The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

87 Comments

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• January 29, 2008 by Robert

  I loved the ending of the film, will there be a part two on any of these?

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  • January 29, 2008 by The Responsibility Project

    As of now, Robert, no. We aren't planning any sequels to any of our films. But hey, you never know:)

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    • February 27, 2010 by Judith Boggs

      WOW...... GO AHEAD.... MAKE MY DAY!!! (AS SOMEONE FAMOUS ONCE SAID)... YOU GO TONY!!!!!!!!

  • February 27, 2008 by Paul

    Why is he a hero? Here's my take. He took a long time to do anything. He contemplated doing something many times. And, he may well have confronted the burglar at the end of the movie, but he hadn't done anything yet. If he leaves and does nothing, he was not responsible and it would be for good reasons. If the burglar has a weapon the responsible thing to do would not neccessarily be to get shot just to return the purse. But the video certainly puts into a good context the number of outcomes that could have occured. Stopping the bus, alerting the police, calling 911 etc...

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    • April 19, 2008 by Lara

      Although I don't think it was right for the man in the video to wait long cause he did have the robber enclosed so the capture would have been easier, but sometimes people react out of fear and hesitation when they think of their personal consequences based on their actions. Let's face it, most robbers aren't doing this because they are nice, kind people so there are risks involved with confronting a criminal. I know cause just last week I was presented with a similar situation. I saw a man being mugged by 3 thugs and when I finally got my phone out to call 911, the robbers already ran down into the train with no place to be found. Since it was 11pm and no-one else around, I did not yell or scream because there would be no one to help and I would have possibly put myself in danger just to save the old man's wallet. Unfortunately, it's times like this when you wished the cops would be around and not standing around in group gatherings watching pot holes being repaired.

    • November 20, 2011 by lydiebea

      although many different scenarios could have happened, the man did take a stand.

  • May 3, 2010 by ebaby

    he did nothing

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• January 31, 2008 by Matthew

  Nice job Steph! Really enjoyed the video! Decisions we make.....

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• January 31, 2008 by Brad

  With the current ending there's no proof that he actually did anything. He just stood there, will this be like him calling 911 and hanging up? He could just walk away. What was so RESPONSIBLE?

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  • January 31, 2008 by Alexis

    True - it's possible that the witness did nothing responsible but the cliffhanger ending leaves the decision in your hands. Its up to you to decide whether he hands the crook his cupcakes or actually confronts him for the crime he committed.

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  • January 31, 2008 by The Responsibility Project

    It's a cliffhanger ending alright, Brad. But we did that for a reason. Does the guy actually confront the thief? Maybe. Maybe not. If he does, is that really the responsible thing to do? One would think so. But hold on a second. What if the thief has a gun in his jacket? If our hero gets himself shot because he tried to do right by a total stranger, how responsible is that to his family? By ending the film where she does, Steph is saying, I'm not going to decide this for you. You decide for yourself.

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    • May 7, 2010 by Suzie

      brad I have to agree where was the responsibility? simply because we are left to wonder. DIDhe then call someone. so he could be arrested? Did he the one having to decide. get off at his own stop? Did he hollar up to the driver about what he was doing. and why? Did the guy that stole the purse then realize he was about MAYBE, to get busted? and try to escape from the one standing? To many if's here..

      Not ever being in that position I will say that I would hope I having a cell phone I would have called the Police. gave a discription and stayed on the bus to see where he got off at if need be also making certain the police knew what bus was on at the time. To do nothing is not taking any responsibility at all. Also true the robber could have been armed.. Chances are he was not. thieves of womans purses or pick pockets are not wanting to kill they are after money or Identification. Mostly Money.

    • May 24, 2010 by Reason

      Wouldn't exactly call it a cliffhanger. More like the result of a low budget and uncreative writing staff.

    • July 4, 2010 by David Harris

      I think for a while there should be a moratorium on the trite excuse of "the director just wanted the audience to decide for themselves." Everyday life is about making tough decisions and dealing with the consequences. I watch movies because I want be entertained, not given half of a scenario and then told "Here, you finish this, we're too lazy." This little movie started strong, and I was full of anticipation of what the main character might do and th-.... It ended right in the middle of everything. Lameness personified.

• January 31, 2008 by Kathy

  I wouldn't do anything for fear of being hurt myself and my family would be left to deal with that but my husband-well I have to hold him back sometimes and remind him that he has a family to also take care of. He would approach the person and try to "make it right for the wrong that was done".

