Hello PR Methods Students!
This is our last and final blog for the 2008 Summer A Term. I have certainly enjoyed spending the last six weeks with you all and I sincerely hope that each of you now has a better sense of how to write and prepare the most important tools of our trade.
You will have until Sunday, June 22, 2008, at 5:00 p.m to complete this last and final blog. I must submit my grades by Noon on Monday (June 23) so don't delay.
A few weeks ago there was a story on the evening news about an elderly man who was attempting to cross the street and was hit by a car. The man fell to the pavement and the driver of the car that hit him kept going. As if that weren't bad enough, an oncoming car ran over him again and kept going.
The most peculiar element of this story is that there were literally dozens of bystanders who witnessed the entire incident and did nothing. It was astonishing to see people gathered on the sidewalk, staring at the man, and doing nothing. No one attempted to make a cell phone call for help. No one went out into the street to try to help him. Not only that, but cars continued to drive around him as he lay there motionless in the street.
A video camera on a nearby traffic light caught the whole thing on tape. If I had not seen it on tape I would not have believed it.
My questions to you are as follows:
1. In your opinion, why would someone NOT help someone who had been in an accident? Peer pressure? Afraid of risk? Afriad of being sued?
2. What would you do if you were in a similar situation?
3. What kind of current trend does this suggest in terms of our ability to be humanitarians? What is our world coming to? Are we really too busy to stop and help people?
Professor Kinchlow
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8 comments:
Personally, I think that most people have become so desensatized that frankly they don't care and the sight of an elderly man being hit two cars did nothing to them.
The mere sight of seeing someone hit by a car brings me to tears, being that I too have been a victim of a hit and run where the driver didn't even turn back at a very young age. How could anyone watch another human being suffer motionless. I know that there is a such thing as shock but and that might have hindered someone from calling the police but I would have to think of it this way. If that had been my grandfather or father (he's very old) I would call the police and my next action would be to check on the man in the street.
If any of those bystanders couldn't help an elderly man that they just watched get hit by a car what will happen next? You just have to wonder what has happened in the world there used to be a time when people took care of one another and no one worried. I can remember how care-free people were when I was younger, people trusted one another.
Honestly I don't know where the world is going and what will happen in the future but I do wonder about the world that we all will someday bring our children up in.
I’m so happy you chose this topic. My mother and I were just watching this video on CNN. I thought the whole incident was horrible but I can’t say that I’m shocked by it. This is the kind of world that we are living in today.
I don’t think the bystanders were concerned with peer pressure or of being sued. I think that scenario is more applicable to the people who ran the man over. I personally can’t understand why the initial people that saw it would not call the police or help the man out in anyway. I’m racking my brain but there is no logical explanation. If I would have seen the man lying motionless and a bunch of bystanders surrounding him, I honestly wouldn’t have called the police either because I would have thought that one of them would have already done it. If I saw him lying out on the street without bystanders, I would have called the police thinking maybe he was down because he was dehydrated or something.
I think this tape shows how many Americans really are when they think the world is not watching. There are so many horrible things going on in the world today and we are constantly asked to donate to charity, or to help out this person and that person. It’s so much that needs to be done we are just numb to the fact that people really need help. It’s so much easier to say forget it all and do nothing thinking that someone else will pick up the slack. We live in a microwave generation and we want everything so fast. Americans are constantly on the go and are sometimes too busy to realize what’s really important which is stopping to help people in need.
We have to realize that we live in a day and age where people are only concerned about themselves and their own feelings. I was at a store with my mother and sister one day, and as we were leaving out of the store some African women and a man were leaving out at the same time we were. Instead of the man opening the door for us women the women that he came with opened the door first. When it was time for my mother, my sister and I to walk through the door the man simply let the door go and didn’t even look back.
After I got a taste of the door I realized that men, wherever they may come from, just aren’t polite or courteous anymore. He seemed even more discourteous to me because the next day a small little boy ran to the door, as I was leaving another store, to open the door for me. I figured then, it’s not all men that are impolite it’s just the men who weren’t raised to be chivalrous who don’t do the simplest things for others, especially for women.
I’ve been in a hit and run before so it doesn’t surprise me that someone would hit another person and just keep going. Even though I was in a car and the man that this blog concerns was directly hit by cars, I still know that people are cold-hearted and inconsiderate.
When people get behind the wheel they turn into somebody else. I’ve seen and have been in the car with people who have almost hit pedestrians. Instead of being shocked or surprised for almost hitting someone they throw up their middle finger or curse the person until their out of their view as they drive away. I can admit that I have gotten upset with people who treat the road as a sidewalk, but I couldn’t imagine myself hitting someone and just keep on going as if nothing happened.
