Why does this always happen in these situations.

Page 1 of 2 [ 19 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Jamesy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,020
Location: Near London United Kingdom

18 Sep 2011, 11:36 am

How come if someone is getting hurt baldy (or beaten too death) by another perosn infront off a large crowd how come hundreds or thousands off people will just stand by and watch without helping at all? I am sure a large crowd off people could very easily overpower 1 or 2 people.

This is something about human behaviour which always baffled me but i need your opinions on this. A lot off people out there must be very VERY selfish.



izzeme
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Apr 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,665

18 Sep 2011, 12:25 pm

people are afraid to get hurt themselves.
most of them will help if asked to, but they wont be the first to initiate the helping, somewhere in the subconciousness is the reasoning of "better him alone then both of us".
i know from experience that when one person steps up, more will follow, especially if that one person shouts "hey you, help me help him", while pointing at a specific person.
at that moment, the bystander knows he wont be alone in the fight and take less risk by helping



Jamesy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,020
Location: Near London United Kingdom

18 Sep 2011, 12:49 pm

what about the group off people charging at the attacker?



hartzofspace
Supporting Member
Supporting Member

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2005
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,138
Location: On the Road Less Traveled

18 Sep 2011, 1:26 pm

I always wondered if people were treating the display of violence as some sort of entertainment, and if that was why they weren't trying to stop it.


_________________
Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.
-- Dr. Dale Turner


League_Girl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 27,205
Location: Pacific Northwest

18 Sep 2011, 1:39 pm

I am sure if someone witnessed something, they be pulling out their cellphones and calling 911. That is how they help. I'd be too afraid to step in and help because I don't want to be beaten myself or killed. It takes a whole village to do it. A bunch of people would have to get together and form a mob and go after the attacker.

Seeing any kind of violence, even if it's nasty arguments of screaming and fits, they frighten me. Same as if two people start cursing at each other. Even seeing meltdowns scare me so I can imagine I must be scary too when I have one. They don't know me so they don't know if I am insane or not or if I am going to hurt them or start attacking people. That's how I feel about others when I see it so I assume they must feel the same way about me. I do not see these as entertainment because they make me uncomfortable and tense inside because I get scared.



glasscasket
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jun 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 160
Location: In a sea of dreams and nightmares

18 Sep 2011, 1:45 pm

hartzofspace wrote:
I always wondered if people were treating the display of violence as some sort of entertainment, and if that was why they weren't trying to stop it.

I think that's the reason. They are probably encouraging the fight, and the person that's getting hurt badly, she/he probably started out fighting back but they are losing.



Jamesy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,020
Location: Near London United Kingdom

18 Sep 2011, 2:39 pm

i am guilty of finding fights entertaining as well. maybe its just human nature?



glasscasket
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 6 Jun 2011
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 160
Location: In a sea of dreams and nightmares

18 Sep 2011, 2:43 pm

I think it is human nature, and the survival of the fittest.



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 18 Jun 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,265

18 Sep 2011, 2:49 pm

Jamesy wrote:
How come if someone is getting hurt baldy (or beaten too death) by another perosn infront off a large crowd how come hundreds or thousands off people will just stand by and watch without helping at all? I am sure a large crowd off people could very easily overpower 1 or 2 people.

This is something about human behaviour which always baffled me but i need your opinions on this. A lot off people out there must be very VERY selfish.

It's the dark side of the species. You know, I saw a video of teenagers fighting on a platform or bus stop and the security guards just stood talking to each other and talking. Later, they said they were instructed by Supervisors not to get involved. It's like, what's the point in paying them? They aren't providing security. In fairness there was only two guards and several peopl in the brawl so they were outnumbered.

People probably worry they will get stabbed or shot so they don't want to get close to the action.



LittleBlackCat
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 10 Sep 2011
Age: 45
Gender: Female
Posts: 336
Location: England

18 Sep 2011, 2:52 pm

I read something once that said that if a crowd of people saw anything happen that required them to take action they would be less likely to act simply because there were other people present, everyone would be waiting for someone else to do something.



