This time there is a title...

Today I want to talk about the bystander effect. It's a phrase that was coined in New York, one could argue appropriately so. Although we come across the term far too often in the headlines, fleetingly and without much lasting effect, I think it bears examining more closely. Over a year ago, I heard of an absolutely appalling case of the bystander effect which occurred on the street in Queens. 31-year-old Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax was stabbed and bled to death on the sidewalk after coming to the aid of a woman who was being mugged. Over a dozen people passed by as Tale-Yax bled out, noticed, and did nothing. One man stopped to take a picture. Details are outlined in the following article: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/dying-homeless-man-stopped-mugging-sidewalk/story?id=10471047#.Tv6PLPKwXRY

Possibly nobody helped Hugo Tale-Yax because he was homeless. What if it had been a young, well-dressed woman lying on the sidewalk? Impossible to know. But one can assume passers-by would at the very least have shown more concern.

Gaby Dunn, who writes for Thought Catalog, followed the same line of speculation in her article on December 15th. http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/the-bystander-effect/ Her article describes her experience witnessing a homeless man with his hand caught in a subway door, and the shocking passivity of those seated nearby who made no move to help. She goes on to suggest that people in such situations don't get involved because they don't want to cause a fuss if it turns out that they are wrong about the victim being in a state of crisis, so they prefer to tell themselves that someone else will help.

I believe the problem runs deeper than that. It betrays the fundamentally egocentric nature of individuals who's personalities are shaped by the conveniences of the modern world. Two hundred years ago, if I lived in a village where survival was dependent upon cooperation, small comforts were fought for tooth and nail, and I knew the names of my neighbors and their children, how could I possibly see one of them in peril and just walk on by? But today, if I live alone in a city where my needs are met as a result of my own actions alone, and my thoughts are broadcast and my questions answered instantly thanks to almighty facebook and Google thus placing my own existence at the forefront of my whole world, then what do those who live nearby mean to me? There is no reason to put myself even slightly at risk for someone who has no ties to me whatsoever. No reason apart from basic human compassion, of course.

All this isn't to say that modernity is the root of all evil, it's simply meant to inspire thought and discussion. If you (whoever happens to be reading) were in the same position as those who witnessed Hugo Tale-Yax's death on a sidewalk in Queen's, what circumstances would prompt you to seek help, or not to seek it? Would you stop if you were late for work? Would you keep going if you saw how much blood he had lost? What if he had a beer in his hand, or if he was a she?

That's all for now, cheers everyone, and happy new year!