These days many people live by the ‘he should have’ code; he should have done this or that. That’s probably what the bystanders that witnessed the man get hit, then run over by another car, said as they stood by and watched. Those bystanders proved Charles Darwin’s theory to be wrong as well as the people who like to use the saying monkey see monkey do. Or could they be correct because the bystanders saw that no one else helped so they in turn did nothing as well.
We as people will not survive if we do not live by the Golden Rule, treat other as you want to be treated. The actions of the bystanders, which were non active, could be justified if there were more oncoming cars making it impossible for them to go out into the street to help the man. The drivers of the oncoming traffic should have had a heart and stopped their cars once they saw the man lying in the street. The hit-and-run drivers really need to reevaluate their lives and their character. Their actions were appalling and merciless and the family of the man hit should seek legal action towards them if the police can locate them.
This should serve as a lesson to all of us. Always look both ways before crossing the street and never jaywalk. In Atlanta, where I am from, jaywalking is a crime and jaywalkers receive tickets because many people have been hit and killed by drivers who simply just couldn’t slow down in time. We need to treat our bodies like glass, fragile and with care. Be cautious and let’s all live by the Golden Rule.
I think the most people have become desensitized because of the repetition of violence in the media. Everyday we turn on our “idiot boxes” (televisions) on to see a variety of violent crimes, as if that was the way it's suppose to be. We have become so accustomed to it therefore it doesn't affect us. It seems that if something is not concerning us directly with our family or friends then- “it isn't our business.” There has been many cases about how television affects our minds. Television is a powerful teacher and if people are always viewing their favorite characters or figures who they can relate to using violence or aggression to get what they want, people will do the same. Also television can makes violence and even death seem funny and unreal. Therefore, some people do not learn to respect life because violent television desensitizes them.
Television is not the only reason, but lack of parenting in households. According to Families and Living Arrangements: 2006, there were 12.9 million one-parent families in 2006. It is hard to raise a child without both parents. These children spend a significant portion of their time letting television raise them while their parent is out providing for them. On average children spend about 4 hours a day watching television and about 68% if 8 to 18-year-olds have a television in their bedroom. Therefore if generations are raised in an environment to violent crimes happen all the time, then they internalize it as the norm.
I think these are the reasons that no one did anything when the man was hit because no one cared or just didn't want to get involved. I personally don't understand how people can have so emotion for another human being. If it was me- the first thing I would've done was try to stop traffic to get him out of the street. Afterwards, I would've called for an ambulance. It really saddens me to see that absolutely no one did anything to help this man. In mind mind I would think, imagine if it was your uncle, dad, brother, grandfather or friend. I guess now days many people don't identify with others in that way.
This story is astonishing, but not entirely surprising. There are numerous incidents in which people look the other way when someone is being mugged, or is calling out for help. It's a undeniable truth in modern society. People don't want to risk their safety to help out a stranger and people don't feel connected enough to reach out to people who they don't know or associate themselves with.
I personally don't understand why people wouldn't attempt to help someone in need. But I see it every day. Perhaps not in such a blatantly malicious way, but I see it none the less. I see it in the person who walks by, without a second look, at someone who is dying on the street from exposure and hunger. People don't even look in the direction of someone holding their hands out for food or money, anything that could perhaps better their situation.
I have been in a similar situation. I was at a rave and there was a man in front of me, who started going into convulsions and then collapsed. I moved to help him and cried for someone to call an ambulance. My friend dialed 911 as I sat by this stranger and tried to keep his head from smacking into the ground. Everyone around me kept dancing. When the paramedics arrived, this man had already died. They took him out on a stretcher and the crowd filled in the spot where he had taken his final breaths. I never even knew his name, but I will never forget the look in his eyes as he lie there dying; and I will never forget the way the people just danced over the spot where he had died as if nothing had happened.
In a case such as this one, it seems odd that no one would attempt to help. But I've seen it happen and now nothing surprises me in regards to the cruelty that is human nature. "If he's not one of ours, we don't care". Maybe they felt as if there was nothing they could do. Maybe they thought that if he wasn't already dead, he was dying and there were no steps they could take to prevent his death. Who knows?
If I had been there I would have run out to try to stop traffic. I would have told someone to call 911. I would have done everything in my power to help.
