lj idol 4 : topic 29o : current events
A man is struck by a car, left for dead on the sidewalk, and many people do nothing. The police show up and he is taken to a hospital in a reasonable amount of time. But the problem is that no one on the scene actually stopped to help him in any way. Four people called 911 but no one stopped to help. And everyone keeps wondering how could that happen?
My father was in a 3 car accident last year. He was severely injured and rushed to the hospital. When he was out of surgery he remained unconscious for several weeks. Besides the scribbled words on the police report we had no idea what had actually happened. I did the only thing I could think of, I called the witnesses listed on the report. The first told me he called the police but that he didn't get out of his own car to check on my dad because he didn't want to get involved. He said it in such a way as if to imply that I would understand. That I would think that was normal, acceptable. The second guy I called told me he jumped out of his car, went to my dad's side, and turned off my dad's car. He waited there with my dad, reassuring him that the paramedics were on their way. He explained that everyone he tells this story to has said to him "Why did you get involved?" And his answer was "I don't know, I wasn't thinking, I couldn't just leave him there, I had to go help him."
There are different kinds of people in this world. There are people who react, people who help, without thinking about it. And there are other people. People who wonder what they should do, wonder if they should get involved. People who figure someone else will take care of it, people who think "it is not my responsibility."
Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in New York City in 1964. Her screams were heard or witnessed by at least 29 people. One man yelled out his window, but no one called the police, no one went to check on her. Because of this incident psychologists started studying why some people help and why some people do nothing. What they found is that a bystander is less likely to help if there are other bystanders present (or if they think there are other bystanders present). But if you believe you are the only one able to help, the only one present, you are more likely to do something. They called it "diffusion of responsibility."
There are times when I am quick to react. I saw an elderly woman fall and I saw the blood spurting out of the head. Even though there were other people there, I didn't hesitate, I just ran to her. I helped as best I could and called an ambulance. Then I waited with her until it came.
There are other times when I am not as quick to act but I try to remember that bystander intervention study and try to remember Kitty Genevieve. I try to remember that there might not be anyone else, that I might be the only one who does something. And I try to act even if part of me thinks someone else has probably taken care of it.
Once I smelled smoke at my job. My co-worker said "it's probably just burned toast in the kitchen." We sat there for a moment and then I said "I'm going to check just to make sure." And I'm glad I did, because a candle had lit a table cloth on fire and there was still time to put it out with the fire extinguisher.
The point is that we have to remember that one person really can make a difference. That even if we are afraid to get involved, we should get involved. Even if we think someone else has called the 911, we should call anyway. We should be a society where people are helped when they really need it. We should be a society where everyone stops their cars to check on someone laying in the middle of the road.
My father was in a 3 car accident last year. He was severely injured and rushed to the hospital. When he was out of surgery he remained unconscious for several weeks. Besides the scribbled words on the police report we had no idea what had actually happened. I did the only thing I could think of, I called the witnesses listed on the report. The first told me he called the police but that he didn't get out of his own car to check on my dad because he didn't want to get involved. He said it in such a way as if to imply that I would understand. That I would think that was normal, acceptable. The second guy I called told me he jumped out of his car, went to my dad's side, and turned off my dad's car. He waited there with my dad, reassuring him that the paramedics were on their way. He explained that everyone he tells this story to has said to him "Why did you get involved?" And his answer was "I don't know, I wasn't thinking, I couldn't just leave him there, I had to go help him."
There are different kinds of people in this world. There are people who react, people who help, without thinking about it. And there are other people. People who wonder what they should do, wonder if they should get involved. People who figure someone else will take care of it, people who think "it is not my responsibility."
Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in New York City in 1964. Her screams were heard or witnessed by at least 29 people. One man yelled out his window, but no one called the police, no one went to check on her. Because of this incident psychologists started studying why some people help and why some people do nothing. What they found is that a bystander is less likely to help if there are other bystanders present (or if they think there are other bystanders present). But if you believe you are the only one able to help, the only one present, you are more likely to do something. They called it "diffusion of responsibility."
There are times when I am quick to react. I saw an elderly woman fall and I saw the blood spurting out of the head. Even though there were other people there, I didn't hesitate, I just ran to her. I helped as best I could and called an ambulance. Then I waited with her until it came.
There are other times when I am not as quick to act but I try to remember that bystander intervention study and try to remember Kitty Genevieve. I try to remember that there might not be anyone else, that I might be the only one who does something. And I try to act even if part of me thinks someone else has probably taken care of it.
Once I smelled smoke at my job. My co-worker said "it's probably just burned toast in the kitchen." We sat there for a moment and then I said "I'm going to check just to make sure." And I'm glad I did, because a candle had lit a table cloth on fire and there was still time to put it out with the fire extinguisher.
The point is that we have to remember that one person really can make a difference. That even if we are afraid to get involved, we should get involved. Even if we think someone else has called the 911, we should call anyway. We should be a society where people are helped when they really need it. We should be a society where everyone stops their cars to check on someone laying in the middle of the road.