Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Is it human instinct to do nothing?

I just ran across this article. From the article, a description of a video:
[A 78-year old man] steps off the curb just as two cars that appear to be racing swerve on the wrong side of the street. The first car swerves around the man. The second car hits him and throws him into the air like a doll, then speeds away. What follows is even more chilling: People walk by. Nine vehicles pass him lying in the street. Some drivers slow down to look but drive away.

The article further states:
If no one else is moving, individuals have a tendency to mimic the unmoving crowd. Although we might think otherwise, most of us would not have behaved much differently from the people we see in these recent videos, experts say. Deep inside, we are herd animals, conformists. We care deeply what other people are doing and what they think of us.

It states finally:
But it's different when the bystander is a solitary witness: "They are more likely to come to another person's aid than if there are other people around and nobody is doing anything."

So what do you think you would do? Can you work against the crowd? Would you ask the questions / do what needed to be done? Think about it next time something happens. Jump in and help. Go against the herd mentality. Stand out.

But, if your moral compass will stay awry, then perhaps you can go into management:

7 comments:

Churlita said...

I would always help. if nothing else,how much does it take to call 911? But I've always been weird, so going against the crowd doesn't bother me.

laura b. said...

I have, fortunately perhaps, never been tested in quite that way. I really do want to believe that I would help though. I actually can't imagine that I wouldn't, no matter what everyone else was doing.

Anonymous said...

me and "the crowd" don't get along

I would probably try to help this guy, even it was something small like using my phone to call someone and then hang out with him until someone arrived.

NoRegrets said...

Churlita, like you I tend to stand out in a crowd, so I hope I would do the same. Actually, the other day a woman fell off the sidewalk. People stopped to help and she kept brushing them off so they walked away. I stood there and looked at her wincing in pain, and told her, come on, let me help you up. it's really not a big deal. So she did.
Laura, I know... I hope the article makes people think twice in the future!
Evile-that would have been enough, for sure.

Susan said...

We all know I'm not a go with the crowd sort of girl...


...and there's always time for bidding war.

heather said...

can and have. when working at cedar point years ago a guy went into a grand mal seizure. ~huge~ crowd, most people just walked around him. needless to say my bosses weren't too thrilled with me chewing everyone out for just walking by or even worse, standing there staring at him while i was in uniform but fuckem. (i went into rant mode pretty quick once some dickwad in khakis and a polo with the fucking collar up said 'took you long enough to get here' but when i asked him who he told and where were they he said, i didn't tell anyone, it's not my responsibility to ensure the safety of your customers. all of this with his kids with him! seriously, what a fucking dickwad!)

NoRegrets said...

Susan-what does the bid start at?
Heather - wow. Amazing. I hope he gets the same courtesy when he's lying in the ground (or is it laying? ) with a heart attack.