Cirio on 19 October 2011
| SvennoJ said: This is an extreme case but similar levels of apathy exist everywhere in big urban areas. It reminds me a bit of the tv show "What would you do". For example they had tests with a (fake) crying baby left alone in a locked car on a sunny day. A little child lost on the street asking for help, A guy falling down and laying in the middle of the side walk. Most people walk by and ignore it. The most common excuse was "Someone else will help, I don't have time / want to get involved". "The mother is probably nearby". "It's probably just a drunk homeless guy." Actually the only person who stopped to help the guy on the sidewalk was a homeless person. The human brain is also quite good at blocking these things out, especially when you are on autopilot going somewhere. Living in busy cities has conditioned most people to walk through them while blocking most of it out. Even looking directly at something horrific does not guarantee that it will actually register directly. That comes 5-10 seconds later and not many people turn back at that point. Instead they generate excuses to keep going, someone else will surely help. |
Yeah but the examples you listed are minor compared to a DEAD or near-dead/bleeding person (especially a child) in the middle of the street. The human mind isn't good at "blocking" such an extreme case out. There's obviously something else going on (probably to do with the culture or laws).