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  • February 20, 2008 by John L

    History can teach us some great lessons if we just look back once in a while... remember the 'Old West' where robbers would have to ride away on their horse as fast as possible when pulling a heist such as what this punk did? The fear of Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson being on this bus is exactly why this punk is nervous as he rambles thru the ladies purse (especially so in Texas).

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    • February 21, 2008 by Lisa Renee Ballard

      I am in total agreement with you on this one! If the good guy had approached the thief while "allowing" him to see he had a pistol in his pocket, the dynamics would have changed.

  • May 24, 2010 by Reason

    The "do nothing and don't resist" school of thought when it comes to crisis situations is wrong and thankfully is being abandoned. Numerous case histories can be cited where groups of people allowed themselves to be killed because no one resisted. The new methodology states that at arm's length, a firearm can be successfully countered by someone with even minimal to nonexistent training. A little courage and reaction can be your best odds in a dangerous situation.

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• February 1, 2008 by Geoff Blair

  It's easy to do the wrong thing. Regardless of what decision the man in the film made, it was deeply unsettling that someone would see something like that and not do something about it. The inherent question posed by the movie and by Liberty Mutual is; What is your responsibility? In this film, the writer insisted on making no moral judgment call at all, which I think is the worst moral failing of all.

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  • February 1, 2008 by The Responsibility Project

    We hear you, Geoff. But like we asked in our response to Brad's similar comment-- see above-- if you knew the thief had a gun, and wouldn't hesitate to use it, what is the greater moral failure, letting a total stranger down or letting your family down? Not saying one is more right than the other. But it's worth asking the question, we think.

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    • February 2, 2008 by Geoff Blair

      If the thief flashed a gun on the bus after robbing someone, the man watching would have been morally delinquent in not calling the police. At some point you have to realize that your actions (good or bad) will have an effect on others. At that point its a choice for evil or good, regardless of the outcome to others. If I call the police and the man shoots me, I may save peoples lives anyway because the man is caught and doesn't have time to hurt others. None of us can see the future.

  • February 1, 2008 by William

    Many philosophers have written we should always do the right thing (it's called the "moral imperative"). But, the reason this philosophy fails is that it's subjective... ask 5 people and get five different answers about the "right thing." I'm sure even Hitler thought he was right. THAT is why this short film is important-- it gets us thinking about our priorities and our decision-making processes. Each course of action has the potential for a different consequence for donut guy (and possibly others): Should donut guy have called 9-1-1? Maybe the police would not have responded in time. Or, maybe the robber would have heard him and attacked him. Does he have a greater duty to preserve himself for his family? Does he even have a family? Is the right thing to do different depending on whether or not donut guy has a family? Is it worth risking his life over property? Should he have politely asked the robber for the purse? Or, should he have angrily confronted the robber? Maybe the robber would have shot everyone on the bus. Was the donut guy wrong to hesitate while he thought about the "right" thing to do? Is someone more likely to make the "right" decision by thinking about it longer? When is an opportunity lost? Should we have invaded Iraq? Should we have thought about it longer? Would we have come to a different conclusion? Lots of questions... usually no super clear and easy answers. In fact, often decisions that seem obvious at the time turn out to be wrong when viewed with the benefit of hindsight. The initial reaction from most of us is that the donut guy should have done what he needed to in order to get the purse back, but maybe we watch too many movies. Most would agree that the confrontation was stupid if donut guy was killed over a purse with $70.00 and a phone. In the movies, the hero would have been able to get the purse back either through force or persuasion... but this little film is meant to portray the real struggle to know and do the right thing. It is not a "moral failing" that the writer did not make a judgment call. It's real life because to make a call is to oversimplify and romanticize and the important thing is that we think individually about our priorities. The scenario is just meant to highlight the fact that life has hard decisions and sometimes what constitutes the "right thing" is not instantaneously clear. At least Liberty Mutual is dedicating a site to just that conversation.

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• February 2, 2008 by Rich Groot

  Responsibility. Consequences. Bravery. Cowardice. Honor. The thief made a choice to prey on someone weaker than himself, to take something that wasn't his. The donut guy, when he hung up on 911, chose not to involve the police. He may also have chosen to not confront the thief, the video doesn't show that part of the story. The thief had a responsibility, as a member of society, to protect both the woman and her property. The donut guy had the same responsibility to the woman and so far as we could see failed in his responsibility to the her. Thieves (and other criminals) have always preyed on others, but at some times and places in our society people have recognized a responsibility to deal with criminals regardless of possible personal consequences. Indeed, how can one retain any sense of honor if one does not protect other members of society? For myself, I believe the donut guy had a moral responsibility to see to the capture of the thief, by one means or another, regardless of personal risk, or of risk to others on the bus.

