Are most people oblivious?

JonnyPistachio

Thinking about the toddler in China who was run over twice and left in the street for quite some time as passersby ignored her or just didnt realize the gravity of the situaiton...I remembered something I saw awhile ago (see links below). They are quite different, but made me wonder if people in these situations just can't be bothered, or are they going through life with tunnel vision? Is it the monotony of a routine that makes us forget to 'stop and smell the roses', help a dying child, or listen to a street musician?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_Y ... _embedded#!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01721.html

BinauralJam

That was so cool.

MotoDC

Tragedy aside, I'd guess there are a number of underlying psychological explanations for why people would ignore a stranger being harmed. One is the apathetic herd mentality -- "someone else will take care of it". Another is reasonable disbelief. Seeing a child run over by a bus is so out of the ordinary that perhaps people just assumed they weren't seeing the situation accurately. A parallel would be seeing Eddie Vedder at random restaurant or something. My first thought would probably be "man that guy looks alot like Eddie [but can't possibly be]".

And then the combination of the two -- the thought process where "if that was really a baby getting run over buy a bus, SOMEone would have done something about it by now, therefore it must be something else (a doll, a grocery bag, who knows)".

As for the violinist parallel, I think that's more a case of people not being able to recognize greatness in that particular field. As much as I enjoy the violin, I wouldn't be able to tell a good violinist from a once-in-a-generation savant.

Side note -- I don't recognize that DC metro stop at all. Most entrances are escalators, not doors directly to the outside.

tremors

In China, I would say fear is likely to be a factor

Cosmo

Oblivious? Yup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxwk6znj-eA

cincybearcat

Most people on this forum are, that's for sure.

tremors

cincybearcat wrote:

Most people on this forum are, that's for sure.

I like reading the moving train - I always learn a lot, and I think there are a lot of well written, thoughtful and analytic posts. I rarely join in though - not because I don't have opinions on matters - but because I don't enjoy long running hostile arguing over the internet. Don't really know why I posted in this thread actually! Was just browsing and forgot that I keep my mouth shut on the Train

Jason P

I'm usually up in my head with my thoughts when walking around. Sometimes I will notice a change, like a tree that has been cut down on a familiar route, and not be sure if it happened in the last week, month, or year.

Too much imagination can be a detriment at times ...

STAYSEA

I am so Tired of the moving train....

Yes most are!!! A turkey named STEPHEN MOODY or STEVEN MOODY on sunday in penacola beach during DeLunesta Festi evil., pushed me into a metal barricade, then he climed on my bag of easter eggs. I am a small person , but no one else was going to do /say / help me at all. So I start my game. What is your problem dude? Why do you think it's okay to shove a little girl out of your way like I'm a piece of trash? He said he had a SPONSER! I said , "that is awesome because you are fucking trashed and you need to call them to come get your sorry ass!" : No , I'm sponsored by the concert okay, Ive got more right to be here that you so calm down . " Oh so you are drinking on the job and you are an employee! great " anyway I would continue but I'm glad I had my mace! He followed and harrased me for quite a while. I have pictures of him and recordings. I found some military, some hired police , and nada. I looked around they had wayyy more problems. All I can do is make sure they are breathing. once I walked past a dude raping an unconsious girl. I gave him a dirty look. and he told me to mind my own fucking business. I hate but still like festi e vils. I g=just need to bring my own bodyguard. If anyone knows this Steve guy... I'm looking for him! :twisted: and no I don't know where his stupid Iphone is but he's not going to find it. I need to quit the chu chu train!!!

Jason P

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

cincybearcat

STAYSEA wrote:

I need to quit the chu chu train!!!

And a few other things it seems.

STAYSEA

For once and for the last time !!!! I do not use any Substances!!!! I am sure cindybearcat likes to be drunk before noon but that is her right. She is a hippie! I bet she is a supermom too. Does she drive a high-octane SUV to drop the drycleaning off? Please Back off! Bear cat pig lady- hippie. I'm scared to see what you look like.

cincybearcat

STAYSEA wrote:

For once and for the last time !!!! I do not use any Substances!!!! I am sure cindybearcat likes to be drunk before noon but that is her right. She is a hippie! I bet she is a supermom too. Does she drive a high-octane SUV to drop the drycleaning off? Please Back off! Bear cat pig lady- hippie. I'm scared to see what you look like.

I bet she's actually a he.

cincybearcat

STAYSEA wrote:

For once and for the last time !!!! I do not use any Substances!!!!

Oh and I'm sorry, I guess I was long. Looks like you need to start medication not stop it.

BinauralJam

i was thinking bath salts perhaps, very chadwickin STAYSEA is

Cosmo

STAYSEA wrote:

I am so Tired of the moving train....

