More Cowards and Scum.

[Plaidman]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_dying_and_ignored

So yay. In New York some man tried to help a girl from being stabbed. He in turned got stab. Left bleeding on the ground. Several people walked by. Several stopped to stare. Some took pictures. One tried to move him, saw even more blood and left.


Only hours later did someone call cops with correct address. By then it was too late. The man was dead.

[telecom_goddess]

wow....that's pretty sad. It's all part of the "I don't want to get involved" syndrome.

[the_std]

My uncle was on the radio this morning talking about this specific incident. I don't know the specifics, but eighteen years ago he and two friends were on the subway in Toronto and they came across someone being mugged. They went to help and one of his friends ended up dead because he was attacked.

Humanity as a whole can be a sad, sad thing.

[draggar]

I don't know which is worse, the fact that this happened or the fact that it's not the first time it's happened.

[the_std]

This link will probably only work today, but this is the website where my uncle's interview is. Click on the link under "Daily Audio Features" that says "Good Samaritan - Matt Galloway spoke with Kevin Cazabon, but first we heard from you via the VoxBox."

It's an interesting and painful interview to hear. It makes me cry to hear my uncle, who is a very upright and outstanding person, talk about something that left his best friend dead.

[RavenStarr]

wow....that's pretty sad. It's all part of the "I don't want to get involved" syndrome.

It's also been called the *Genovese Syndrome*.

[Rebel]

I'm pretty sure someone did an experiment like this about 10 years ago or so (I want to say Michael Moore, but I can't be certain).
He had 2 actors, 1 in an American city and 1 in a Canadian city. The actors would pretend to have a massive heart attack and 'die' on a busy sidewalk. It would then be timed as to how long it would take until someone stopped too help them. I know Canada won, but even then it took nearly half an hour. The American one took about 45 minutes.

It seems to be happening everywhere. I remember back home in Western Australia, there was an incident a while ago where a mentally disabled man was attacked on a train by a group of thugs. No-one on the train went in to help, or even alerted the train driver to what was happening. You could even see one man walk to the other side of the carriage to avoid it.
They ended up changing the laws to say that you couldn't be prosecuted if you intervened on an incident like that, just to encourage people to help. Don't know how well that went.

[Boozy]

The actors would pretend to have a massive heart attack and 'die' on a busy sidewalk. It would then be timed as to how long it would take until someone stopped too help them. I know Canada won, but even then it took nearly half an hour. The American one took about 45 minutes.

And how many times did they have to try it before it took that long?

I ask because I've seen someone have an actual major heart attack and collapse in public, and he had strangers by his side within seconds.

Just a few months ago, I saw a lady slip on some ice, and myself and two neighbours rushed out of our homes to provide assistance.

Sometimes I think people want to think that everyone's a scumbag, and they go looking for stories that prove it. Personally, I don't see it. I see caring people everywhere I go.

[Plaidman]

And how many times did they have to try it before it took that long?

I ask because I've seen someone have an actual major heart attack and collapse in public, and he had strangers by his side within seconds.

Just a few months ago, I saw a lady slip on some ice, and myself and two neighbours rushed out of our homes to provide assistance.

Sometimes I think people want to think that everyone's a scumbag, and they go looking for stories that prove it. Personally, I don't see it. I see caring people everywhere I go.

Agreed. I generally belive the worst in people, but I'm problems beliving that. Maybe 45 minutes was the LONGEST it took, and not the shortest. Don't get me wrong. I've seen plenty of people in trouble needing help and people ignoring it. I've step in a few times to save people lives despite whatever injury I may get. Stupid hero complex.

[Rebel]

It kinda goes without saying with Michael Moore that he showed the worst reaction time possible.
It's more just the fact that even in just one case it took that long.

With a lot of people, myself included, they can become suspicious of a person lying on the ground in a public place. Are they drunk? Are they pinging? Is it someone trying to fake an injury for money? Are they waiting to rob a good samaritan? Is it a life art piece?
It doesn't always occur to people that it might be serious. Not saying it's an excuse for what happened in the OP case, but people these days can be very suspicious of other people around them. It sucks.

[AdminAssistant]

Most New Yorkers develop what's called 'city vision,' basically, they focus on where they're going, what they're doing, and ignore everyone and everything else. I got a bit of this living in KC...walking quickly while looking straight ahead was the only way to make sure the bums didn't hassle you.

[bhskittykatt]

Most New Yorkers develop what's called 'city vision,' basically, they focus on where they're going, what they're doing, and ignore everyone and everything else. I got a bit of this living in KC...walking quickly while looking straight ahead was the only way to make sure the bums didn't hassle you.

Personally, I've noticed that city dwellers tend to be more desensitized than people who live in rural areas.

Case example 1: Get into a wreck downtown. People honk (as if that's going to move the cars out of the way) and drive around, no one stops to see if anyone is hurt and needs help.

Case example 2: Guy in the middle of nowhere careens off the highway during a blizzard. Literally EVERY car that drove by stopped and asked what they could do to help. We had to keep sending people away because TOO many people stopped, and we needed to make sure EMS had room to pull up when they arrived.

I dunno, but that's generally been my experience. I always try to stop and help, because I figure if it was me, I'd appreciate a Good Samaritan coming to my aid.

[AdminAssistant]

Personally, I've noticed that city dwellers tend to be more desensitized than people who live in rural areas.

I remember my Philosophy professor talking about this ages ago. According to him, it's because a city dweller assumes that someone else will take care of it. The country dweller knows that there aren't many other people around. I grew up in a very rural area and have seen both sides of this. Dad was a volunteer fireman/first responder, and he frequently had the "too many people stopping to help" problem. Thing is, they weren't stopping to help, they were being nosy and wanted to be the first ones to tell their neighbors what the latest news was. Once the authorities are there, everyone else should scatter.

Personally, I might call 911 from my car but that's it. I'm a single female and I just don't trust people, even at home.

[Anthony K. S.]

I'm inclined to think that this is a case of the old journalist's adage, "If a dog bites a man, that's not news. But if a man bites a dog, that is."

If a person is seriously sick or injured and people rush to help him/her, that's not news. People are expected to do that.

In the case of Kitty Genovese, in the case of Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, in the case of the actors in Michael Moore's experiment . . . These events are newsworthy not only because they were so tragic, but also because they were so unusual. People generally don't act like that.

The problem is that because the media focuses on the few stories like these (because they are newsworthy) and never mentions the many, many more times that people actually do help those in need (because those stories aren't newsworthy) . . . All too often, people start to get the cynical impression that this kind of callousness is the norm, rather than the exception. They forget that if it really was the norm, then it wouldn't be news anymore.

However, as Rebel pointed out, just the fact that it even happened once is what really gets to you . . .

[jackfaire]

I drove by a minor accident that happened in front of me once because three other cars stopped and people climbed out to go help. I was late for an appointment and one more person rubbernecking wasn't going to help.