Why are people genrally nicer to you if they think you are mentally handicap?

Long story short. I'm going to be playing a mentally handicap person in a church play this summer and I have studied some method acting techniques of the likes of Bob Denioro...Daniel D. Lewis and Meryl streep. They like to live out there character in the real world for weeks or months before a movie or play to actually "become" that character. I also believe Joseph G levett uses this method.

So today I gave it a whirl and visited several stores in my area "in character".

I can't tell you how helpful everyone was to me going out of there way to take care of anything I needed. Walking me to the car...asking about family...etc....


Here is the rub...the play is really about how we shouldn't treat people differently because they are handicap and my character gets taken advantage of and bullied throughout the play and eventually commits suicide.

I'm now wondering if I should be a part of this now.that I've seen that the real world is actually quite nice to mentally handicap people.