Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Novacat Jun 16, 2010 15:52:28	So yesterday, on my way home from work, I crashed by bike and injured my leg. Traffic was coming, so I quickly got up, and limped to the sidewalk, then sat down on the grass clutching my knee. I was there for maybe 5 minutes, in obvious pain, and slowly feeling for fractures. Finding none, I slowly stood up and managed to make my way home with only one usable leg, the injured leg being too painful to use. I also contemplated how none of the drivers who saw my crash bothered to see if I was alright, and none of the countless subsequent drivers who saw me on the side of the road bothered to offer aid. I wonder, if I had been seriously injured, such that I could not walk, would I have had to wait until a pedestrian passed by to ask them to call for help? Not really a deep conversational topic, but just something I felt like sharing. Any similar stories from you folks?
#2 EscherEnigma Jun 16, 2010 17:14:54	I also contemplated how none of the drivers who saw my crash bothered to see if I was alright, and none of the countless subsequent drivers who saw me on the side of the road bothered to offer aid. I think it's called the "Bystander Effect", though I might have the name wrong.  To make a long story short, if there's a lot of bystanders (in this case, drivers who saw your crash, other drivers who later drove past and observed you limping) each individual bystander is much more likely to think that surely someone else will stop and help, and as such they don't need to do anything.  The end result being what you experienced, where someone in obvious need doesn't get it even though there's plenty of people capable of rendering aid.
#3 death_isthe_begining Jun 16, 2010 18:07:21	I once had the same sort of thing happen to me (the damned pedal broke off while I was crossing a busy intersection) and while most ingored me a few laughed or yelled at me to go home. I don't think it's a bystander effect, I think it's simply that people think of their own problems first and you were a distraction (whether or not thats a good thing is another matter entirely).
#4 toastedamphibian Jun 16, 2010 23:20:06	"Total Strangers: they don't care about you."
#5 pigknight Jun 17, 2010 0:43:41	They don't give a damn. They'll never see you again. ...wow I'm becoming negative nancy...
#6 Mechalibur Jun 17, 2010 0:53:41	I believe this would be sympathy rather than empathy. The latter implies the feeling is mutual (i.e. you were both injured.) Semantics aside, this is indeed a problem. I remember hearing a story about a man who was mugged and shot, limped in a crowd and collapsed. Security cameras caught that it was 45 mintues until anyone did anything. One person even took a picture of him with their phone. (The man died) I think the reasoning for why this happens is that people either assume you don't need help, or that someone else will do it, or already had offered by then.
#7 pluisjen Jun 17, 2010 1:32:07	Have you ever stopped when you see someone sitting next to the road? Most people ask why people don't stop for them, but if they see someone, they wouldn't stop either.
#8 death_isthe_begining Jun 17, 2010 2:27:39	Hypocrites are not uncommon. Heck in this I am one, I actually prefer the way it turned out. When it come to large groups of people I prefer to remain anonymous, but if I saw someone wipeout like I did I would have come over to see if they are ok (rarely is it bad to build a good reputation).
#9 evilvegan Jun 17, 2010 3:52:52	Not really a deep conversational topic, but just something I felt like sharing. Any similar stories from you folks?  Well, one time I saw a man riding a bike (on a sidewalk downhill) and a car pulled out in front of him and stopped. He smashed into their windshield (breaking it), flipped over it, and skidded across the sidewalk a bit.  His bike and the car were pretty banged up, but he got up and walked it off. I was too far away to get to him and help, but plenty of people stopped to make sure he was ok.  Especially the girl that was driving the car, even though her car was toast. This was on a university campus, so maybe there were just more pedestrians around who couldn't just drive on.  ----------- When I was 8 I was chasing my brother on a bike.  He was 12 and also on a bike.  We were on the side walk and he hit the handicap ramp at full speed, but there was a bit of a pothole there and his front tire came off.  His front wheel bounced across the 4 lane street we were driving next to.  It managed to get all the way across without anyone hitting it.  I don't remember anyone stopping to see if he was alright with blood literally pouring out of his face, but luckily he crashed in front of our pediatricians house...  I'm not sure if this was in Salisbury or Charlotte NC.  Though, to be honest I barely have memory of the event.  I remember the tire bouncing across the highway and the blood, but thats about it.
