The Bystander’s Dilemma: Call and Response
Members of Not in Our Town Princeton and Corner House’s GAIA Project gave this dramatic presentation on April 10, 2012 to an audience of 150 youth and adults at the Princeton Public Library. Entitled “Bullying – Changing the Culture: The Bystander’s Dilemma,” the program included skits put together by youth from the GAIA Project and NIOT. Todd Reichart directed this call and response segment, which featured individuals speaking with gestures and choral responses. In rehearsal, participants improvised movements until they found ones that felt “right.”
Where did we get the individual statements? We collected them from personal experience — and from a previous program that Not in Our Town did at the library. (Photos of the easel sheets, with names for “bully,” “target,” and “bystander” contributed by the audience, are courtesy of Greta Cuyler of Princeton Patch who wrote about the presentation.)
Anyone is welcome to use or adapt this presentation as below:
The single voice person will rise and say their part starting with their gesture, and stay
standing, looking at the audience as the response is given. As they are going down to sit, the
next single voice person rises. Everyone is part of the response. (This could also be performed in two lines, with those in the back line stepping forward to speak.)
There are two parts, but to be performed without pause between:
I. And Nobody Did Anything (in chorus)
II. I Didn’t Know What to Do. (in chorus)
The parts between are single voices (IN CAPS), and in chorus (italics).
The single voice parts have simple gestures for the first part, as indicated here — or make up your own. Repeat the gesture several times.
The second part could also have gestures.
I. And Nobody Did Anything
1. IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, ONE KID USED TO PUSH ME INTO THE LOCKERS
WHENEVER HE WALKED BY.
(a push gesture)
And nobody did anything.
2. I’M A WAITRESS. SOME PEOPLE COME IN HERE OFTEN AND THEY TREAT
ME LIKE DIRT. I FEEL HELPLESS.
(hands on waist/hip)
And nobody did anything.
3. THOSE GIRLS WERE BULLYING ME FOR WEEKS. THEN THEY JUMPED ME IN
A PUBLIC PLACE. AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE WALKED BY.
(hit own thighs in distress)
And nobody did anything.
4. I’M FROM AFRICA. SOME KIDS KEPT CALLING ME A “MONKEY”. I ASKED A
TEACHER FOR HELP. SHE SAID “GET OVER IT”.
(point to self; point toward audience as teacher)
And nobody did anything.
5. WHERE I WORK, MY CONTRIBUTIONS ARE REPEATEDLY IGNORED – LIKE
I’M NOT EVEN THERE.
(hand across forehead)
And nobody did anything.
6. I USED TO WEAR PINK SNEAKERS TO SCHOOL AND THE KIDS CALLED
ME A FAGGOT AND GAY. THEN THEY LAUGHED AND SAID “JUST KIDDING”.
(kicking foot out as if looking at shoes)
And nobody did anything.
7. MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE BEEN IN THAT SHOP SEVERAL TIMES. THE
SALES PERSON SEEMS TO FOLLOW US AROUND BUT NOT THE WHITE
CUSTOMERS.
(walk as if walking in, then walk with arms folded across chest as the sales
person)
And nobody did anything.
8. MY GROUP OF FRIENDS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OFTEN EXCLUDED ME
FROM THINGS THEY WERE DOING. ONE DAY THEY JUST STARTED YELLING
AT ME, IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY OUTSIDE SCHOOL, CALLING ME “FAT”
AND I LOOKED LIKE SHREK.
And nobody did anything.
II “I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO”
9. I FELT SORRY FOR THE VICTIM, BUT SOME OF THE BULLIES WERE MY
FRIENDS.
I didn’t know what to do.
10. I WAS AFRAID I’D MAKE IT WORSE.
I didn’t know what to do.
11. I WASN’T SURE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. I THOUGHT THEY WERE “GOOD
BOYS”. SOME WERE LAUGHING. I DECIDED “BOYS WILL BE BOYS”.
I didn’t know what to do
.
12. IT LOOKED PRETTY VIOLENT. I DIDN’T WANT TO GET HURT.
I didn’t know what to do.
13. THE PERSON I WAS WITH DIDN’T WANT TO GET INVOLVED; I WAS TORN.
I didn’t know what to do.
14. I WAS AFRAID THEY’D CALL ME SOMETHING INSULTING.
I didn’t know what to do.