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• February 4, 2008 by Pamela Williams

  The clip was great. In fact I had to watch it twice because I read some of the comments & wanted to make sure I did not miss anything. The clip had me asking myself "What would I do?" The message of the clip was clear because I don't think Liberty Mutual's job is to tell people how to think but we do want them to think. Keep up the good work.

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• February 8, 2008 by George

  I think the opportunity for "donut man" to do the right thing was lost as soon as he witnessed the crime and didn't do anything immediately. The best solution I can imagine would be to inform the bus driver that a thief just stole the purse and has jumped on the bus and then call 911. Hopefully the bus driver would also do the right thing and not provide the thief with an escape route by continuing to drive on - "it takes a community.” Direct confrontation over the contents of a purse would be foolhardy, as the thief has already proved by his very act that he's not a rational thinker. If, on the other hand, the thief were attacking the woman then the only proper response would be direct confrontation.

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• February 12, 2008 by Sean

  I love the idea of the pay it forward ads and what they represent from a corporate culture as well as from the personal soul. However, I have a problem with this movie. It sends a strong message in the way that it makes us question what the "responsible" thing is. It makes us question the cup cake man's motivation and what his future action should be. As a former law enforcement officer, it makes me very scared for him, as he approaches the theif. I am not sure why he would not call the police, call for help, or take some other action ~ possibly fear for safety for himself or familly. But the, after he chooses not to take any of those actions, somehow he has enough courage to walk up to and in some manner interact with the theif? For some reason he would not take any action but the one with the greatest probability to be injured? Perhaps we are used to the movies where the good guy wins, but in the real world when a stranger confronts a theif, for any reason, they will likely get hurt. Becuase of this, I find myself not focused on what the responsible choice is, but how the cupcake man chose no responsible action and then chose what in most likelyhood is the least responsible. I am not sure how I feel about that, but I am worried that while the pay it forward ads encourage a specific type of action this movie may do the same. I would not want people getting hurt after following the video's example of what someone chose to do. Just my thoughts.

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• February 20, 2008 by John L

  Todd Beamer and several other complete strangers banded together on United flight 93 just 7 short years ago and exemplified how powerful "We The People" really are when we work together to do the responsible and right thing... Yes, that was on a much larger scale but the principal remains the same - that all of us are created with the inherent desire to do the RIGHT thing in situations like this. Look around and you will find that you have a world full of Todd Beamer's sitting around you. Still not convinced? Just ask business travelers that fly often why they have no fear of flying and what would happen if four 'thugs' stood up in the middle of a flight today...

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• March 4, 2008 by Jackie Laney

  I was pleased that the main character in this film finally took a stand. It is difficult when your life might be in danger to step up. I myself would have called 911 or made enough rukus to get the bus drivers attention. We all need to step up when our fellow human beings can't.

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• March 24, 2008 by S. Wade

  I disagree with what some are saying here. The film is unrealistic. Let's start with the beginning: The thief jumped on the bus BEFORE "donut man" had even paid. The bus wasn't even moving yet. "Donut man" had an opportunity to make a scene long before the bus even started moving. Instead, "Donut man" idly watched as the the thief jump on the bus and began rifling thru the woman's purse. A split second decision would've prevented the thief from getting the woman's address, phone number and other personal information, but he chose to passively sit back and watch while that poor woman was victimized and most likely would be raped later by this thug. There were plenty of people on the bus to back him up and prevent this man from getting away. "Donut man" could've grabbed the thief by the jacket, but chose to do nothing. His behavior was just as reckless and dangerous as the thief and I don't believe this is normal behavior for someone watching a crime being committed. The author of this film didn't think this thru. The problem I have with this film is that there are people who would view the message being sent as it is better to not take action than to put yourself in harms way. People are impressionable and this film could be easily construed as just that. My opinion is that this is a perfect example of the media being responsible for the actions, or inaction in this case, of others.

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  • April 8, 2008 by Joyce B.

    I usually have a comeback about 5 minutes too late when someone harasses me or teases me about something. It's unrealistic to expect an untrained person to confront a thief; however, I would like to hear from more trained officers as to what a correct thing to do would be, since I'm sick & tired of creeps like that stealing from others. As a victim of theft myself, I would like to see these thieves doing some compensatory WORK instead of paying an itty-bitty fine or spending 1/2 day in jail doing nothing good for society!

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