Yes most are!!! A turkey named STEPHEN MOODY or STEVEN MOODY on sunday in penacola beach during DeLunesta Festi evil., pushed me into a metal barricade, then he climed on my bag of easter eggs. I am a small person , but no one else was going to do /say / help me at all. So I start my game. What is your problem dude? Why do you think it's okay to shove a little girl out of your way like I'm a piece of trash? He said he had a SPONSER! I said , "that is awesome because you are fucking trashed and you need to call them to come get your sorry ass!" : No , I'm sponsored by the concert okay, Ive got more right to be here that you so calm down . " Oh so you are drinking on the job and you are an employee! great " anyway I would continue but I'm glad I had my mace! He followed and harrased me for quite a while. I have pictures of him and recordings. I found some military, some hired police , and nada. I looked around they had wayyy more problems. All I can do is make sure they are breathing. once I walked past a dude raping an unconsious girl. I gave him a dirty look. and he told me to mind my own fucking business. I hate but still like festi e vils. I g=just need to bring my own bodyguard. If anyone knows this Steve guy... I'm looking for him! :twisted: and no I don't know where his stupid Iphone is but he's not going to find it. I need to quit the chu chu train!!!

...
I like reading this kind of stuff... it reminds me of the time I took acid at the aquarium... which reminds me that I don't remember a thing about that.
...
Whoa!!! I'm really dizzy, now!

Hugh Freaking Dillon

I read an article that actually confirmed a suspcion I had about this.......someone else mentioned it.....people in China ARE afraid of getting involved. There was a well publicized incident, the actual incident escapes me now, that a man helped someone who was hurt, and the good samaritan ended up being accused of the crime that was committed.

This apparently is not uncommon. But to ignore a dying child in the street? I think I'd take the risk. Maybe I'm speaking as a parent, but I don't think so.

JonnyPistachio

MotoDC wrote:

Tragedy aside, I'd guess there are a number of underlying psychological explanations for why people would ignore a stranger being harmed. One is the apathetic herd mentality -- "someone else will take care of it". Another is reasonable disbelief. Seeing a child run over by a bus is so out of the ordinary that perhaps people just assumed they weren't seeing the situation accurately. A parallel would be seeing Eddie Vedder at random restaurant or something. My first thought would probably be "man that guy looks alot like Eddie [but can't possibly be]".

And then the combination of the two -- the thought process where "if that was really a baby getting run over buy a bus, SOMEone would have done something about it by now, therefore it must be something else (a doll, a grocery bag, who knows)".

As for the violinist parallel, I think that's more a case of people not being able to recognize greatness in that particular field. As much as I enjoy the violin, I wouldn't be able to tell a good violinist from a once-in-a-generation savant.

Side note -- I don't recognize that DC metro stop at all. Most entrances are escalators, not doors directly to the outside.

Good points Moto... Funny coincidence, just the other day I was eating lunch outside under an overhang at one of my favorite cafes and it was a bit rainy. A lady scurried by who looked exactly like Sandra Bullock. This is a nice area with some shops that are a bit high end, so I wondered to myself it if was really her and I was just in disbelief.

I think a lot of times if we see stuff that is highly unusual, its as if its not really happening.

STAYSEA

Oblivious people....

Stephen King was hit by a car.
They left him for dead.

Mother Theresa died the same Day as Princess Diana.

My Mom asked me the other day who Ghandi was.

Knut the German Polar bear drowned the same week as the China panda sneezed.

I need to shut the "fruck" up. All apologies. The media is doing a great job on it's own.
I really just feed turtles for a living. I know nothing.

stargirl69

I saw a documentary once about social interaction in cities.
The same scenarios were set up everywhere and the results were almost identical.

A "drunk homeless man" was never helped,a "drunk business man" was helped 85% of the time.Both men were played by the same actor,people helped the business man as they thought he may be ill rather than drunk,they never helped the homeless man as he was drunk and homeless.

Old lady struggling with a suitcase in a railway station steps helped by less than 20% of people,young attractive women in identical scenario helped 95% of the time,all men.Again the same actress made up to look old.

Many other scenarios played out the same way,common factor across the world,the ones perceived as intelligent,handsome,wealthy,young,attractive were helped more than 75% of the time.
Ones perceived as old,unattractive,homeless,mentally ill,poor,drunk,children were helped less than 20%. Psychologists called it intelligent,handsome,wealthy,young,attractive "by association " as they had helped a particularly aesthetically pleasing individual.To help a less so was not seen to promote their status.

A few years ago there was a young women horrifically assaulted in an underground car park in a entrainment centre,cinema's,bar's restaurants,cafes,in Edinburgh,she was stripped and thrown in a lift which opened at the mall's ground floor on a busy Thursday evening ,she crawled out,naked and bleeding and ran through the mall hysterical,no one approached her to help until she ran into a restaurant where she collapsed.When I heard about it I almost lost the belief in human race.

Many humans are blinkered to the other humans around them.But not everyone ... all it takes is a little encouragement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Peace

BinauralJam

The little girl died.