Maje
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Oct 2010
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,802

18 Sep 2011, 3:09 pm

Im always interfering everywhere I see unfairness... having to be rescued myself sometimes, putting my male friends in danger, etc. Even comments from people in the street to other people which I dont know, if its inacceptable I probably wont let it pass (if I see that they are not getting any other response).

Quote:
i am guilty of finding fights entertaining as well. maybe its just human nature?


One aspect of human nature then, because you can count me out, and Im no alien... I think, but thats another discussion.

A totally different thing is if I witness a fight between testosterone monkeys :roll: Then I let it pass.



Janissy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 May 2009
Age: 57
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,450
Location: x

18 Sep 2011, 3:51 pm

Two main reasons, both happen frequently:

1)The crowd see themselves as spectators. This happens most often when two people are in an intentional fight, such as fighting over a woman, rather than attacker versus victim.

The most famous of this type were the infamous "bum fight" youtube videos. Homeless men were paid or merely encouraged to fight each other and the fights were filmed and put on youtube.

2)The crowd see themselves as clueless bystanders, not knowing what they are supposed to do to stop this. This happens most often with attacker versus victim situations although it can also happen when the fight is intentional between two angry people but it gets out of hand and the crowd doesn't know how to handle the escalation. It is almost like being under a spell. The spell can be broken by any one person making a move and then other members of the crowd will follow that person's lead.



The most famous of this type was the hijacked 9/11 plane that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania rather than into the building it was headed for (presumably the WhiteHouse). The passengers knew the plane was hijacked but were frozen into immobility until one man famously said "Are you guys ready?Let's roll!! !" and rushed the hijackers and others rushed with him and they prevented the plane from reaching its' destination, although unfortunately not from crashing. This scenario was pieced together by people on the other end of the line when he made a cell phone call to report the hijacking in progress.

I have actually been the one being attacked in the second type of scenario. I was attacked in a crowded place and people literally froze and stared. They didn't look like they were enjoying the spectacle. They just looked panicked. Then one man broke free of the crowd and tried to pull the attacker off me. As soon as he did that, every man in the crowd joined him and succeeded in pulling the attacker off.



TPE2
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Oct 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,461

18 Sep 2011, 5:38 pm

An additional reason is that bystanders usually don't know the "backstory" of the fight - the fact that it is A that is being beaten by B does not mean that the reason is with A (B could be reacting from a story of previous provocations). The, why intervene when you don't know if side is the "good"?



DerStadtschutz
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Sep 2011
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,467

18 Sep 2011, 6:11 pm

TPE2 wrote:
An additional reason is that bystanders usually don't know the "backstory" of the fight - the fact that it is A that is being beaten by B does not mean that the reason is with A (B could be reacting from a story of previous provocations). The, why intervene when you don't know if side is the "good"?


While that makes enough sense to a logical mind, I know far too well that NTs don't think that far into things. They either just enjoy the fight, or they're too busy being a herd of sheep.



Who_Am_I
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Aug 2005
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,632
Location: Australia

18 Sep 2011, 8:06 pm

LittleBlackCat wrote:
I read something once that said that if a crowd of people saw anything happen that required them to take action they would be less likely to act simply because there were other people present, everyone would be waiting for someone else to do something.


I read something like that too.


_________________
Music Theory 101: Cadences.
Authentic cadence: V-I
Plagal cadence: IV-I
Deceptive cadence: V- ANYTHING BUT I ! !! !
Beethoven cadence: V-I-V-I-V-V-V-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I! I! I! I I I


aussiebloke
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 14 Oct 2009
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,407

19 Sep 2011, 9:21 pm

Because nobody cares about nobody that's a fact everybody is in it for themselves, recently I saw people casually walking past a severely injured and distressed pigeon * (and no their not pests their quite beautiful :D ) learn about your war history and you'd be thankful for their existence (Fritz) anyway I digress nobody did nothing because people simply don't care, I'm a little embarrassed to admit I killed it (put it out of it's misery with a rock to the head) instant death , I was unhinged at the time though next time I'll take it to the vet to be euthanized though if I was in the bush I'd have no qualms doing it again.

*I'd save a pigeon over a human any day.


_________________
Theirs a subset of America, adult males who are forgoing ambition ,sex , money ,love ,adventure to sit in a darkened rooms mastering video games - Suicide Bob