I believe that this kind of incident is not a new trend. It happens all the time. I think what makes this different is that it was caught on tape. The modern humanitarian is a utopist idea. There is no such thing; at least not in regards to the masses. It is a frightening reality that transcends all good deeds one can do. Save a tree, but forget about your fellow man. It's every man or woman for themselves.
Maybe I'm just pessimistic. But after all that I have seen in my short life, it's hard to keep the faith in people. I just have to hope that if I ever find myself in such a horrible situation, there will be someone like me nearby; someone who perhaps doesn't know me or have ties to me, but cares about my life regardless of those factors. Where is the world heading? Where it’s always been heading. We’ve never gotten off this track. It’s the same train and the same ticket you use to ride, the only difference is that there are more people on it and surveillance to catch our every move.
I believe that people would not help someone who had been in an accident for several reasons. People may be afraid of the risk, afraid of being sued, or are just too busy.
More often than not, I believe people just don’t want to get involved. If people reach out to help someone, they have just become a part of the situation. I think people just want to distance themselves from any horrible incident. For example, if you stop to help someone who was in an accident, they may then ask you to contact their family members. This leaves the person who originally just stopped to help responsible for much more than he/she bargained for. Also, some people may think that if they stop to help someone, they will somehow be held responsible for the accident. I also think that people do not help someone who have been in an accident simply because they think someone else will do it. Many people believe they are only one person. They believe that they are insignificant to the situation because someone else will come along and provide assistance.
If I were in a similar situation, I would have called 911. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have stopped and actually helped, but I would have called the police.
I think that people are becoming numb to the problems of other people. I think that we, as a society, have become so focused on our own families and lives that we have pushed the feelings of other people far back in our list of priorities. I think that this situation implies that when people think they are not under a watchful eye, they can be self-centered. If these individuals who ignored this man knew they were on camera, I think their reactions would be slightly different.
It's a shame what the world has become. Yes it's true that we are all desensitized to violence, sex, crime and even murder. However, I do no attribute this to television. No, I blame the norms and the lack of morals within our society. Today parents teach children to "mind yo business." At a young age, even I was taught to keep to myself. I was punished for talking to strangers and for asking to many questions. So why is it a surprise now as an adult, that I would be programed to look away and keep moving when I see helplessness on the streets. It is the "norm" to not get involved. Why? Because nowadays a person who gets involved can get into a lot of unwanted trouble. For example, right now I'm really into the television series Dexter. It's basically about a forensic blood-analysis who's secretly a serial killer who kills "bad" people. Which is ironic because clearly he himself is a "bad" person. However, the show leads you to not want the serial killer to get caught. Well, during the season finale, a cop that works with Dexter, discovered his secret. Because he was getting too involved in Dexter's life, the cop ended up getting murdered by Dexter's girlfriend. Hence, "mind yo business!" Seriously, people are almost scared to get involved and help others because we've been taught to not talk to strangers let alone help strangers out. Sad but true, we walk away because subliminally that's the "norm." Malcolm Gladwell, author of the, The Tipping Point made a point in his book to talk about a women who was stabbed to death in-front of an apartment complex. A lot of people witness the whole murder but no one bothered to call 911. Similar to story where the man was run over several times without anyone bothering to help, clearly shows how people automatically assume that somebody else was going to help. So I leave you with this story, which I believe is the reason why nobody helped the man who got ran over by the car multiple times, because we always think someone else will do it.Once upon a time, there were four people. Their names were Everybody, Somebody, Nobody and Anybody. Whenever there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. When Nobody did it, Somebody got angry because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it. So consequently Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.
I think that the people who witnessed the elderly man being hit by the car didn't help him or call the police because they automatically assumed that someone else had already done it. This situation reminds me of something I learned in another class. A study was conducted to determine what effects whether or not an individual will help a stranger who is in danger. The study used an experiment in which actors simulated a young woman being mugged. What the study found is that when one or two or three people witness a stranger in danger they feel a very strong individual responsibility to come to the aid of a stranger in danger. In contrast the study showed that when a medium or large group witnessed someone in danger individuals were less likely to come to the aid of a stranger. When people witness things like this amongst a large group their individual sense of responsibility is diffused within that group. Most people automatically assume that since so many others witnessed the tragic event that someone else must have called the police or ambulance.
I think if I had witnessed this accident I would have went into the street to try and stop traffic and ask for someone to call for help.
Maybe in today's fast paced world we are just too caught up in ourselves and our own lives to react when someone is in a great deal of danger. Maybe it is a reflection of our society and just shows us that in today's world helping people who are in danger are very low on our list of priorities.
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