In this video by Pro Infirmis, a Swiss organization that helps people with disabilities, a man dressed in a cuddly bear costume walks around a street offering people hugs. But underneath that costume he’s hiding something.
Whatever you do, don’t let other people’s prejudices stop you from seeing all humans as equals. Everyone is deserving of our love and hugs, offered with respect for each person’s own wishes about closeness and touch.
The experiment was filmed on 5 March 2011 in Zurich’s Niederdorf, the old-town street district, by Pro Infirmis and the agency Jung von Matt/Limmat. The man inside the costume is a young man with a severe physical disability caused by a brain-stem injury; many passers-by spontaneously hugged the bear, and the film ends by asking “Do we have to dress up to get closer?” The campaign’s stated aim was to make the public more aware of the exclusion and discrimination that disabled people often face; a separate making-of film includes an interview with him.
Source: Jung von Matt Limmat / Pro Infirmis via True Activist
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The costume changes what strangers notice first
The reveal asks viewers to reconsider the ease of their initial response. Its message does not require the person featured to represent everyone with a disability. Equality also leaves room for different preferences about touch and personal space; an offer of a hug is meaningful only when it is welcome.
The costume changes what passers-by initially see, which is central to the campaign’s setup. The reveal then asks viewers to reconsider the difference between their response to an inviting character and their response to the person wearing it. That is a question about access and social distance, rather than an obligation to hug anyone.
A person can welcome conversation and decline physical contact, or enjoy a hug while disliking being filmed. Those choices deserve equal respect. The campaign’s broader invitation is to recognize the individual and make room for interaction, while asking rather than assuming what kind of contact is wanted.
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