How The Murder Of Kitty Genovese Created The Bystander Effect
Wikimedia CommonsKitty Genovese whose muder would inspire the psychological phenomenon known as the bystander effect. At approximately 3:15 a.m. on March 13, 1964, a woman was murdered. Her name was Kitty Genovese. She was 28 years old, “self-assured beyond her years,” and had a “sunny disposition.” However, on that Friday evening, none of that mattered. As Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in an alleyway outside her home, the friends and neighbors she had lived next to for several years stood by, choosing not to get involved as she lay there dying.
What Is the Bystander Effect?
If you witnessed an emergency happening right before your eyes, you would certainly take some sort of action to help the person in trouble, right? While we might all like to believe that this is true, psychologists suggest that whether or not you intervene might depend upon the number of other witnesses present. What Is the Bystander Effect? The term bystander effect refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses.
Bystander Effect: What Is It and What You Can Do About It
What the bystander effect looks like A little after 3 a.m. on March 13, 1964, Catherine “Kitty” Genovese parked her car and walked to her apartment in Queens, New York, after finishing her shift as a bar manager. Serial killer Winston Moseley was out to victimize someone that night.
TODAYonline
I refer to the news reports of the fatal traffic accident on Sunday (Dec 29) at Lucky Plaza. I applaud the Good Samaritans who unselfishly helped to lift up the car, pulled the victims out and attended to them. These are acts of true heroism. They encourage us to lend help to accident victims when needed and show that there are still compassionate people who don’t respond to accidents by whipping out their phones first to take videos and photos to circulate to their friends. In Sunday’s incident, one of the first things a bystander could do was to rush to the nearby Mount Elizabeth Hospital Accident and Emergency Department to seek help, as it would have the necessary medical equipment and trauma specialists on duty.
Why we still look away: Kitty Genovese, James Bulger and the bystander effect
More than half a century later, the death of Kitty Genovese continues to remind us of the disconnect between what we believe about ourselves and how we really act under pressure. The murder of the 28-year-old outside her apartment in the Queens neighborhood of Kew Gardens in the early morning of 13 March 1964 rippled through New York City and around the world. How could a young, independent woman who lived on her own terms be so easily struck down? How could so many neighbors look on and turn away as she was stabbed repeatedly on the street and in her apartment building?
The 21st century bystander effect happens every day online
If you’re going to fall, injure yourself and need help, where is a good place to do it? Should you choose a busy thoroughfare or a deserted backstreet? Statistics and experiments in social psychology will tell you that if you need help, you should avoid dropping in a busy street, even if hundreds of people are passing through.
Toddler incident in China shows 'volunteer's dilemma' - CNN
A security camera video of a toddler being run over twice on a street in China has swept across the Web in recent days and has drawn a chorus of horrified denunciations. How, we wonder, could so many passers-by have so callously ignored the girl's plight? As humans, we are horrified when we learn that a person in distress is not helped, even when, as in this case, many potential helpers are present. Our horror increases if the person is victimized in a particularly vicious or careless way by fellow human beings.
Disturbing bullying reports can be used to teach kids about bystander intervention, advocates say
Advocates say shocking new videos showing extreme bullying offer parents and educators an opportunity to teach young witnesses the importance of bystander intervention. "Targeting behavioural change from the bully is not as effective as targeting the bystander to make a culture shift," said Gordana Skrba of the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy. A video posted Nov. 8 showed a 14-year-old Nova Scotia boy with cerebral palsy lying down in a stream as a girl steps on his back. About 20 students were watching, some filming on their phones.
What a Tragic Traffic Incident Says About Chinese Social Ethics
A video recording of another horrific traffic incident has gripped Chinese social media. After being knocked to the ground by a taxi, a woman lies prone in the middle of a busy road. The taxi drives on, though its two occupants are later detained; neither nearby pedestrians nor other drivers stop to help the woman at the scene, though more than a dozen people reported the incident to the police. The woman is run over by another vehicle, and later dies from her injuries. The incident actually happened in April 2017 in Zhumadian, a city in central China’s Henan province, but the surveillance video surfaced only last week.
Bystanders to Bullying
Someone who witnesses bullying, either in person or online, is a bystander. Friends, students, peers, teachers, school staff, parents, coaches, and other youth-serving adults can be bystanders. With cyberbullying, even strangers can be bystanders. Youth involved in bullying play many different roles.
Written Answer by Minister for Law, K Shanmugam, to Parliamentary Question on the introduction of a Good Samaritan law in Singapore
14 Feb 2012 Posted in Parliamentary speeches and responses Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, Marine Parade GRC Question To ask the Minister for Law whether it is time to reconsider the appropriateness of introducing a Good Samaritan law in Singapore. Answer The honourable Member last raised this issue in 2008 with Professor S Jayakumar, then the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law.
Addressing Bullying: Teaching Children to Be Active Bystanders - Committee for Children
Bullying negatively affects all children socially, emotionally, and academically, whether they’re victims, offenders, or bystanders. These small moments in one’s childhood may sound trivial, but the lasting effects for those who have been bullied can be as severe as developing an anxiety or depressive disorder. Addressing bullying has less to do with the person who’s bullying and more to do with those who observe it, whether in the classroom, a social setting, or online.
TODAYonline
SINGAPORE — There is no need for a Good Samaritan Law, because Singaporeans continue to render assistance when needed, said Senior Minister of State for Law and Education Indranee Rajah. Speaking in Parliament today (May 29), Ms Indranee said the issue had been brought before the House twice before. The reasons deeming the law unnecessary then, still hold today. A Good Samaritan Law protects people who render help during emergencies from criminal or civil liability. Ms Indranee explained that current laws do not give rise to any major liability concerns for Good Samaritans.
My colleague was harassed by a male passenger on the MRT and nobody helped. Here's what I'd have done. - The Pride
What would you do if you were a female passenger on the MRT and a male passenger started harassing you? A lovely, young female colleague of mine had that frightening experience last week. While watching a movie on her smartphone... What would you do if you were a female passenger on the MRT and a male passenger started harassing you? A lovely, young female colleague of mine had that frightening experience last week. While watching a movie on her smartphone in a somewhat empty train cabin, a guy in his 30s who was sitting two seats away from her – with an empty seat separating them – reached out his hand and brushed her upper arm.
