Social Responsibility: It's My Hobby (1974)

[Music] Sunday. How's it going? Can't complain. You hanging in. What's happening? Go play a little ball. You got room for another basketball. Sure. Come on. safe place right after one man turns into a frog and another guy into a fish and they, you know, go around save the world. I don't know about that. You don't watch cartoons on Sunday? Oh, no. What do you do? Sleep in or something? Here, bum. I got to get some out of the car. You put your books in the trunk. Hey man, what are you doing? Nothing. Hey man, I was just looking at your uh collection of pills. What are you doing with so many? It's my hobby. I collect pills. No, really. What are you doing with them? Nothing. I don't really feel like playing basketball. You want to come over? Yeah. Yeah, sure. You know, if I don't get that transmission fixed in another week, I think the thing's going to fall out. Why don't you fix it yourself? I don't know how. That's a good reason. Really, Scott? What's with the pills? Just making a little spending money, that's all. Are you dealing? I hate to use that word. I prefer to call it my hobby. You a buyer? Hey, I got some off the good reds. Oh, no, man. I'm not into pills. Teach his own. You know that stuff can really wipe you out. I don't touch this stuff myself. Yeah, but you're selling it. Look, man, I don't force people to buy from me. If they didn't buy from me, they'd buy from somebody else, right? So, there's no reason in the world why I shouldn't make the bread, is there? Who do you sell to? I don't know. Anybody. You'd be surprised how many pill heads there are in school. In our class? Yeah. And a lot younger, too. You sell to them, too. I sell to anybody who's got the money. That's really heavy. Scott, forget about it, man. It doesn't concern you. It does now. Why? Cuz I know about it. Well, forget about it, will you? Okay, sure. Hey. Hey. How's it going? Not bad. What you up to? Oh, not too much. How'd you do on that test? Oh, she asked about 10 questions or what in the book? Oh, she always does that. You going to get something to eat? Yeah, sure. Come on. You mean if I knew some guy was stealing, would I turn him in? Yeah. No, I don't think so. Why should I? He's not doing anything to me. And anyway, I don't want to get anyone in trouble, man. And that's real trouble. Well, yeah, but he's screwing up a lot of people. Yeah, but it's not my responsibility. It isn't. No, I've got enough to worry about just taking care of me. Well, suppose you saw a strange guy, you know, hanging around a playground. Huh? Would you report him? Or wouldn't that be your responsibility either? Oh, no. That's different. Why? Cuz that guy's forcing his trip on other people. I mean, dig. A dealer only sells to people who want to buy. Why are you so hung up into this anyway? What you going to do? I don't know. I don't know what to do. Why? Because you can't. He's your friend. Man, I know. But is it as simple as that? I think you should just forget it. Oh, great. Then I think of all those stupid kids in junior high downing those pills. Man, it really screws me up. Well, then bust him. But don't expect people to like you for it. What do you mean? Well, people don't like a guy who would bust a friend. Oh, this is different. Oh, is it? But he's dealing the kids and you're busting a friend. Well, if I don't do anything and just let him deal. Oh, hell. I don't know. Hey, what's happening? You got a minute? Sure. Why so serious? No, it's about that stuff I saw in the back of your car. Oh, Ed, I told you to forget about that. It's just that I feel you. You shouldn't be doing it, man. It's wrong. I know. You sound just like my mother. Hey, I'm not fooling around, Scott. I'm asking you to quit dealing. Well, you are. And if I don't, what are you going to do about it? You going to bust me? That would be just great. I get kicked out of school, maybe even thrown in jail. What are you, some kind of boy scout? A Scott? Hell, what you're doing is wrong, man. It's really wrong. Listen to you. You're unbelievable. Just stay out of what doesn't concern you. You know what I mean? You're really something. You're going to quit dealing? Sure. As soon as I sell what I have in the car. No, I mean now. No, man. I'm not. What are you going to do about it? Huh? You going to bust me? [Music] There are a number of ways that you could look at this film. Before you talk about them though, we'd like for you to know something about the film. A film about social responsibility. It's not a term people use very often in everyday conversation. As we see it, Ed is caught in a dilemma. Social responsibility, or what he owes to the society he lives in, demands that Ed somehow stop Scott from dealing to kids. But personal loyalty, what he owes to a friend, demands that he do nothing. If Ed turns in Scott, he loses a friend. Maybe he loses other friends, too. When Barbara says people don't like a guy who would bust a friend, you get the feeling she might not like such a guy. But if Ed follows Scott's advice and simply forgets what he has seen, well, suppose later Ed learns that some kid Scott has sold pills to is Oded, he gets a lot of pressure from his friends. Scott lays it on hard and heavy. Bobby and then Barbara seem to have no trouble deciding where Ed's responsibility lies. And the kind of pressure they put on him is very hard to resist. But put yourself in Ed's place. What would you do? Suppose you found out that Scott was selling pills to your 12year-old brother. What would you do then? Would that change your responsibility? One evening a few years ago, a young woman was assaulted and pursued down a New York street, repeatedly stabbed and finally killed. Throughout her ordeal, which lasted nearly an hour, she repeatedly called for help. More than a dozen nearby residents heard her cries, but nobody even summoned the police until it was too late. Now, what reasons might people have in a situation like that for not trying to help? Have you ever witnessed something involving strangers and thought maybe you should get involved? Did you get into it? What made you decide one way or the other? Now, some argue that only a very few of us recognize an obligation to people beyond our immediate circle of family, friends, and associates. In other words, that very few of us have a strong sense of social responsibility. Do you agree?