#10 scypio Jun 17, 2010 7:57:51	For what its worth, someone would have most likely stopped and "helped" if you were an attractive female. A male coworker told me that once. It was later confirmed when I skidded in snow and was stuck on the side of an off ramp. Plenty of people drove by. A few slowed down (probably to see if I were a hot female), but continued on. In all honestly, I don't think something like that is so bad. I didn't want some random person to stop and in all honestly, not be able to do much. And on the flip side, I don't stop when I see such events. But the story which Mechalibur stated I think is much worse. The man was clearly injured and required help. I think that's pretty awful. It reminds me of Rorschach story from Watchmen. But that's just how crappy our society has become.
#11 zombie_babies Jun 17, 2010 8:48:32	That story actually happened recently.  IIRC, it was a homeless man that intervened in a fight and was stabbed for his trouble.  He was alive for some time after the attack and his death could have easily been avoided, but since nobody stopped, he bled out.  You hear about this stuff all the time - from beatings to rapes to murders.  It's just how our world typicallly works.  The man in the example broke the trend and helped a stranger.  And he died for it as a result of the trend.  Sad. In some cases, the potential aid givers are quite honestly afraid to help.  How many stories have you heard of someone being sued after they saved someone's life because something else happened in the process (like a broken rib from the Heimlich)?  Some people also get aggressive and don't want help.  In short, a lot of people see it as potentially more trouble than its worth - and they think that surely someone else will help.  I wonder if it's in any way instinctive.  I mean, when you're cave man ass is being chased by a megabear and your buddy is the one that gets knocked down, if you stop to help, you're likely dead, too.  Like our aversion to people we know are sick - so as to avoid catching it.  So, survival instinct gone wrong in light of modern developments?  I dunno, but maybe.
#12 evilvegan Jun 17, 2010 11:07:35	"They" could be faking it to serial kill nice people, who knows?! TRUST NOBODY! OMG RUN!
#13 pigknight Jun 17, 2010 11:10:23	From now on I'll dress as an attractive female so people will help me.
#14 evilvegan Jun 17, 2010 11:14:12	From now on I'll dress as an attractive female so people will help me. Consequently, I was playing a mon cal tech specialist in starwars. The DM gave me a bonus on detecting traps.  I always begged him to include a transvestite so I could bust out the battlecry...
#15 zombie_babies Jun 17, 2010 12:14:33	"They" could be faking it to serial kill nice people, who knows?! TRUST NOBODY! OMG RUN! Yar, it worked for Ted Bundy and Buffalo Bill.  Why not everyone else? Would ya?
#16 Cpt_Micha Jun 17, 2010 13:41:34	if it's any consolation, people tend to help out strangers around where I live. Then again almost no one in this county is really a -total- stranger. We've all seen each other around.
#17 EscherEnigma Jun 17, 2010 14:27:20	On a vaguely related note, I think that in Greenland it's actually a law that you have to pick up hitch-hikers.  Why?  Because it gets so cold and safe places to rest are so far inbetween that if you don't pick them up, you probably just killed them. Note: I have no reference or citation to back this up, just something I heard once.  Could be complete urban legend.
#18 scypio Jun 17, 2010 14:31:40	I almost picked up a hitchhiker once, but my friend started yelling at me when I was slowing down so I thought better of it. Eh, I assume I would have lived.
#19 zombie_babies Jun 18, 2010 9:02:57	Well, that's likely because of how they look when you let them out.  You know, dead.
#20 evilvegan Jun 19, 2010 9:07:22	Well, that's likely because of how they look when you let them out.  You know, dead. I like to call them "forever beautiful".  Then I remember decay...
#21 Klirshon Jun 19, 2010 9:37:28	You should have had them frozen. Of course you could have consulted a sordid taxidermist too.
#22 zombie_babies Jun 21, 2010 10:04:50	I like to call them "forever beautiful".  Then I remember decay... Yeah, that can get problematic.  That's why you always, always have to eat a li'l bit o' 'em.  Then they're with you forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ev