videos have launched him to fame and made him a billionaire.
Even though he is famous, Persin is familiar with the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” He recently took part in a social experiment where he dressed in shabby clothes. Carrying a trash bag full of belongings, Persin approached a high-end outdoor restaurant and asked to reserve a table for himself and a friend.
The employee wasn’t interested in considering Persin’s request.
Immediately, the restaurant employee appears to be on the defensive.
“I’m sorry. We’re not going to be able to do it, sir,” he said. “This place is a little too expensive for you. Nope. We can’t serve you. We’re not gonna serve you today. I’m sorry about that.”
As Persin protested that he could pay for the table, the waiter told him to “get away” and suggested he go eat at McDonald’s.
In fact, when Persin accepted and pulled out his cell phone to make a call, the restaurant employee continued to insist that he get off the property and make his call elsewhere.
The server got a huge surprise when he found out who was on the phone.
Little did the restaurant employee know that Persin’s “friend” is actually his personal chauffeur, Ronaldo. Ronaldo drove up in the vlogger’s Rolls Royce and removed a suitcase full of money from the trunk.
“I told you I had money,” Persin told the restaurant employee. “You know, what’s crazy is how you judge people by their appearance. I might buy this spot, just so I can fire you. You’re lucky.”
For many people, Persin’s experience is their daily reality.
Homelessness is a growing issue in the United States. Estimates from 2017 show there are around 554,000 homeless men and women throughout the country. Many of them face the kind of discrimination and judgment that Persin saw.
Of those people, 193,000 people have nowhere to stay at all. They sleep on the street or in parks or cars. Some of them have no access to showers or laundry facilities, and they bathe in public restrooms, washing their faces in sinks. This makes it hard to stay clean, and the homeless population stands out in a crowd … making them easy targets for the kind of discrimination Persin experienced.
So, what are Persin and others trying to do?
Social experiments are a growing trend. They are designed to inspire people to act more ethically, either by not judging others or by stepping in to help.
In October 2017, Burger King sponsored an anti-bullying campaign. The YouTube video, which pulled in more than 6 million views, consisted of a social experiment where child actors pretended to bully one another in a Burger King.
The goal was to see whether diners would step in to defend the child being bullied.
The video showed a group of preteens sitting at a table, harassing a young boy.
“You don’t have any friends,” one of the fake bullies taunted. “What are you even doing here?”
Things got worse as adults sunk in their seats and looked away.
The bullies grabbed his hair, shoved him, and finally poured a drink all over his food. Meanwhile, the child being bullied begged them to stop. Adults throughout the restaurant clearly noticed the scuffle. They watched in disbelief or discomfort. However, no one stepped in.
Back in the kitchen, meanwhile, an employee dished up Whopper Juniors … in pieces. As customers received their destroyed burgers, one after another got up to complain. The employee and even a manager calmly explained that they didn’t do anything wrong. They simply “bullied the burger” a little bit.
The customers find out that they have “bullied” burgers.
Tempers quickly began to flare. Some customers shouted and swore at the employees. In the end, 95 percent of customers who received “bullied” burgers reported the issue. Only 12 percent of bystanders stepped in to defend the child being bullied. Some of them chastised the bullies. One woman simply asked the boy if he was OK, then took her tray and joined him at his table.
Social experiments like Persin’s and Burger King’s are designed to call on society to become better. Whether they are combating bullying, discrimination, or something else, they hope to teach people to treat one another with respect.
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