Would you have done something?
 

If you were out shopping or perhaps on your way to work and saw this happening on the street, what would be your first reaction (if anything)? Would you have stopped to assist?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/default.cdn...splaymode/1157


Interesting(and scary) at how many people didn't blink an eye. :(

Re: Would you have done something?
 

We learned about this in psychology back in undergrad. A woman in NYC was killed while a bunch of her neighbors watched. This is very common. :(

As a woman I might not have approached the man, but I would have called the police and followed at a distance to keep them alerted to the location of the child and the kidnapper.

The girl was clearly saying that the guy wasnt her father. So that alone should have given reason for pause.

Do kids fight like that when they are in real danger? To me the girl didnt seem panicked. She just looked like she was throwing a tantrum.

I do think if I had just saw her acting up, I would have noticed her and thought "she need a whipping" but the minute I would have heard "I don't know you - you're not my daddy" I would defintely be watching them as I dialed 911.

What I couldn't understand was how someone people just walked right by not even phased.

I have a young daughter and this is scary to me. I think that my biggest fear as a mother is that someone would kidnap my child. Watching this video makes me wonder what I should tell her to say. It seems like although the girl was saying "you're not my dad. I don't know you" people were still thinking that she was just throwing a tantrum. It is really scary...

Not to make light of this, but it reminds me of some comedian. He was like "you should teach your kids to curse out anyone who is trying to abduct them. Tell them to say 'I don't know this MUTHAF*CKA!!' then people would look." I know if I heard a kid cursing like that I'd look. Then again, all those people in the video looked, but didn't act.


Whomever said it, I remember this from sociology in undergrad as well. When people are in groups watching a crime take place it takes that one person to stand up and make a move then everyone will join in to help. But if nobody takes that first initiative the other people will just stand by and look.

Interesting. At first you think "parent-child" situation and the kid is being disciplined, but hearing her say "you're not my dad," would have made me stop and observe a minute, at least ask a question about what was going on.

That's it.

I forget the name of the woman that was murdered while a significant # of her apartment neighbors watched. This was back in the 70s or 80s.

I think if she had yelled and screamed more in angst and used different words each time she yelled out, maybe that would have had more people react sooner.

I thought the same thing.

Why did I cry when the two brothers came over to the father? *embarrassed*

I had to laugh when dude was whoa TV! TV! TV! He saw his ass whupping flash in front of his eyes.

Skee,

If possible, tell your daughter to ask someone specific for help. Let me try to clarify. The case that everyone is referencing showed that in a group, if no one is directly addressed, then they'll assume that someone else will act and do nothing. However, if you look someone in the eye and then request help, then they may feel more inclined to act. Now I don't know exactly how you explain this to a little person, but that's the best advice that I can give.

As for what I would have done, I honestly can't say. I may have thought that the child was throwing a tantrum, even though she said that this wasn't her parent. I don't know why, but I've just seen some kids really act up in public before. I hope that I would have at least called the police though (or flagged down a cop) and alterted them to the situation.

My memory serves me correctly
 

I remember that joke too. The comedienne who made the joke was either Miss Laura or Thea Vidal.


The psychological/social term is referred to as "Diffusion of Responsibility, which is a part of a bigger phenomenon known as Bystander Apathy.

Read more about it here:

http://teenadvice.about.com/library/.../aa121302a.htm

This is very sad but ture. I've walked by a situation where latter I thought to myself, I should have said or done something. But I think it is hard to know when to get involved. But this video, with the little girl saying "your are not my daddy, I don't know you," I would have stopped, pulled out my phone, called the cops and so on.

CT4, I think that you are referring to Kitty Genovese who was murdered in 1964 in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY. Here is a link to what they are calling Bystander Syndrome or "Kitty Genovese Syndrome." Also, no one actually watched her attack because she was behind the building, but several heard her.

A few years ago I saw a news report during which people who lived in her building and the area were interviewed and claimed that they called the local police station when they heard her scream, but no one was sent to help until she was found lying in the hallway. This was prior to the 911 system that we now have. Here is a link. It seems the myth has become the story that people remember.


For some reason I cannot see the link to the original story that Honeykiss posted so I cannot comment on it.

I want to say that the woman's name was Kitty Genovase (sp?).

The minute a child says, "You're not my dad!", yes, I would like to think I would have responded - even if it was getting a license plate and calling 911. I'm at work and couldn't watch the entire video, so I can't comment on that - but I have stopped a mother from abusing her child in a store.

Was this staged, or is the child okay?

This was stage. The "abductor" was actually a security specialist and the child participated with her mom's permission. He was testing to see if people would stop and help or do something.